Editorial Review

From Susan Casey, bestselling author of The Devil’s Teeth, an astonishing book about colossal,  ship-swallowing rogue waves and the surfers who seek them out.

For centuries, mariners have spun tales of gargantuan waves, 100-feet high or taller. Until recently scientists dis­missed these stories—waves that high would seem to violate the laws of physics. But in the past few decades, as a startling number of ships vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something scary was brewing in the planet’s waters. They found their proof in February 2000, when a British research vessel was trapped in a vortex of impossibly mammoth waves in the North Sea—including several that approached 100 feet.

As scientists scramble to understand this phenomenon, others view the giant waves as the ultimate challenge. These are extreme surfers who fly around the world trying to ride the ocean’s most destructive monsters. The pioneer of extreme surfing is the legendary Laird Hamilton, who, with a group of friends in Hawaii, figured out how to board suicidally large waves of 70 and 80 feet. Casey follows this unique tribe of peo­ple as they seek to conquer the holy grail of their sport, a 100­-foot wave.

In this mesmerizing account, the exploits of Hamilton and his fellow surfers are juxtaposed against scientists’ urgent efforts to understand the destructive powers of waves—from the tsunami that wiped out 250,000 people in the Pacific in 2004 to the 1,740-foot-wave that recently leveled part of the Alaskan coast.

Like Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, The Wave brilliantly portrays human beings confronting nature at its most ferocious. ... Read more

Reviews

The Discovery Channel meets ESPN, September 2, 2010

Well written ultra press release for The Laird...Ultimate Wave Guy (TM), September 5, 2010

she's not one of the boys yet, October 22, 2010
the book begins excitingly - susan casey is a tour de force when it comes to research. she knows her subject and does all the homework, ranging over continents to talk to sources in science and industry and sport. she obviously has money, because she spares nothing in expense. she also has an amazing ability to bring esoteric concepts to life by translating the phenomenon of these giant waves into little images and analogies that the reader can relate to - she writes vibrant, muscular prose. what disappointed me: when she finally gets to the big waves and big wave surfers, that boldness seems to dissipate. and she writes like a schoolgirl with a crush on things like laird's hamilton's muscles. no longer the intrepid adventurer, she writes about quivering with fear and nervousness at actually going out with the surfers to the wave break-- but in the flank of it, where all the boats and skis sit, the safe zone. she has a tin ear for her own dialogue - her questions seem to be suddenly a whole 6 octaves stupider, focused on feelings and "how do you feel" questions to men she's already characterized as not much for excess words. women surfers appear almost nowhere in the book. the more it annoyed me, the more i began to see casey as just another goggle-eyed chick in a bikini, and i was disappointed because her book began with such a dramatic crackle of energy. when i researched around and read on laird's website that she made a financial deal to pay for access to his world, i felt even more disappointed.

so i went back to read her first book, about great white sharks. same tendencies. amazing writing, with the same snap crackle pop of good prose. prodigious research, and capacious funds to undertake it. and yet somehow in the middle of the book she becomes all thumbs - afraid to jump from a sailboat to a dinghy, afraid to bait a fishhook, afraid of the dark, afraid of ghosts. afraid her expensive underwear will get taken by a storm. pointing out that she feels sexy wearing fashion rugged gear in the company of men. once again she never really mentions the women interns who are actually living at the farralones - who actually deal every day with the things she finds overwhelming as a visitor. they're there, but the experiences she focuses on are her own, not the experiences of those with more mileage and qualifications under their sexy belts. when a shark researcher shows up (and yes, he's handsome!!! picture included!!) she admires his muscular forearms but seems vague about what he actually does. they go to the aquarium together at the end. meanwhile she manages to lose a sailboat, set off government inquisitions and insurance claims, break federal regulations, and get one of the top research scientists fired from his job, with not so much as a fare-thee-well of regret for being the cause of so much trouble.

i look forward to the day when casey goes through the teeth of an experience and develops a little stamina and endurance of her own. so far both her books are based on having watched specials produced by others on tv - which means it's a recycled experience, more or less. someone else pointed the way, and she picked up well on the clues, but the path was already given. and she comes across as an amazing woman who still gets self-conscious and intimidated being in the world of rugged men. her claim to fame is access, not achievement. she has too much talent to waste on schoolgirl crushes. the best adventure journalists of our time don't just get their la perla underwear dirty - they write having already gone through transforming adventures of their own.

apologies to all concerned. as a woman writing and working in the world of men, i took these observations as a cautionary tale about tone. and tone-deafness. and being naive instead of weatherbeaten.

Waves Are Not Measured In Feet Or Inches But In Increments Of Fear, September 9, 2010

More the book about and from a extreme surfer groupie..., December 1, 2010
...than a book about waves! Susan Casey is obviously fascinated by extreme surfers and spends most of the book on them, their close calls, their family life etc... Now, granted that it is a fascinating life but despite her breathless prose, one does not really get the scale of what these guys are doing: maybe a video of them riding those monsters and talking about would do more justice to their accomplishments. But, in all that, what I had bought the book for, thinking on the basis of early reviews that it would be dealing with the forces creating these monster waves, was basically lost even when eventually she talked to scientists, drawing out of them more their personal experiences than the science of it. A more accurate title would be something like "In pursuit of the ultimate ride"

Surf's UP!!!!!, November 12, 2010
An incredible account of nature in all her unsettled splendor. I was thoroughly caught up in the telling of how the oceans spawn monstrous waves which are both awesome to behold and at the same time can be devastating to people, ships, and the land.

Ms. Casey wrote a wonderful book based on scientific evidence and personal accounts from many people who study, live and play on the world's oceans.

Imagine surfing on a 70ft wall of water. Too hard to imagine? Look up at a 7 or 8 story building, then stand next to it and look straight up. That's where the surfer drops into the moving wave of energy. Can you feel it?

Photos of ships being pummeled by giant waves; of the devastation left behind when monster waves hit land; and of the very brave people who surf these giants are included.

I love this book! I grew up on the east coast and remember some very large waves that hit beaches during stormy weather. The waves described in the book far outweigh my experiences.

A must read for anyone who thinks about global warming, and how weather is dynamically changing the very face of the oceans.

The ocean is full of unpredictable forces and characters too, December 14, 2010
Here we are presented with a concept book that attempts to hold various subjects, incidents and characters together around one unifying piece of information. That the ocean is full of unpredictable forces that create huge waves, some as high at 100 feet. We join the crew and scientist aboard the RRS Discovery in the North Sea as it is hurled about for days. We attend scientific workshops where mathematicians try and study waves. Find out climate change is going to make the oceans even more unpredictable. We learn two large ships sink each week on average (worldwide) and no one ever studies the cause as we do with airplanes that crash. Their disappearance is simply recorded as the results of "bad weather". Susan Casey then layers on top of this what I found to be the complete idiocy of big wave tow surfing with Laird Hamilton of Maui as the main character we are to identify with. He is sort of the Spiderman of surfing. He and his buddies (in conjunction with the surfing industry who at one point offer $100,000 to the first person who successfully rides a 100 foot wave) risk life (several surfers deaths are covered in the narrative) to just get the rush of the big wave. And interestingly enough it does not count if it is not filmed so we also meet an incredible group of surf photographers. So you mix all this into the stew and bounce around a lot and you find yourself loving and hating the book.
For me reading is much the joy of learning things you never knew or would know if you had not read a given book. And there is lots to learn in THE WAVE about the ocean and the phenomena of big waves and I doubt many people have heard of the sport of tow surfing or how one goes about doing it. Or that the biggest waves to surf are found some 100 miles off the coast of San Diego in some 6 foot deep water which covers the tops of a huge mountain range, an area called the Cortes Bank. So the book has much to offer. What seems wrong is its balance. The surfers, especially the hero worship of Laird Hamilton gets old after a while. Does Susan Casey ever think Laird's actions as a father with a family are a bit irresponsible no matter his skill and Zen like personality? Is he really a wave whisperer with no warts?
The interesting character for me at the end of the book is Laird's buddy Brett Lickle who having suffered a major injury which left his left leg with a scar that was "though his entire calf had been melted" (and have being saved by Laird Hamilton) stands on a cliff watching his friends challenge the latest Maui big waves. Lickle made it clear that he no longer misses "the circus, the jeopardy, the nerves" by saying, "The only thing I'll say is that the accident was a kind of ticket out, you know what I mean? What we had was a gang. And you couldn't get out of the gang. There was no way out. There's so much peer pressure like, `come on, you're the man! Let's go!' You can't just walk away because.....you can't. But if you get shot up and almost die, they let you out." For the surfers the big waves are a personal challenge and thrill like climbing a mountain. For the scientist and ships crews the waves are something to respect and fear.
If the subject interests you which I am betting it does I believe you will enjoy the book although I found it very uneven and is a bit to hero worshiping in its promotion of the tow surfing culture.

Scientists, ships and lots of surfing, October 1, 2010
Susan Casey is a captivating writer. Somehow she is able to take the concept of something as comparatively non-threatening as waves and spin it into an interesting tale, highlighting how wrong I was about the pretty waves breaking on the beach.

Casey interviews mariners, Lloyd's of London reps, physicists, and--primarily--surfers about their experiences with and predictions for a huuge wave, dude. The science is a little glossed over but I suspect that it would be difficult to go into wave physics in more depth without the reader glazing over. I really did enjoy the section about Lloyd's of London and their history in insuring ships (and Tina Turner's legs, of course).

