Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades

Gator Country

Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades

2023 • 296 pages

Ratings2

Average rating3.5

15

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.

Become a Librarian

Tags


Reviews

Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

This one ran a bit longer than I would have liked in some parts but overall it was a really interesting and compelling read and I greatly appreciated the nuanced way with which everything was approached.

February 1, 2024
January 9, 2024

Top Lists

See all (2)

List

216 books

Non Fiction

From Russia with Blood: The Kremlin's Ruthless Assassination Program and Vladimir Putin's Secret War on the West
Plagued by Fire
Life Undercover
Queen Meryl: The Iconic Roles, Heroic Deeds, and Legendary Life of Meryl Streep
Hollywood's Eve
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Ticker: The Quest to Create an Artificial Heart

List

115 books

2023

Ghost Music
The Survivalists
Sense of Wonder
The Last Pomegranate Tree
Couplets
What Napoleon Could Not Do
The Applicant