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

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

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. A New York Times Editors' Choice A Library of Congress Centers for the Book "Great Reads of 2024" Best Nonfiction of 2023, BookPage Best Reviewed Nonfiction Books of November 2023, Lit Hub Best Nonfiction of 2023, Amazon Best Books of 2023, Christian Science Monitor Best Books of 2023, Tampa Bay Times Must-Read Nonfiction of 2023, Chicago Public Library Best Florida Books of 2023, Tampa Bay Creative Loafing "Renner's debut is self-assured and full of poetry, and it will change Florida in the eyes of everyone who reads it." - NPR "This nail-biter account...has the intensity of the best true crime... A high-def tale that ensnares you from the start." ― People , Book of the Week "Renner gives the remarkable nature of South Florida, as well as the often hardscrabble folk whose families have lived there for generations, the love and respect they deserve... Every species, and every person who fights for its continued existence, deserves a book like this ― a book that explores the complexity of the nexus between humans and animals and the exploitation of the wild, and considers the ambiguities of our fractured relationship to nature, morality and history." ― The New York Times "Captivating... What lifts Renner’s work out of the true-crime muck is her devotion to presenting the natural world in all its glory ― and humanity in all its frequent opposite of that. She never lets the thrill of the sting take away from the poverty-driven reality that poaching is usually a crime of sustenance... [An] exceptional work." ― Washington Post "Gator Country is a book for anyone looking for the juicy mess of reality in pages so suspenseful they read like fiction. In the end, Renner writes about the blurry morality of the law, friendships, betrayal, loyalty, and family, all while expertly building toward the crescendo of the true villain’s reveal, all of which gives way to an incredible ride and a riveting read." ― The Florida Review "Renner weaves together the often thrilling true-crime story of the undercover operation with her own investigation of Peg Brown. Gator Country is also, in parts, a memoir and a loving natural history of the irreplaceable Everglades." ― The Tampa Bay Times "Renner is a natural storyteller, and she does service to wild Florida, igniting an answering passion in the reader. " ― The Orlando Weekly "I dare you to stop reading!" ― The Coastal Star "The fast-paced narrative is imbued with the atmosphere of tension that shapes any good mystery story... [Renner] sketches a vivid portrait of the scraggly splendor of the land and its tenacious hold on life in a world that often fails to see its beauty." ― BookPage "Come for the you’ll-never-believe facts and an exploration of man vs. myth. Stay for the history and dive into communities." ― Book Riot "Part true-crime story, part memoir, part hymn to “nature’s savage beauty,” Gator Country makes for a rewarding reading experience." -- Christian Science Monitor "Readers of this book are in for a