The major problem with Casey's approach is I think she got a bit too caught up in the surfing scene. For each original section where she talked to a scientists about their dire predictions for the potential destructivenss of waves, or someone on a ship who had been caught in a wave, etc., she intersperses it with a scene about another wave-chasing day with the surfers, and it got a bit repetitive by the end of the book. I don't know, I think I would have admired the surfers more had I actually known a little less about them by the time the book was over. Anyway, this flaw wasn't enough to drop it to 3 stars. I learned a fair bit about surfing, and I finished the book in awe of the giant waves that could pay us a visit any time they like.

Radical brah, September 27, 2010
My surfing experience is limited to boogie boarding in San Diego when I was 22, but I had many surfing dreams for about a year after that. Whatever it is, it is powerful. Still, like many others I expected less surfers and a little more exploration into others who deal or have dealt with massive waves, but I still enjoyed the book.

More Stories than Science of Waves, but Conveys Their Beauty and Destructive Power., September 2, 2010

Editorial Review

National Bestseller 

A New York Times Notable Book
An O, The Oprah Magazine Terrific Read of the Year
A Huffington Post Best Book of the Year
A New Yorker Favorite Book of the Year
A Chicago Tribune Favorite Nonfiction Book of the Year
A Kansas City Star Best Book of the Year
A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
An Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Decade

The true story of one family, caught between America’s two biggest policy disasters: the war on terror and the response to Hurricane Katrina.
 
Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun run a house-painting business in New Orleans. In August of 2005, as Hurricane Katrina approaches, Kathy evacuates with their four young children, leaving Zeitoun to watch over the business. In the days following the storm he travels the city by canoe, feeding abandoned animals and helping elderly neighbors. Then, on September 6th, police officers armed with M-16s arrest Zeitoun in his home. Told with eloquence and compassion, Zeitoun is a riveting account of one family’s unthinkable struggle with forces beyond wind and water. ... Read more

Reviews

Simple Story, Simply Told, Simply Horrifying, August 11, 2009
First off, Zeitoun painted my house about 8 years ago so maybe I'm a little bit biased. I also think Dave Eggers is a great writer (doubly biased, perhaps). This story needs to be told to a large audience and Mr. Eggers is just the person to tell it. Maybe we can knock Eggers for the simplistic style he chose to write this book. On the other hand, this story frankly didn't need much artistic enhancement. It is shocking on its own accord and told in a very straightforward manner. Appropriate for the material, I believe.

Every American NEEDS to read this book. What we find in it is an America that lost its core. It is truly shocking that no matter how bad things were in New Orleans immediately following Katrina (most reporting was inaccurate and sensationalized), we are still Americans with common beliefs in our system of rights. That these rights were tossed out the window is appalling.

Mr. Zeitoun is a kind and gentle man. His signs are ubiquitous in New Orleans and he is a stranger to no one and well liked by all who have met him. That he could be mistreated is a crime and an outrage. That others were rounded up and treated even worse is one of the worst black eyes on our country. As I read this book I just kept saying out loud over and over again, "This cannot be America."

Riveting, July 26, 2009
I had never read anything by Dave Eggers before, but his reputation set some pretty high expectations. I am a fan of narrative non-fiction and non-fiction, and enjoy books like "In Thin Air" or "The Colony." I picked up the book yesterday, and finished it this morning. It was spectacular.

The writing style is perfect. It is not over the top with descriptions, but still makes you feel as if you are there, canoeing along in the streets of New Orleans. The subject matter is interesting, not just in a "can't stop watching this train wreck" sort of way, but because it ties together Hurricane Katrina and 9/11, two of the largest national events of the last decade. I never thought or knew about much beyond what I saw on TV regarding Katrina. This book thoroughly explores one story of one family, but manages tell it from a perspective that everyone can understand.

Much like the book Three Cups of Tea brought attention to the plight of women in Pakistan, I hope that Zeitoun will bring to light the problems and issues that still need attention in the US and in New Orleans.

Eggers took the main event, Katrina, and by telling the Zietouns' story, made it of human scale.

I'm rambling--all I can say is, I think this book is worth a read for everyone. It isn't preachy-it is interesting. I learned a lot about many different subjects. I hope it ends up on the best seller list and stays there for a long time. Unlike some books that end up on the best seller lists, this one really deserves to be there.

beauty and horror, August 1, 2009
Zeitoun is a creampuff to read and then there is a huge lump in your stomach where the content boils. I finished it in a couple of days, finishing on a cross-country plane flight and got off in a furious mood that didn't wear off until the end of a hot bath and a tall cold rum drink. Massive injustice has been done in New Orleans and this book follows it right down to the foundations. You won't read another word about Katrina without finding your thoughts completely reoriented. Let's hear it for the truth.

The rule of law, suspended, September 1, 2009
Dave Eggers's account of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, the first story in "Zeitoun," is immensely readable. However, there has been a lot of well-written reportage on the storm and the Bush administration's botched handling of the rescue efforts. What's extraordinary about "Zeitoun" is the second, intersecting story, Eggers's narrative of the arrest and imprisonment---without charge, without representation, without even the ability to make a phone call--of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, Syrian immigrant, successful businessman, and American citizen. Incredibly, in "Zeitoun," the War on Terror merges with the Katrina disaster to produce a truly stunning example of what happens to xenophobia in the hands of petty officialdom. I've read several novels in which writers as diverse as Andres Dubus II, Claire Messud, and, most recently, Lorrie Moore, attempt to incorporate the events of September 11, 2001. None of these writers is, to my mind, particularly convincing with this material. (Don DeLillo, in "Falling Man," comes closest, I think.) Eggers, on the other hand, a master of narrative nonfiction, simply (artfully) gets out of the way of his material, letting it speak for itself. And his depiction of the weeks after the storm, a period when Zeitoun's wife, Kathy, at first does not know whether he is dead or alive and then struggles with callous officials to free her unjustly detained husband, is powerful indeed. So too is the narrative thread that traces Zeitoun's family history. Most painful and revolting, however, are the scenes in the jail-cages of "Camp Greyhound," the temporary prison constructed outside the New Orleans bus station. As with the photos of Abu Ghraib, the emotion a reading of "Zeitoun" is mostly likely to evoke is shame.

Zeitoun: A Reflection On New Orleans and America, August 23, 2009
"Zeitoun" is an inspiring, tragic and powerful book that will endure decades from now about how America failed at helping New Orleans and the residents of the city during and after Hurricane Katrina. In a nonjudgmental and factual manner, the book recounts failed expectations and lack of accountability by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security in response to the devastation brought to the city by Katrina.

Author Dave Eggers, one of the important storytellers of our time, chronicles the true story of one man - Abdulrahman Zeitoun - a prosperous Syrian-American and father of four who chose to stay through the storm to protect his house and contracting business.

Zeitoun risks his own life daily by paddling through the city in a canoe in his attempt to save lives and help provide food and water to others, only to endure shameful, unjust and unaccountable torture at the hands of police and the military. The lasting harm done to Zeitoun, his American wife Kathy and their children continues even today, four years after the storm.

Eggers documents that Homeland Security, FEMA and the military sent troops to New Orleans not necessarily to assist in rescues but rather because of an unfounded and paranoid belief that terrorists might take advantage of the hurricane situation to cause further disruption. In the perverted and racist government process, Zeitoun is viewed not as a savior of the city but as the enemy.

While I suspect that the story of Zeitoun will further enhance Dave Eggers' well-deserved destiny as a meaningful voice in American nonfiction writing, I am most struck by the fact that all proceeds and royalties are going to the not-for-profit Zeitoun Foundation in New Orleans.

[...]

This is a page turner with substance!, August 7, 2009
I struggle all the time with "must" when it comes to giving advice to other people. Who am I to tell you what to do? Will you forgive me this one time? Because if you do, you will learn some important things by reading this book.

You MUST read Zeitoun. Especially if you live in one of those areas -- like I do -- that can be struck by a natural disaster. Most of us do now, don't you think? With global warming, there are more fierce hurricanes, more tornados. And just the other day I looked at an old National Geographic magazine's map of where earthquake areas are in the world -- there's a lot of them! And I live in the San Francisco Bay Area ... so we think about them all the time -- that is, when we're not in a state of denial.

You better hope hope hope and pray (if so inclined) that you are never in a natural disaster of huge proportions like the poor folks in New Orleans were! The natural disaster parts are bad enough ... but what is far worse is the army of "helpers" who come in later: National Guard, FEMA, law enforcement from other areas. That's when the real tragedy will happen. These people don't know you. They've been told to watch for looters. And like one of the quotes says in the front matter of this important book: To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Every person looks like a looter. Or a terrorist if you've got a Middle Eastern-sounding name.

That's what happened to Abdulrahman Zeitoun. At the time of Katrina, he was (and still is) a citizen and successful businessman in New Orleans. Think of it: you're well-known by your community and a successful businessman -- yet, after Katrina, you are thought of as a looter and terrorist. Without any proof. No evidence whatsoever. No hearing for weeks. No phone call. The phone call. It's that special part of the U.S. judicial system: the phone call. We're taught about this all the time as children: if you're arrested, you get a phone call. The worst serial killer gets a phone call.

