Marty Essen

Marty Essen is a 21st century renaissance man. He has had to reinvent his life several times as outside events have tanked his businesses. In Hits, Heathens and Hippos he has written an engaging autobiography, or, as he puts it towards the end of the book (chapter 36) a “laugh-every-ten-or-so-minutes inspirational memoir.” In my opinion, he definitely succeeded in his goal. This is the sixth book Marty has published. I have now read five of those six and I firmly believe this is the best of the lot. I recommend Hits, Heathens and Hippos highly to anyone interested in how a person can turn his/her life around and keep going, laughing most of the way. Full disclosure, I was given a copy of this book prior to publication in exchange for a fair and honest review. I am so glad Marty chose to trust me with this. I could not put the book down, and I doubt you will be able to either. Fair warning, this is not a book for the Fox News crowd.… (altro)

This is Marty Essen's third book, and I feel I must begin my review with these disclaimers. I worked for the author for five years in the early 2000s. While I might not have been present for the conception of his first book, I was certainly there for the labor and delivery. I got to read the book as it was being written, and thoroughly enjoyed my unofficial role as proof-reader and first editor. I had left Marty's business when his second book came out, but I read it eagerly and found it as enjoyable as the first. Both were travelogues, as it were, describing Marty's visits to all seven continents (in the first book) and a selection of places facing environmental devastation in the second. This book is completely different. And I will admit that I was given a copy of the book with the promise that I would write my honest review of it. After five years of working side by side with Marty, I thought I knew him. I know his passion for politics, his love of travel, his deep concern for the environment, and all of those come out in Time is Irreverent. What was a surprise to me was his great sense of humor. Holy Smokin' Hot Nellie! This book is funny. You can read it as Science Fiction, as Satire, as Political Humor, as a cautionary tale, but you will laugh as you read. The book shows up in Amazon as, among other things, a book of interest to the LGBT community. I'm not spoiling anything when I tell you that one of the main characters is a lesbian--but she doesn't show up until at least a third of the way through the book. The characters are well-developed, even the aliens on their space ship (another spoiler?). Marty's love of the modern music scene is also quite evident throughout the book. And the question we all must answer, especially as we live through the horror of our present day political scene, is "just what all will happen if we go back and change history." Read the book. It has my highest recommendation.… (altro)

This may well be the final book I read in 2015, and that's fine. It's a great way to end the year. I had the great good fortune of working with/for the author when he was traveling and writing his first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet, and I got to read that book as it was being written, a work in progress. I feel a bit of a tie to this new book in that I helped Marty's company a bit while he took one of the trips described herein--the Costa Rica 30th Anniversary Trip. As a matter of full disclosure, I should state that the author gave me an autographed copy of Endangered Edens with the understanding that I would write an honest review of the book. That is not hard to do. Marty's writing is such a pleasure to read, even when he's talking about dreadful places (Prudhoe Bay, anyone?). Reading Endangered Edens, I felt as if I were along for the trips involved, which is saying something in that of the four places described in this book, I have been to only one--the Everglades. Alaska and Costa Rica are on my bucket list, and now, having read about Marty and Deb's adventures in Puerto Rico, I certainly wouldn't mind going there in person. Marty's photographs are stunningly beautiful, even if I don't share his interest in herps (reptiles and amphibians). I would recommend this book (and the author's first book as well) to anyone interested in good travel writing, good adventure writing, great photography, and, perhaps most important, to anyone at all interested in the fate of our beautiful planet and what steps we can take to ensure that our children, grandchildren, and generations to come can enjoy it the way we have.… (altro)