I feel the title and the cover of this book, while good, don't do justice to how important the message and how deeply serious and political the content is. Professor Sadiah Qureshi doesn't "just" write about extinction (a topic I find interesting anyway!), she details the links of modern extinction events to the awful history of colonialism and capitalism and human greed, and shows it as a pattern rather than one-off events. In this book, she covers a lot of different events, from the Dodo to the Steller sea cow, to human groups thought to be extinct in the early 20th century (the Beothuk, in New Foundland, and various groups in modern-day Australia) because of the persecution they suffered but also because of the way white colonialists thought generally about race and their refusal to acknowledge and recognise mixed-race individuals. Professor Qureshi also covers in depth the intellectual journey from finding and studying the first fossils and prehistoric remains to understanding how they fit in the history of evolution.
There's a lot about how science came to think about extinction, how extinction was represented and discussed in intellectual circles, and how the imperial machine created these events and the loss that came with it. It was interesting to read about how the colonial powers felt that human groups going "extinct" was simply inevitable, and framed "interventions" like the boarding schools or reservations as humanitarian actions. It's a very dark book, and contains many examples of the horrific treatment of both humans and animals. It was still accessible, and very well-written, with illustrations and photos between paragraphs which really helped put the facts within context.

I really liked this one, and would definitely recommend it - but don't expect a leisurely book about dinosaurs (although they do make an appareance), this is a brilliant non-fiction about race and colonialism written by an accomplished historian.

I really enjoyed this
So much information and facts I learned so much and enjoyed it
Would definitely recommend

Vanished is a curious book; equal parts political history and science.
Qureshi talks about different extinct(ed) species such as the dodo, the mastodon, and the extinction of people.
It was eye-opening to learn of Bates’ work.
Overall, a well-discussed and researched book with important messages at its core.
It is accessible and yet the scientific quality is never diminished.