Don't count on it after a disaster. In a disaster with our friends from FEMA in control you become one of the Disappeared -- and yes, they are the ones in control -- and now that they are a part of Homeland Security they have even more control and an even worse attitude -- to an employee from FEMA, everyone looks like a looter and a terrorist.

And what about you, woman in your 70s -- do you really think your safe? Read about the tale of Merlene Maten. She was 73 and a diabetic. She and her husband had fled their home before the hurricane and checked into a downtown hotel thinking they would be safer there. After three days, Maten went down to their car in the parking lot next door to get some food they had in the car. She was arrested for looting. It made no sense! Yet she was arrested anyway. Folks, this is what is so striking when you read this book: the "helpers" -- law enforcement, National Guards or whatever -- do not listen to you if you are just regular folks. Remember, you're a nobody. They don't listen to your story ... they don't look at the real facts: you're 73 and diabetic and you're at *your* car getting food. They don't take the time to see if you really are checked into that hotel next door. They just arrest you.

You better hope hope hope and pray that a disaster doesn't head your way.

I want to thank Dave Eggers for writing this book -- and for all the important things he does with his abundant energy. Good stuff. Thanks. From deep down. I hadn't read any of his books before, glad I started with this one.

The writing is so very good too. The book is a page-turner. It's not depressing at all. The book has a main story -- the story about the Zeitouns -- plus lots of other very interesting stories. Although watch out! If you were mad about how folks in New Orleans were treated before -- WATCH OUT -- you're gonna be furious by the time you finish this book.

History on the personal level..., July 24, 2009
Disclaimer: I am a big Dave Eggers. I don't think he is infallible, but I'm a fan.

I found this work of non-fiction to be riveting, honest, and gripping. When Katrina hit New Orleans, I was studying abroad, traveling through Italy and seeing the hurricane's aftermath called "Bush's Folly" on a number of Italian newspapers and periodicals. Zeitoun and Kathy's story is tragic and heart-wrenching, while proving, ultimately, hopeful.

To think of what the Zeitoun family, and countless other residents of the New Orleans area, went through in 2005 and in the months following is unfathomable. But Dave Eggers has written a frank, quite readable retelling of what happened a few short years ago.

I admire Eggers for his 826 literacy programs and social awareness, among other things, and for his commitment to help get the Zeitouns' story out there, so as to put a unique face to natural disaster of Katrina, and to the human disaster and American failures that followed, and in many ways continue to the present day.

Life, Faith and Dangerous Waters, July 31, 2009
As a writer, Dave Eggers has the ability to find the small story within the larger one, as exemplified by his "Voice of Witness" series, out of which arose this book. But no one else could have written this book -- his extraordinary skill as a writer coupled with his deep seated humanity and puckish humor have woven a story of courage and loyalty and love far beyond any other I've read, save for his own "What is the What," my favorite book of 2006. His befriending of his subjects results in epic volumes, that have effects far beyond the selling of books -- Foundations in this case, a School in the case of WITW. I don't say this often, but everyone should read this book.

Dave Eggers is unique. He is also supernatural -- how can so many hats be worn on just one head? And when does he have the time to accomplish all he does? At what was supposed to only be a book signing for
"Zeitoun" recently, he gave an impromptu speech about the family at its core and the events they endured during the horror of Katrina, before and after the Storm. He was generous with his time and information, without giving too much away about the story. He never gave the impression he had somewhere else to be, but as it was a noon signing, seemed more concerned about the attendees' need to return to work.

Zeitoun - A Teacher's Review, October 6, 2010
With the recent controversy over the Ground Zero Mosque, it is crucial that teachers incorporate literature into the curriculum that highlights the fact the Muslim religion is not equated with terrorism; terrorism is not a religion.

Eggers successfully documents the trauma of the Zeitoun family following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The novel is based on a series of in depth interviews of the Zeitoun family, friends, and relatives, as well as, other central figures who share Zeitoun's fate. About two thirds of the book is spent focusing on the bond between Zeitoun and his family, which extends to his community at large; a community that Zeitoun, even after Katrina, finds value in, from the disabled to the able-bodied, to the animals left behind. It is within this post-Katrina community, however, that Zeitoun is falsely accused, tortured, and degraded by the U.S. government because he is thought to be associated with terrorist activity. Although Zeitoun's imprisonment is one of the defining characteristics of the book, Eggers also touches upon what it means to be a Muslim woman in America today. Through Kathy, Zeitoun's wife who is an American woman that converted because she felt the religion gave her power and control over her own life, we learn that the hijab, which is often seen as a sign of suppression by a patriarchal culture, actually becomes one of liberation.

It is within the pages of Eggers narrative that educators will find the opportunity to teach students how to embrace and understand other cultures beyond what is reported by media outlets. By not including this book in our curriculum, or a work that confronts the same issue, we are doing our students a disservice, which will eventually become extensions of further ignorance and intolerance. Making students aware of how 9/11 has changed what it means to be American will only foster the knowledge of real situations, situations like Zeitouns that forever altered a man and his family; a situation that forever altered Americans.

An interesting aspect about this book is the title because Zeitoun represents the man, the family, as well as, the extended network of friends and relatives of Zeitoun's (the man) around the world. It may be an interesting aspect to bring up in class discussion after reading the book.

This book also contains a comprehensive list resources on rebuilding New Orleans, support for, and education about the Muslim community. Utilizing these sources in the classroom would be excellent an way to get students involved in the reality of the text they have just read.

Amazing to Read, August 6, 2009
I don't know much about Katrina and only a bit about its aftermath. This book was a wake-up call. I admit I picked up the book because of its Arabic title, and was intrigued to see Egger's name as the author. As an Arab-American, I have to say, Egger captured the nuances of Arabs in America seamlessly. I felt at home with Abdulrahman and Kathy- many of my relatives, including myself, have married non-Arabs. I read Abdulrahman's account of paddling around New Orleans in awe and wonder. Then, the arrest. I am enraged and angry over his treatment, not only as an Arab, but as an attorney. I am disheartened to see the America I loved so much as a child sink to such a dark, unfair place. This is an important and indispensable piece of nonfiction that I hope is widely read. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Our relationship with the ocean is undergoing a profound transformation. Whereas just three decades ago nearly everything we ate from the sea was wild, rampant overfishing combined with an unprecedented bio-tech revolution has brought us to a point where wild and farmed fish occupy equal parts of a complex and confusing marketplace.We stand at the edge of a cataclysm; there is a distinct possibility that our children's children will never eat a wild fish that has swum freely in the sea. In Four Fish, award-winning writer and lifelong fisherman Paul Greenberg takes us on a culinary journey, exploring the history of the fish that dominate our menus---salmon, sea bass, cod and tuna-and examining where each stands at this critical moment in time. He visits Norwegian mega farms that use genetic techniques once pioneered on sheep to grow millions of pounds of salmon a year.He travels to the ancestral river of the Yupik Eskimos to see the only Fair Trade certified fishing company in the world.He investigates the way PCBs and mercury find their way into seafood; discovers how Mediterranean sea bass went global; Challenges the author of Cod to taste the difference between a farmed and a wild cod; and almost sinks to the bottom of the South Pacific while searching for an alternative to endangered bluefin tuna. Fish, Greenberg reveals, are the last truly wild food - for now. By examining the forces that get fish to our dinner tables, he shows how we can start to heal the oceans and fight for a world where healthy and sustainable seafood is the rule rather than the exception. ... Read more

Reviews

The Story of the Fish in Your Dinner

The limits of the sea

Should appeal to a wide audience

An Eye-Opening Look into the Complexity of our Present and Future Fisheries

"Why Did You Close the Season? We Haven't Caught Them All Yet."

A cautionary tale for our times

Editorial Review

For the first time, HRH The Prince of Wales shares his views on how our most pressing modern challenges—from climate change to poverty—are rooted in mankind's disharmony with nature, presenting a compelling case that the solution lies in our ability to regain a balance with the world around us

With its holistic approach, this provocative and well-reasoned book takes the discussion of sustainability and climate change in a new direction. Prince Charles shows how the solutions to problems like climate change lie not only in technology but in our ability to change the way we view the modern world.

For decades, the Prince of Wales has been studying a wide array of disciplines to understand every aspect of man's impact on the natural world, and in that time he has examined everything from architecture to organic farming to sustainable economics. Now, for the first time, he speaks out about his years of research, presenting a fascinating look at how modern industrialization has led us to a state of disharmony with nature, created climate change, and pushed us to the brink of disaster.

From the rice farms of India to the prairies of America's corn belt, from the temples of Ancient Egypt to the laboratories of industrial designers, Harmony spans the globe to identify the different ways that contemporary life has abandoned the hard-earned practices of our history, a shift that has spurred a host of social problems and accelerated climate change.

Drawing on cases from farming, healthcare, transportation, and design, the Prince of Wales also offers solutions for change, creating a new vision for our world, one that incorporates the traditional wisdom of our past with the modern science of our present to avert catastrophe. In the end, Harmony paints a holistic portrait of what we as a species have lost in the modern age, while outlining the steps we can take to regain the harmony of our ancestors.

Illustrated with lush, four-color photographs and charts, this intelligent, practical, and well-reasoned guide is an indispensable weapon in the battle to save our planet.

Reviews

A brilliant thinker and visionary, November 12, 2010
The author, often maligned and trivialized by the press, shows himself here to be a serious thinker, writer, historian and visionary. I believe he is the best product of the British monarchy to emerge in the past two hundred years.

