Tag Archives: extinction

How to Survive the End of the World by Katy Doughty

Review: How to Survive the End of the World by Katy Doughty

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How to Survive the End of the World
Katy Doughty
MITeen Press
Published March 31, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About How to Survive the End of the World

“Brilliant; at once terrifying and fascinating.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

In a full-color debut, a graphic novelist takes an engrossing, gleefully existential deep dive into the many ways that humanity could—and almost did—meet its end.

Since 99.9 percent of all species that have lived are extinct, it’s bound to be our turn eventually, right? So what’s most likely to kill us? A well-timed asteroid? Some new robot overlords? With wit and dry humor, debut graphic novelist Katy Doughty blends science and history to explore our chances of surviving disasters such as plagues, global warming, and alien invasion. Drawing on interviews with experts in fields like infectious diseases, AI, and interplanetary exploration, she combines cutting-edge research with compelling visuals: mugshots of the deadliest microbes, graphs of the winners and losers of mass extinction events, and a whole lot of dinosaur drawings. For apocalypse aficionados, the morbidly curious, and the just plain curious, this is your antidote to existential dread—a timely, imaginative, and ultimately hopeful take on humankind’s ability to survive the odds.

My Review

OMG, this was such a stressful book to read! Haha. I don’t think it was meant to be as stressful as it felt to me when I read it. There’s a lot of wry humor, which keeps things a bit light. Each chapter presents one possible doom humanity could face and then usually breaks down key information showing why that isn’t the doom we’re perched on the edge of right now. Some chapters highlighted historical moments when the inhabitants of Earth faced mass extinctions (such as the one that caused the dinosaurs’ extinction) or threats to humanity’s survival, such as the plague.

The graphic novel format made it very easy to read this book. There’s a good balance of words to pictures, though probably more words per page than fiction readers of this format are used to. The bright color palette also kept the tone a little brighter than the topic suggests.

I think readers who enjoy nonfiction or who have questions about humanity’s possible demise will find this book both informative and thought-provoking.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Reference to different spiritual beliefs about the end of the world.

Violent Content
Descriptions of various events that could cause the world and/or humanity to end.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Giraffe Extinction by Tanya Anderson

Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Giraffe Extinction
Tanya Anderson
Twenty-first Century Books
Published October 1, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads

About Giraffe Extinction

Quietly, without most people noticing, the population of giraffes in the wild has decreased by nearly 40 percent since 1985. Giraffes have disappeared entirely from seven countries where they used to live. Researchers believe fewer than 98,000 exist in the wild–fewer even than endangered African elephants. In 2016, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature added giraffes to the organization’s Red List of Threatened Species. What is causing their disappearance? Overpopulation of humans in giraffe habitats and illegal poaching.

Learn about giraffes’ physical characteristics, habitats, and life cycles; examine the dangers they face from humans and climate change; and meet the scientists working to save these gentle giants using technology and conservation efforts.

My Review

My youngest daughter’s favorite animal right now is a giraffe, so I thought this book would be interesting to read just as information for myself. She’s too young to really understand the information, but I think that also the possibility that giraffes could face extinction in the near future made me want to learn more. It’s hard to imagine a world in which giraffes don’t exist since they’re such an iconic animal.

The book is a little tough at the beginning. There’s some explanation of the history of studying giraffes and while I think it’s great information, it’s not as friendly and easy to read as other books by this publisher. Once I got past the first chapter or so, though, I think it was easier to understand.

One of the things I found most fascinating is the way giraffes have been classified and how that impacts any available protection. I hadn’t ever considered whether there are multiple species of giraffes or only one with subspecies. I enjoyed learning about that process and what its effects might be for the future.

Also, did you know giraffes make a sound?! Okay, they don’t make a sound like you’re thinking, like a cat meowing or something. But for a long time, scientists thought giraffes would be mute because of their long necks. Actually, they make a humming sound while they sleep. Pretty cool!

Over all, I enjoyed the balance of interesting facts, history and context for why giraffes are threatened and how essential they are to the environment where they live. I recommend this book for young conservationists and animal enthusiasts alike.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
None.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of GIRAFFE EXTINCTION in exchange for my honest review.