Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades
Rebecca Renner
Nov 2023 · Flatiron Books
5.0star
1 reviewreport
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288
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About this ebook
A New York Times Editors' Choice
"Delivers everything its title promises and much more." - NPR
"Remarkable... Every species, and every person who fights for its continued existence, deserves a book like this." — The New York Times
"This nail-biter account has the intensity of the best true crime... A high-def tale that ensnares you from the start." —People
David Grann meets Susan Orlean in this page-turning true story of an underground operation into the mysterious world of alligator poaching and its larger than life Floridian characters
To catch a Florida Man, you have to become one, and that’s what Officer Jeff Babauta did. As his ponytailed, whiskey-soaked alter ego, he established Sunshine Alligator Farm. His goal? Infiltrate the shady world of illegal poachers in the Florida Everglades in order to protect the natural world.
A head-spinning adventure soon unfolds. Jeff deals with glow-in-the-dark alligators and high-speed airboat rides, but quickly learns that not all poachers are villains. They’re simply people trying to survive, fighting against the poverty and greed holding them down. Jeff wants to solve the mystery of alligator poachers, and in doing so he must venture deeper into a strange ecosystem where right is wrong, and justice comes at the cost of those who’ve welcomed him into their world.
Gator Country is the twisting true story of the impossible choices individuals must make to stay afloat in this world. Through its wholly unique blend of reporting, nature writing, and personal narrative, this book transports readers to vibrant and dangerous Florida landscapes and offers intimate portraits of those who call the region home. Broad in scope and vivid in detail, Gator Country is a fast paced tale of the risks people will take to survive in one of the world's most beautiful yet formidable landscapes and the undercover investigation that threatens to topple the whole scheme.
"Delivers everything its title promises and much more." - NPR
"Remarkable... Every species, and every person who fights for its continued existence, deserves a book like this." — The New York Times
"This nail-biter account has the intensity of the best true crime... A high-def tale that ensnares you from the start." —People
David Grann meets Susan Orlean in this page-turning true story of an underground operation into the mysterious world of alligator poaching and its larger than life Floridian characters
To catch a Florida Man, you have to become one, and that’s what Officer Jeff Babauta did. As his ponytailed, whiskey-soaked alter ego, he established Sunshine Alligator Farm. His goal? Infiltrate the shady world of illegal poachers in the Florida Everglades in order to protect the natural world.
A head-spinning adventure soon unfolds. Jeff deals with glow-in-the-dark alligators and high-speed airboat rides, but quickly learns that not all poachers are villains. They’re simply people trying to survive, fighting against the poverty and greed holding them down. Jeff wants to solve the mystery of alligator poachers, and in doing so he must venture deeper into a strange ecosystem where right is wrong, and justice comes at the cost of those who’ve welcomed him into their world.
Gator Country is the twisting true story of the impossible choices individuals must make to stay afloat in this world. Through its wholly unique blend of reporting, nature writing, and personal narrative, this book transports readers to vibrant and dangerous Florida landscapes and offers intimate portraits of those who call the region home. Broad in scope and vivid in detail, Gator Country is a fast paced tale of the risks people will take to survive in one of the world's most beautiful yet formidable landscapes and the undercover investigation that threatens to topple the whole scheme.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
Roland Bailey
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December 22, 2023
This lyrical, novel-like nonfiction—dare I call it a thriller?—is one of my new favorite books. It's fast-paced, especially for nonfiction. It follows many of adventure journalism's conventions, like having the author as a character in the story—think The Orchid Thief, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster, or even Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas—while flouting others. We really get to feel what it's like being in wildlife officer Jeff Babauta's head.
About the author
Rebecca Renner is a contributor to National Geographic, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Outside Magazine, Tin House, The Paris Review, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other publications. She holds an MFA from Stetson University. Gator Country is her debut.
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