His book clearly analyzes the root causes of our separation from a state of harmony, and predicts the consequences of this estrangement from the natural world. Widely read himself, he interjects his personal thoughts and opinions into the narrative, thereby creating an informal approach to what could have been a dry text.

I love this book. lt inspires me to do the right thing, to pay attention not only to our built environment but also to keep trying to connect my spirit to my actions.

Outstanding Perspectives and Pertinent Thoughts, November 2, 2010
Utterly engrossed from the first page to the last. Did not want to put it down.

Prince Charles is BRILLIANT about nature and the environment and yes, how people act in relationship to that. OH MY. Am so glad that he has written this and it will be available for so many people to discover and enjoy and benefit from.
Finally someone who thinks like me but says it far more eloquently:)

I wish everyone thought like him, we would have such a better world, not just physically, but in terms of understanding and perception and cooperation with Earth. He really sees the connections that are so important to not only surviving but thriving for our ecology and world, in many aspects, from animals to plants to architecture to spirituality.

I can almost forgive him for Camilla reading this book. And if she understood him -- and Diana didn't, for the first time I can see why he wanted to be with Canilla because of her personality, and how she made him feel so good.

His viewpoint is far advanced beyond accepted science and industry's ineffective ways.

Wow.

He is really, really, really wise. I hope this book makes people think, and even more than that, encourages them to adopt some of the ideas he suggest with such good sense behind them.
If Prince William follows in his father's footsteps with this, it would be wonderful as well.

Wonderful Insight, November 19, 2010
I am extremely impressed with this book and have a whole new respect for Prince Charles. The man is brilliant and he cares. I think this is a must read for all and would love to see it in the classroom. I completely agree that most of our problems are because we do not live in Harmony with nature. Our world was created by a God who has all the answers, who has given us all the answers within nature, if we would only listen.

Surprise - excellent book on an important topic - by Prince Charles!, November 16, 2010
[This review has turned into something of an essay - but it was the only way I could express my opinion on a topic raised by the book that is very close to my heart and that I think is of great importance. If you just want to read the strictly "review" parts, they are contained in the first three and the last two paragraphs.]

The Prince of Wales (much to my surprise, I admit) persuasively demonstrates that the principles of harmony found in Nature can and should be incorporated into all aspects of modern life because doing so will not only make our lives environmentally sustainable, but will vastly increase our well-being in virtually every way possible. It is a beautiful vision, beautifully expressed and makes me wonder why this side of Prince Charles has been so ignored in the media (at least in the US). Clearly, he has been working hard to advance this timeliest of visions for several decades now, but I don't think many people over here are very aware of it. A true media cover-up!

The book begins by describing the principles of harmony as found in the natural world and how these principles were embedded very explicitly in the outlook, arts, and architecture of all traditional and classical civilizations (of both East and West), goes on to trace how these principles were abandoned as a result of the shift to a reductionistic-mechanistic outlook on life brought about by the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries, and then provides numerous examples of how some people are beginning to reincorporate the principles of harmony back into various aspects of modern life, from agriculture to town planning to education to health care and so on, often with many rippling and self-multiplying positive results. This is really good, solid, and inspiring stuff, all the way through. (Other wonderful books that explore similar themes include The Power of Limits by Gyorgy Doczi; The Old Way of Seeing by Jonathan Hale; and The Return of Sacred Architecture by Herbert Bangs.)

The book then concludes with an excellent and essential chapter on how simply having intellectual knowledge of the principles of harmony is not enough; we must also feel them - must feel our intimate, sacred relationship with the earth directly from within. I could not agree more with this - and yet this brings me to the one criticism I have of Harmony.

The one thing that I would say is missing from the Prince's vision, which I believe undermines his whole message, is the recognition that civilized life has, from its very inception, always disrupted the very root or foundation of our ability to live in alignment with natural principles of harmony, that foundation being precisely the ability to feel harmony from within.

At the very beginning of civilization - following the Agricultural Revolution, which took place approximately 10,000 years ago - humans made the first, most fundamental, and most crucial shift away from living in harmony with Nature. What occurred then is that, due to the completely new requirements imposed by agricultural life, societies for the first time stopped being able to fully meet the specific needs of our genetically pre-programmed childhood developmental process - a process of parent-child (and society-child) interaction that had been honed to perfection over millions of years of evolution in small hunter-gatherer bands. This break with our evolutionary past is what initially disrupted our ability to feel - intuitively, from within - how to live in harmony with Nature. This one shift paved the way for the gradual decline in harmony that then culminated - rather than originated - in the Scientific Revolution that ushered in the modern era. (Jean Liedloff's The Continuum Concept describes many essential differences between aboriginal and civilized child-rearing; and Paul Shepard's many books, like The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game, provide an overall picture of what was lost in this transition.)

Even though the Prince does rightly acknowledge that harmony has to come from within, the question remains, "How, specifically, does this work?" I would suggest that it is not, primarily, through verbal education, instruction, or training; not even through non-verbal or non-rational religious rites and observances. These may all eventually play a role, but only if they build on an already existing foundation for harmony, which can only be created through the directly felt experience of being met and supported, from earliest infancy, by behaviors - from parents and all other members of society - that dovetail harmoniously with our emerging developmental needs. When a child consistently feels the "rightness" of needs arising from within and proper responses coming from without and the harmonious growth to which this gives rise, then a felt sense of harmony becomes imprinted deep within - an imprint to which that individual will remain true throughout life, in all circumstances. This, I believe, is the missing key to the seemingly effortless and automatic harmonious living seen in aboriginal society. The stories and folklore to which the Prince attributes the harmony of aboriginal society very likely does build on and reinforce this primary, inner, felt sense of harmony; but no verbal thought system can create this where that felt foundation does not already exist. Without the felt experience of harmony imbibed from the age before conscious thought develops, conscious thought can never play its proper, harmony-reinforcing role because it will have no proper foundation on which to rest. There will be very little harmony there to reinforce.

This ability to live in harmony on a moment-to-moment, spontaneous basis can only come from knowing what it feels like to have been raised in harmony on a moment-to-moment, spontaneous basis. We have to feel it from within first, before we can live it in the world outside; and being raised harmoniously - in accordance with specific needs unfolding on a specific developmental timetable - from the beginning of life is the way Nature makes this possible. This alone leads to the balanced, full unfolding of our psyches, which is what then allows us to continually feel harmony from within and to act accordingly, moment-to-moment, throughout our lives. The processes that we now call "child-rearing" and "education" in the modern world do not even come close to meeting the full range of our specific developmental needs. It is not enough simply to speak of "loving" our children or "giving them the best of everything" if this does not include meeting their needs as Nature has specified.

If this inner, felt sense of harmony is lost then all is lost because this inner sense is the first rung on the great ladder of harmony that humans are meant to climb over the course of their lives. When this first rung is taken away, and our inner connection to harmony is broken, then, at best, we can only stand back and perhaps admire harmony and nature from afar, as a mental, philosophical, or aesthetic object. But this rational admiring of external harmony - as exemplified by classical civilizations - noble as it seems, is actually the first rung on a ladder of disharmony that leads us downwards and eventually ends in our forgetting harmony altogether. When we are not connected to harmony from within by that strongest bond devised by Nature then harmony stops being the ultimately compelling guiding force that it should be. Other forces - darker forces, greedy forces, narrow-minded forces - no longer kept in check by a felt sense of harmony are then free to gain ascendancy.

In the classical and traditional civilizations that the Prince holds up as models for us to draw upon, awareness of the principles of harmony had long since shifted largely from the intuitively felt realm (as modeled by aboriginal hunter-gatherers) to the rational-intellectual realm. Although traditional civilizations did embody these principles of harmony in their art, architecture, and philosophy, never again did they manage to embody them in their day-to-day, moment-to-moment lives and interactions with each other, the environment, and the cosmos to the same extent as is seen in aboriginal society, as the Prince himself acknowledges to an extent (p. 90, "the transmission of these shared insights...is often to be found weaving precariously alongside the many horrors and atrocities that fill our history books").

That this crucial ability to instinctively feel how to live in harmony - and the genetically cued developmental process that supports it - even exists is largely unknown in the modern world because our civilized belief systems have so thoroughly obscured what was lost in the transition from hunting-gathering to civilized life. So we do not see that the particular specialty of aboriginal life is that it so faithfully and assiduously trusts and honors the perfection of our evolved natures and arranges life in such a way as to always make possible the meeting of each person's genetically pre-programmed needs at each stage of the life cycle. We do not see how, as a result of this, aboriginal peoples (far from living the desperate, brutish lives falsely imagined for them by civilized peoples) naturally embed the same principles of harmony found in civilized art and architecture in their myths, stories, and dances, in their totemic kinship systems, in their hunting and gathering practices, in their initiatory rites, and in their overall life-patterns. And we do not see how all of this allows them to maintain a genuine, practical, and ongoing harmony at all levels: the individual, the clan-tribe-society, the environment, and the cosmos. Agricultural-civilized peoples, from the beginning, have always - at least to some extent - tried to make themselves Nature's masters, rather than Her ardent followers, and have therefore never fully practiced the principles of harmony that they (sometimes) preached. In this context, the Prince's assertions that the wisdom of primary peoples is of the same nature and quality as that encoded in civilized religious traditions (see p. 297 for example), although true to an extent, actually reinforces our cultural inability to distinguish between ways of living that are faithful to our developmental needs, and that therefore rest on a solid foundation, and those that are not and do not. This is what I believe undermines, to a significant degree, the very shift towards harmonious living for which the Prince argues so passionately and persuasively.

None of this is to suggest that we should all return to hunting and gathering. I am only suggesting that, if we truly want to transform the way we live in an all-encompassing, holistic way that extends to our moment-to-moment thinking, perceiving, and acting, then we must first understand the specific difference between the way people are raised in aboriginal and civilized societies and then find a way to once again support the emergence of our felt, inner sense of harmony. This is the essential thing.

Nonetheless, the Prince does very skillfully show how awareness of the principles of harmony is necessary for creating a sustainable way of life, how those principles have been encoded and expressed in the art and architecture of the traditional and classical civilizations, how our having lost touch with them contributes to the environmental crisis now threatening all life on the planet, how we might begin to bring these principles back into our lives, and why this would make our lives, not just environmentally sustainable, but far more fulfilling and beautiful as well. Expressed in his terms, solving the environmental crisis is not about "giving things up"; it is about regaining the very best things in life that we have unknowingly already given up.

In summary, the Prince's analysis of how and when and why we originally gave up harmonious living may not go all the way back to the root, but it goes quite far - and he vividly drives home the point that modern society has, completely unnecessarily, set itself up in opposition to Nature and that we would all be far better off, in virtually every conceivable way, if instead we once again aligned ourselves in harmony with Her.

Nearly perfect, December 2, 2010
I borrowed this book from my library and I was totally engrossed and impressed by the end of the first chapter. Much of it is familiar content for anyone that is knowledgeable about factory farming and environmental issues; however the underlying philosophy that he discusses for his beliefs is truly interesting and something I haven't heard *much* of. My partner and I are astounded that a member of the royal family could have so many beliefs with which we agree (and we are not liberals, nor conservatives). You can tell that Prince Charles is extremely well-read on certain very important authors, such as Lewis Mumford, particularly his work "Pentagon of Power." I think that what I like most about the book is that it's not another rehash of the oversimplified "let's put a solar panel on a McMansion and call it sustainable, and that's all we have to do to save the world!" trendiness that is so common today. He says things that people in positions of power often do not admit, particularly about indigenous populations, fossil fuel depletion, and yes, spirituality. I am thoroughly in love with this book, and will be buying a copy of the children's version for my daughter for Christmas.

"Harmony"--A Clarion Call For A Sustainability Revolution!, December 14, 2010
Regardless of your view of British Royalty or the Prince of Wales up to now, I challenge any open-minded, intelligent, compassionate human being who truly cares about the future of our Earth and its inhabitants, to read this new book by Prince Charles--"Harmony: A New Way of Looking At Our World"--and not conclude that this man's obvious magnum opus should not only be placed in the hands of all world leaders we're entrusting with our future and that of our children, but also be a text taught from in schools at all levels in all countries and languages (there's also a children's edition, with all published in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Brazil, thus far), especially in graduate and doctoral Environmental Studies programs.

When we say one is "a prince of peace" or "a prince among men," it's a great complement. I hope all who love our planet and its living things will now join this Cambridge-educated Prince of Wales--who's spent 30 years studying the essential principles of harmony and how they work in Nature, and how, if we ignore them, our Earth's precious life-support systems start to wobble and may eventually collapse--in his heartfelt plea to make this age fit for a sustainable future.

In essence, "Harmony" is a clarion call for a global Sustainability Revolution. Whether you prefer the hundredth-monkey or critical-mass metaphor, it's now clear to all who've done their homework (and if there ever was a 'Cliff's Notes' version of the encroaching catastrophe threatening us and our global village, "Harmony" is it), that we humans must finally achieve the quantum leap in consciousness now clearly necessary to save our planet from ourselves.

Fortunately, "Harmony" offers not only an overview of our present situation, but also a list of the solutions, all of which depend, for their success, on looking at the world in a different way. Thus, this brilliant book challenges "the current world view in all the important areas of human activity--in agriculture and architecture, education, healthcare, in science, business, and economics," warning that "none of us can survive for very long if the underlying well-being of the planet is destroyed."

"Harmony's" hope: "Let this book be a means of explaining what has caused us to think that we can abandon Nature's rhythmic patterns. We have done so, not just in the mechanized processes we use to grow our food and treat our farm animals, or the way in which we design and build our homes, towns and cities, or the way in which we deny the crucial relationship between mind, body and spirit in healthcare. We have also done so in the way we fail, in our systems of economics, to measure and put a proper value on Nature's vital services, and even in the manner we teach OUT a proper whole-istic understanding of the fact that we are a PART of Nature, not apart from Her, when it comes to our children's education."

If, my sisters, you don't yet know why, "in the past decade, a staggering 100,000 Punjabi [Indian] farmers have committed suicide because of the economic pressures that the industrial approach has imposed upon them," "Harmony" will teach you why. If, my brothers, you're not yet aware that 500 miles off the coast of California, in an area occupying 540,000 square miles of the Pacific--nearly six times the size of the United Kingdom--there's a 'plastic vortex,' as it's become known, comprising up to 100 million tons of man-made waste--plastic packages, bottles, cans, tires and broken-down chemical sludge, "Harmony" will bring you up to speed.

Since, my friends, more than one-sixth of our nearly seven billion fellow humans are today forced to live in extreme poverty, it's important to understand how we arrived at this state here at the top of our species' evolutionary ladder. . .where, "using industrial techniques in factory farms, livestock production requires a third of the world's usable land and global grain harvest, and is responsible for around 18% of greenhouse gas emissions."

"Harmony" offers "inspiration for those who feel, deep down, that there is a more balanced way of looking at the world, and more harmonious ways of living. It not only outlines the kinds of approach that depend on us seeing Nature as a whole, but also examines the great and practical value in seeing the nature of humanity as a whole."

What this Prince of Wales hopes will become obvious to those reading "Harmony," is "just how many answers we already have at our disposal, if our goal is to re-establish our rightful relationship with Nature and pull back from the brink of catastrophe. It is a goal I truly believe is achievable, if we remind ourselves of the essential grammar of harmony--a grammar of which humanity should always be the measure."

As our friends at Nike have programmed us for over a decade, please "Just DO it!" Read "Harmony," so you not only understand what it means to the harmony of our Earth when Americans bury 222 million tons of household waste each year, while the Chinese are already up to 148 million. Please read "Harmony" to understand why its author warns: "We are testing the world to destruction, and the tragedy--no, the stupidity--is that we will only discover the real truth when we have finally succeeded in completely denuding the world of its complex, life-giving forces, and eradicating traditional human wisdom."

The Prince of Wales concludes: "We need a Sustainability Revolution. . . .We have to discover that in order for humanity to endure alongside the natural world (and the vast, as yet unnumbered creatures with which we share this miraculous planet) on which it so intimately depends for its survival, it is essential to give something BACK to Nature, in return for what we so persistently and all the more arrogantly take from Her. Our approach cannot all be based on 'rights.' There have to be 'responsibilities,' too. . . .It is my ambition that this book, the film that will follow it, and other initiatives that will accompany both, will help to facilitate that vital, cross-cultural and international discussion and exchange."

This brilliant book--"Harmony"--is a blessing for us all. Please read it and share it with loved ones, friends and colleagues, perhaps as truly meaningful, helpful and compassionate gifts during this holiday season and into the challenging new year. Please help get it into school programs at all levels as a teaching text, especially as part of an Environmental Studies curriculum. Fortunately, we each do not have to invest the global, 30-year study necessary to create this masterpiece of compassionate wisdom called "Harmony."

However, it will not move out of Amazon warehouses and off booksellers' shelves, worldwide, without the 'buzz' we CAN help create as we all work collectively to promote it and its crucial message. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama--who planted a tree in the Prince of Wales' garden as just one, simple demonstration of what each of us can do beyond upgrading our understanding of this precious Earth's dilemma by reading "Harmony"--has often said in his own global travels:

"Peace and survival of life on earth, as we know it, are threatened by human activities that lack a commitment to humanitarian values. Destruction of nature and natural resources results from ignorance, greed, and lack of respect for the Earth's living things. This lack of respect extends even to the Earth's human descendants--the future generations who will inherit a vastly degraded planet if world peace doesn't become a reality, and if destruction of the natural environment continues at the present rate.

"Our ancestors viewed the Earth as rich and bountiful, which it is. Many people in the past also saw Nature as inexhaustibly sustainable, which we now know is the case only if we care for it. It is not difficult to forgive destruction in the past that resulted from ignorance. Today, however, we have access to more information. Therefore, it is essential that we re-examine, ethically, what we have inherited, what we are responsible for, and what we will pass on to coming generations.

"Many of the Earth's habitats, animals, plants, insects and even microorganisms that we know as rare, may not be known at all by future generations. We have the capability and the responsibility. We must act before it is too late." [Excerpt from "My Tibet"]

Thank you so much, sisters and brothers, for reading "Harmony," as well as for helping spread its message which is now absolutely critical to helping us "act before it is too late," wherever and in whatever ways you're able. . .even if only writing a review of "Harmony" for your own town or city's publications, just as I have here. [In fact, please feel free to send them this one, if you wish, with my permission and blessing.]

As American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead so often advised us: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Big Love, and Peace of mind,

Dennis Paulson
Santa Barbara, California
Author, "Voices of Survival In the Nuclear Age"

Excellent, but personally frustrating, November 29, 2010
If An Inconvenient Truth set out the problem, this book provides the solution. Harmony is a positive book that sets out the necessary overarching framework to completely change the modern lifestyle, which must be done immediately. Of course as the book points out, there is a strong international grassroots movement already moving this way. The main flaw of the book is that it curiously seems oblivious to the terrible power wielded by multinational corporations, both in removing existing regulation and any attempt to increase regulation by completely corrupting the political process and in manipulating public opinion through advertising, the power of overwhelming advertising dollars to influence the content of the media, and the insidious complete takeover of the media by multinational conglomerates. Although I suppose he couldn't say the latter outright as it would look like a vendetta. He does mention how advertising has deliberately fostered a culture of consumerism, but obviously the problem goes well beyond that.

I suppose it is also his role to stay above politics, but this leads to a disconnect with some of his proposals, like changing town planning and school curricula. Of course those are nice goals with long-range ecological benefits, but the ecological problem that confronts us is urgent and immediate, and we need to expend our political efforts first on regulation and cap and trade (or something similar). Revolution must happen in the next five years, not the next fifty. He calls for revolution on the very first page of the book, but seems unaware that in actuality this is a revolutionary war, with clear and powerful enemies that must be fought.

That is my only criticism of the book. Harmony is both fresh and timeless and is a testament to his decades of work in planting the seeds of sustainability (although he prefers the term "durability"). He puts forth a comprehensive world view that is both engaging and strengthening, giving us all a way forward with both a grounding philosophy and practical ways to make the changes that must be made. His examples of indigenous peoples successfully fighting multinational corporations are cheering and encourage us all to make a stand and fight. And simply showing, proving that there is a way forward, that for example it is possible to organically farm and produce abundant food gives to those of us in the trenches a clear goal. It also helps convince those who are undecided about the urgency of ecological change. Through example after example, with both his refreshingly personal prose and beautiful photographs from all over the world, he vividly shows the wrongness of the current modern lifestyle and the rightness of going back to the old ways, at least in a modified form. The book works well both as an ecological manifesto and a lovely coffee table book--humorous but true.

Personally I was extremely frustrated reading the book. The main thrust of the book is that we must change men's minds and hearts to bring fundamental, effective and long-lasting ecological change. Specifically the change that must come about is for a person to be able to see the underlying pattern in Nature and the interconnectedness of all things--man's place in the natural world is as an interconnected part, not the master of creation. He grasps at how to do this and brings up a variety of ways--through education, improved architecture, getting out in Nature, organic farming, etc. I am an author myself and my book focuses on brain chemistry. The key he overlooks is neurotransmitters. Changing the brain is the most direct way to changing the man. In particular, the two neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin are at the heart of his book, he just doesn't know it. The foods and drinks and drugs we consume determine to a large extent how we think.

In particular, this is what he doesn't know and I do. Changes in farming have a profound effect on brain chemistry. Poultry and beef that are free range--cows that eat grass and chickens that scratch--produce meat and milk and eggs that are high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in omega-6 fatty acids. Poultry and beef that subsist on grains produce meat and milk and eggs that are low in omega-3 fatty acids and high in omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids increase dopamine in the brain. Omega-6 fatty acids reduce dopamine in the brain. Dopamine helps a person see the underlying patterns in things. Of course too much dopamine in the diseased brain of a schizophrenic causes the person to see patterns in everything, even patterns that aren't there. But if dopamine is too low, as it is in most people who live the modern lifestyle, then the mind has difficult seeing the underlying patterns that ARE there. Historically the cultures that consumed the most omega-3 fatty acids, that ate a lot of fish, were generally more focused on spirituality and focused on the interconnectedness of all things.

Likewise, we live in the Age of Serotonin. Our culture places an overwhelming importance on having a high serotonin state. Serotonin works against dopamine, isolating us from being connected with our own bodies, our emotions, and other people. Of course a certain steady amount of serotonin is necessary for health and avoiding depression, but at least in America it seems we all want the high-serotonin personality of a used care salesman. Eating starchy and sugary foods raises serotonin a mild amount, drinking coffee or tea or any caffeine raises serotonin quite a bit, and of course antidepressants cause serotonin to go unnaturally high. So when the book talks about the spirituality of indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples, I think, well of course, they have a diet very high in omega-3 fatty acids because they eat lots of wild game, insects and fish, and they have moderate serotonin because they don't consume any starchy foods. That is why they are able to live in the Dreamtime. And when he deplores the birth of modernism in Great Britain in the seventeenth century, that's when they started importing coffee and tea. The United States is the poster child for the sort of modern freak he deplores, and we were the first to adopt factory farming, the first to pop antidepressants like candy, and the first to throw out the sensible cultural limits on caffeine, drinking Starbucks espressos like water throughout the day. Modern Americans' diet is so very different from, say, an indigenous tribe on the Amazon that we are practically a different species.

In the end the result he wants--a return to our natural mind state--will be brought about by his passion--organic farming. And already the stranglehold of pharmaceutical antidepressants is slowly being broken by doctors and researchers pointing out that a daily brisk walk in the sunshine works as well as antidepressants for all but the most severe types of depression. Something else that may help due to the sheer size of the population is omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, as it will take time to go organic worldwide and we will all need to become more vegetarian. It is DHA in particular that is most necessary. Trying to get the necessary DHA from fish would put unnecessary strain on our already overburdened oceans. A high-tech solution might be algae farms, that can also be used to sequester carbon dioxide.

Sorry to go off on a tangent there, but it is my area of expertise. I wish I could communicate this directly to the author because I think he would find it edifying, but I suppose it is a moot point since he is already unknowingly pursuing the most direct route towards his goal. Also the idea of dashing off a personal missive to a head of state makes me feel wildly uncomfortable, not to mention the impossibility of it actually getting to him, so this review will have to do. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers: The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers’ genes far and wide. In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a
similarly reciprocal relationship. He masterfully links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also done well by them. So who is really domesticating whom? ... Read more

Reviews

Some of the Most interesting Botany You'll Ever Read., June 13, 2001
Two different people sent me copies last week of Michael Pollan's book, The Botany of Desire. I'm a writer (Allergy-Free Gardening, from Ten Speed Press) myself and a lifetime horticulturist and I guess they figured I'd appreciate this book. They were right too. I found this book extremely hard to put down. Pollan is a writer first and a botanist second but he is remarkably observant about horticultural matters. He is also unusually talented at explaining complex ideas and he does so in a way that is fresh, fun, often funny, and suprisingly profound. Pollan's section on Johnny Appleseed alone is worth the price of the book. Here Johnny is a multi-dimensional character, one not just eccentric, but a shrewd fellow with great vision and considerable human frailty. The Botany of Desire is chiefly the history of the tulip, apples in America, cannabis, and the potato. This may not sound like the recipe for a really satisfying read, but in Michael Pollan's more than able hands, it certainly is. If you enjoy gardening, history, or just plain old very decent writing, I expect you too would appreciate this excellent book.

Plants and Humans Influence Each Other for Mutual Benefit!, May 22, 2001
"What existential difference is there between the human being's role in this (or any) garden and the bumblebees?" "Did I choose to plant these potatoes, or did the potato make me do it? With profound questions like these, Michael Pollan pollinates your mind with a new world view of our relationships with plants, one in which humans are not at the center. The book focuses on four primary examples of how plants provide benefits to humans that lead humans to benefit the plants (apples for sweetness, tulips for beauty, marijuana for intoxication, and the potato for control over nature's food supply). You will learn many new facts in the process that will fascinate you. The book's main value is that you will learn that we need to be more thoughtful in how we assist in the evolution of plant species.

The book builds on Darwin's original observations about how artificial evolution occurs (evolution directed by human efforts). So-called domesticated species thrive while the wild ones we admire often do not. Compare dogs to wolves as an example. Mr. Pollan challenges the mental separation we make between wild and domesticated species successfully in the book.

The apple section was my favorite. You will learn that John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) was a rather odd fellow who was actually in the business of raising and selling apple trees. He planted a few seeds at the homes where he stayed overnight on his travels. Mr. Chapman had apple tree nurseries all over Ohio and Indiana, which he started 2-3 years before he expected an influx of settlers. Homesteading laws required these settlers to plant 50 apple or pears trees in order to take title to the land. And these apples were for making hard apple cider, not eating apples. He was the "American Dionysus" in Mr. Pollan's view. Apple trees need to be grafted to make good eating apples. Chapman's trees produced many genetic variations, which are good for the species. Apple trees became more narrow in their genes after other sources for alcohol and sweetness became available (from cane sugar). Now, the ancient genes of apple trees are being kept in living form from Kazakhstan, before they are lost due to economic development.

Tulips were the source of the famous Tulipmania in Holland. Rare colors occurred due to viruses. Those became extremely valuable during the tulip boom market in the 17th century. Now, growers try to keep the viruses out and we have much more dull, consistent species. We have probably lost much beauty in favor of order in the process.

The intoxicants in marijuana are probably caused by toxins that the plants make to kill off insects. Because the plant is a weed, it grows very rapidly. There is a hilarious story about the author's experiences in growing two plants that you will love. As the antidrug war progressed, marijuana became a hothouse plant and was bred and developed to grow much more rapidly under humid, high-light conditions indoors. You will read about modern commercial farms in Holland.

The potato story is the most complex. The Irish potato famine related to monoculture. The Incas had always planted a variety of potatoes to avoid the risk of disease. Now, biotechnology has added an insecticide to the leaves of potato plants, taking monoculture one step further. Interestingly, the insects are already becoming resistant to the insecticide. Are we building a new risk to famine with this approach? How will genetically altered potatoes affect humans? Is having consistent french fries at fast food places enough of an incentive to take this risk? These are the kinds of questions raised by this chapter.

Mr. Pollan has described a "dance of human and plant desire that left neither the plants nor the people . . . unchanged."

His key point is that we should be sure to include strong biodiversity in our approaches. Nature can create more variation faster than fledgling biotechnology industry can. Time has proven that biodiversity has many advantages for humans while monoculture has usually proven to have at least one major drawback. In reality, we can probably have both.

If you are like me, you will find Mr. Pollan's personal experiences with the plants and his investigations of the historical figures to be fascinating. He is a good story teller, and a fine writer.

After you read this book, take a walk through a park or a garden and think about Mr. Pollan's argument. Then consider how these principles can be applied to help ideas change, improve, and grow in more valuable ways.

Look at life from many different perspectives . . . and live more intelligently and beneficially!

Fabulous...., November 6, 2002
Read this book and you may never eat a conventionally grown potato again. I know I won't. If I hadn't been a dedicated organic gardener for over 40 years, I would become one after reading THE BOTANY OF DESIRE. I find it incredibly puzzling that more people haven't bitten the organic bullet. I truly believe a diet of conventionally grown food can shorten your life and bring on all sorts of aches, pains, and illnesses you might not otherwise suffer. Organic gardening works and the stuff you grow is better for you. If you can't grow it, for goodness sakes, hustle on down to your closest Whole Foods store and buy it. Organic food may be more expensive than conventional foods, but in the long run you will save on medical bills.

Michael Pollen's book is simply the best set of gardening essays I've read in a long while, maybe ever. And that's saying a lot because I am a big fan of gardening books (I've reviewed over 100 of them for Amazon). I haven't read something so enjoyable since Henry Mitchell's columns and books. It's not often a book of garden essays can make you laugh (misadventures with Mary Jane), make you cry (one million Irish dead of starvation), make you angry (one million Irish dead), and make you smile (is there any tulip so lovely as `The Queen of the Night?'

Pollan covers four plants, Apples, Tulips, Marijuana, and Potatoes. His first chapter on apples, disabused me of all my notions about Johnny Appleseed. I had read Anna Pavord's book THE TULIP, so the tulip section of Pollan's book was the least interesting for me, although he added some interesting anecdotal information.

The best section of this book as far as I am concerned is the chapter on Marijuana. My husband is a substance abuse counselor and I recommended the chapter to him. It could have been titled, "Everything you ever wanted to know about Marijuana that they didn't tell you in medical school or criminology class." If you haven't yet decided the U.S. government officials who devised the war on drugs are nuts, read this chapter and you will become convinced. Drug war indeed!!! Didn't we learn anything with Al Capone??

The section on the potato plant is downright scary. Pollan's adventures with Monsanto are illuminating. Once again, the feds come out as the dumb bunnies. Or, maybe it's the elected officials and their appointees who won't let the EPA and USDA do it's job. The material on evolution in this section nicely complements Steve Jones' DARWIN'S GHOST. Monsanto is in the process of obtaining patents on natural substances and evolutionary processes that will affect the whole food chain-and the CEO says "trust me". Yeah, right.

Do yourself a favor, during the cold weather ahead. Curl up in an easy chair with a cup of tea and read this book. Whether you garden or not, you will love it.

Excellent book, January 15, 2002
This is an amazing book.
Author Pollan takes us on a journey through history, botany, and the human psyche through examination of four plants - the apple, tulip, marijuana, and potato.
Recurring themes through the book are how plants benefit from encouraging human attention, and the dangers of monoculture, especially how modern man has taken the diversity available in nature and severely limited that diversity, limiting the plants' ability to respond to environmental challenges.
Throughout the book he sprinkles tidbits of information on the plant described, and on the surrounding human culture. He reveals, for instance, that the apple was not only one of the only sources of sweetness in early America, but that the main use of apples in early America was cider. Because we have so limited the original diversity of the apple into just a few strains, apples require large amounts of artificially-applied pesticide to fight the continually-adapting apple pests.
He explains not only how the tulip mania in Holland rose and fell, but why the prized feathered or "broken" tulips were less hardy.
In the discussion on marijuana, Pollan diverges into interesting discussions of the chemistry of human consciousness, how psychoactive plants interact with our consciousness, society's reaction to the use of marijuana, and how strengthened prohibitions against marijuana have ironically led to more potent marijuana.
Talking about the potato, Pollard discusses the dangers of genetically engineered plants - bringing in a pesticide gene from a bacteria to the potato, which results in not only biological dangers, but the danger of putting big business in tight control of agriculture. Pollard also discusses not only how the Irish potato blight came to be, but why it particularly impacted the Irish.
Woven through all these discussions is the theme of the split human attitude toward nature - admiring its wildness, while attempting to exert maximum control over it.

You'll enjoy this book - as you will a similar book (though less esoteric) - _An Empire of Plants: People and Plants that Changed the World_ by Toby and Will Musgrave, which explores the worlds of tobacco, sugar cane, cotton, tea, poppies, quinine and rubber.

Soft-spoken, but packs a punch, September 22, 2001
Pollan makes the rather striking point in the Introduction that we and our domesticated plants are involved in a coevolutionary relationship. We use them and they in turn use us. The bumblebee thinks that he is the "subject in the garden and the bloom he's plundering for its drop of nectar" is the object. "But we know that this is just a failure of his imagination. The truth of the matter is that the flower has cleverly manipulated the bee into hauling its pollen from blossom to blossom." (p. xiv)

And so it is with us. There is no subject and no object. The grammar is all wrong. We plant and disperse the apple, thinking we act from our volition, yet from the apple's point of view, it has enticed us through its bribe of sweetness to further its propagation. It has played upon our desire. The same can be said of every other plant "domesticated" by humans. As Pollan points out, from a larger point of view our farms and gardens are just another part of the "wild" environment. And we, too, are part of that environment--increasingly a most significant part. The plants, and of course the cows, the ants, the roaches, the dogs and the cats, adjust to the environment, or they don't. The ones that do will flourish. Those that don't, the mighty oak, perhaps, the hard wood trees of equatorial jungles, the tigers and the condor, that cannot, will go the way of the dodo.

This idea is not original with Pollan, of course, but nowhere have I seen it presented so convincingly. In a sense we are not the doer, we are the done. Pollan illustrates his thesis in four chapters on the apple, the tulip, cannabis, and the potato.

In the chapter on tulips and the tulip mania we learn that we are probably hard-wired to love flowers. Why? Because "the presence of flowers...is a reliable predictor of future food." (p. 68) We love what is good for us. We find beauty in that which nourishes. Pollan adds that "recognizing and recalling flowers helps a forager get to the fruit [that is to come] first." (p. 68) I might add that our love for little animals is both in their resemblance to our children and (hidden from our consciousness) their potential nutritional value in a time of famine. One might watch on PBS's Nature series to see how lovingly the big cat doth lick its prey.

In the chapter on marijuana Pollan admits to growing the noxious weed in his garden among the potatoes andthe tulips, but incurs paranoia since such horticulture is against the law. He points with restraint to the absurdity of the anti-marijuana laws, to the unconstitutional seizure of property by the marijuana police, etc., but one senses that he's pulling his punches. Or perhaps he feels that something is gained by using a quiet voice. He goes to Amsterdam and finds out just how potent the new marijuana has become. He views an indoor marijuana grow room and sees how sinsemilla is produced while noting that cannabis has become America's number one cash crop. (p. 130). He also notes that "the rapid emergence of a domestic marijuana industry represents a triumph of protectionism" (p. 131). Yes, Virginia, the drug war is artificially supporting the high price of marijuana and protecting domestic "farmers" from foreign competition.

The chapter on the apple concentrates on the life and career of John Chapman, AKA Johnny Appleseed, in which Pollan transforms the Disney-ish Christianized American folk hero into "the American Dionysus." The reason? The apple seeds that Chapman dispersed grew not into Red Delicious apples or Macintoshes but into scrawny little things, mostly too bitter to eat that were made into hard cider, which contained about three percent alcohol, the drink of default for the pioneers. They loved him for it, and occasionally there did indeed grow out of the cider orchards a tree or two that brought forth fruit that could be eaten with pleasure, and made into pies and butter....

The final chapter on the potato has Pollan planting Monsanto's genetically engineered NewLeaf potato, a potato that produces its own insecticide as part of the potato itself by using a gene borrowed from a common bacterium found in the soil. Pollan weighs the significance of this while recalling the history of the potato from its origins in the Andes through its economic effect on Europe, and especially Ireland, to its status today. He comes out strongly against monoculture and in favor of biodiversity. He reports on Monsanto's infamous "Terminator" technology, genetic alteration of plants so that their seeds are sterile, requiring the farmer to become dependent upon Monsanto for seed, a technology that Monsanto "has forsworn" following "an international barrage of criticism." (p. 233)

This a very pretty book written in an understated style about how we deceive ourselves, how we fail to see the world as it really is; how we see the world from a singular and restricted point of view, we as subject and actor, the rest of the environment as acted upon, when in truth, we are just part of the larger ecology, part of the process. We are creatures that kid ourselves to make more palpable our morally ambiguous behavior.

My favorite insight of many in the book comes from page 247 where Pollan, in recalling the brilliant time-lapse photography from David Attenborough's PBS series, "The Private Life of Plants," observes, "...our sense of plants as passive objects is a failure of imagination, rooted in the fact that plants occupy what amounts to a different dimension."

Through a Potato's Eyes, July 21, 2002
Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire is a collection of four essays on four different plants, each representing a desire that humans have: apples (sweetness), tulips (beauty), marijuana (intoxication), and potatoes (control). Pollan's writing is clear and purposeful, full of the kind of rampant speculation that would get a real scientist in trouble (or labeled as a "pop scientist" as Carl Sagan was), but perfect for the gardener-turned-investigator that Pollan is. In high school, we learn that plots boil down to basic structures, one of them being human vs. nature. Pollan attempts to flip that and write a book that is nature vs. humans by focusing on how the plants benefit from the years of selection by humans. Although the book is obstensibly about the plants, Pollan introduces you to a number of people who provide both the assistance and the foils for his natural protagonists, like: Johnny Appleseed (a real figure) and Bill Jones (who is more interested in a St. Appleseed); Monsanto, their captive customers, and the off-the-grid organic farmer Mike Heath; Bryan R., a breeder and grower of marijuana in Amsterdam, who is both frightened and proud of his patch of [marijuana]; and Dr. Pauw, who owned all but one of the most desired tulips during the mania that hit Holland.

The style of the book resembles that of John McPhee, partly because of its four-essay structure, but also in the short, broken sections that flit back-and-forth in time, place and thought. Pollan, unlike McPhee, has a conclusion to draw from his subject, though, and that is the need to support biodiversity and his fear of monoculture--be it a natural one like the reliance on the "lumper" potato in Ireland that led to the Great Potato Famine or the artificial one of human culture, where people show a range of interest on many things, not just the tulip (or dot.com) of the moment. Reading between the lines, one can celebrate not only the wonder of nature but also fear the danger of hubris in thinking that we are separate from that nature, that we are not as changed by it as we change it. In these days of global warming and other environmental pressures, it's a lesson we would all do well to heed.

Conversational prose, brimming with allusions, March 30, 2002
I just finished this lovely little book,and would highly reccommend it. If nothing else, this book prepares one for many interesting conversations. I am now knowledgable about the true Johnny Appleseed, the tulip craze of Holland, the highly specialized marijuana culture, and new developments in the genetic engineering of potatoes. (To name a few!)
The fact that Pollan is not a scientist, but an avid gardener and researcher, among other things, should be considered an asset to the reader. He avoids esoteric scientific terminology, but the text remains sophisticated because his allusions prove huge amounts of research. Each part of the book, each "desire", has its own special charm. I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite. This book truly opens one's eyes to "a plant's-eye view of the world". Though by no means the be-all-end-all on this topic, it is a beautiful natural history.

Impossible to set down!, May 17, 2001
Michael Pollan has written a hugely entertaining and wonderfully informative book. He takes us on a wild ride through the garden, changing our perspective forever, alternating between historical tale, vivid description of life in the garden and witty aside. It's a breathtaking book, a sure classic.

I'm not lending my copy to anyone or I'll never get it back!!

A good, but questionable, effort, July 22, 2001
Pollan's The Botany of Desire is certainly a fascinating book, and I would say that it is also a valuable read, but not for its scientific accuracy or integrity. Firstly, the author is not a scientist but a journalist, and we all know that journalists tend to glorify and exaggerate. His argument itself is attractive in some ways but consistently equivocal and vague. Though skeptical throughout, I did enjoy this book for the author's fluid writing, good sense of humor, and solid attempts and evolutionary insight.

Pollan claims that that the plants we domesticate have evolved to please our senses and thus encourage us to grow them in vast amounts, in effect, helping them to propagate. At first, this is a very attractive idea, but with further thought it does not hold up. Are people and the plants they grow commercially really in an obligate mutualistic relationship? Well, yes, they are. Human society, particularly in industrially developed countries, has become dependent on domesticated crops. But I would argue that we have moulded these crops to our own ends; the influence of natural selection upon these crops' ancestors is not as significant as the artificial selection we exerted upon them. Yes, apple trees did first have to get our attention before we would start growing them voluntarily, but we have artificially selected the apples that you and I eat today. Those huge Granny Smiths and Red and Golden Delicious you see at the grocery are not wild type species in the least bit. They are as much a designed piece of technology as is a finely tuned engine, and the orchard in which they grow is not really different from a factory. These domesticated species would never have flourished in a primitive environment, and they are totally defenseless to pests and other threats without the aid of their inventors, us. What difference does this make? We are still producing large numbers of them; isn't that all that counts? Well, you could always say that we are propagating the apples, potatoes, cannabis, whatever, but we produce them on our terms, not theirs. We artificially select the characters we want, and then we clone them by vegetative methods. The plants were not and are not evolving to please us; they are being manipulated to please us. Think about all the seedless fruits we have developed and sustained (grapes, bananas, watermelon, pinneapple, just to name a few). This process is the equivalent of evolutionary castration, reducing these plants to nothing more than a toolbox of malleable biotic mechanisms. They are no longer independently evolving; we sustain them solely for our own benefit, and the genetic lines of the plants themselves are frozen in time.

Now that I have griped, I must say that this book is not without its benefits. I had not really thought about plants the way Pollan presents here, and I must thank him for opening my eyes in this respect. Although I don't agree with him, I derived great value in following his thought process about domesticated plants. For this reason, I would recommend this book to those who would like to debate an interesting evolutionary topic that is a nice twist on traditional perspective.

Plants Modify Humans, August 8, 2001
Michael Pollan likes bees, and mentions them frequently in _The Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of the World_ (Random House). "A bumblebee would probably... regard himself as a subject in the garden and the bloom he's plundering for its drop of nectar as an object. But we know that this is just a failure of his imagination. The truth of the matter is that the flower has cleverly manipulated the bee into hauling its pollen from blossom to blossom." His thesis in his book is that plants have not manipulated just bees, but humans as well in the ten thousand years since agriculture started. If we have a success with a plant, it is just as true to say that the plant is having a success with us. We may have learned plenty, but the plants have learned as well: make a flashier flower, a tastier tuber and those humans will do just what you want. Pollan examines apples, tulips, marijuana, and potatoes and finds that we are serving them well.

Apples we grow for sweetness, and sweetness surrounds our image of Johnny Appleseed, but Pollan shows that this strange character was not delivering apple orchards to the pioneers as much as he was delivering the alcoholic beverage cider, and incidentally he was making preserves of wild apple trees. Tulips we grow for beauty, and it is a beauty that has driven people wild. Pollan reviews the story of the Tulipomania of seventeenth century Holland, and shows that by what Darwin called "artificial selection," humans chose tulips that looked fancier, and tulips got fancier in order to be chosen. Marijuana we grow for intoxication, and Pollan admires what has happened with it: "_This_ was what the best gardeners of my generation had been doing all these years: they had been underground, perfecting cannabis." The government has boosted the potency of marijuana by forcing growing inside, where even carbon dioxide can be forced into the plants. The strangest and most troubling of the four stories is the potato, which we grow as a staple crop. Pollan got hold of the New Leaf potato from Monsanto, genetically engineered to have a toxin throughout the plant that kills beetles. The problem is that the toxin is behaving differently from natural toxins. Bees take it in pollen to other plants, and we know that monarch butterflies die when they eat milkweed dusted with pollen with the toxin in it; will this happen in the field? Pollan's potatoes grow into fine specimens, needing less worry and care than his other potatoes, but they fail as a harvest; he can't make himself eat them.

Pollan is an avid gardener and writes about these plants, all of which he has himself raised at one time or other, with an enjoyable wit and clarity. There is plenty of science packed into his chapters, as well as amusing personal stories and cautionary tales. Most important, his lesson of how plants are not just objects for our manipulation but are linked in pushing us along as we push them provides a vital evolutionary lesson. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Like a raging wildfire, August 25, 2009

Big country, big people, big problems: an epic American tale, September 6, 2009

Well written history of an important event, September 12, 2009

Two Stories, Much to Learn, Keeps You Longing for the Next Page!, October 11, 2009

Another Excellent Book from Timothy Egan, October 8, 2009

Amazingly educating and entertaining at the same time, August 29, 2009

Gifford Pinchot, January 23, 2010
Pinchot was a friend of my grandfather and inspired my father Arthur duBois to go to Yale Forestry School. "Big Burn brings to life his mystical personality and his relationship with Teddy Roosevelt. Beautifully written and and easy read. Arthur W. DuBois

A Fine History of a Major Turning Point in the History of Forestry in the U.S., October 11, 2009

"The forests wanted to burn", September 2, 2010

When President William McKinley died of gangrene after being shot in September 1901, Vice President Teddy Roosevelt had to make a middle-of-the-night dash for Washington from a remote spot deep in the Adirondacks. This was a fitting start for a presidency that established the conservation movement in U.S. politics and placed 230 million acres of land under Federal protection as national parks, preserves and forests.

In its first section, The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America details Roosevelt's love of wild places and his relationship with Gifford Pinchot. Pinchot was a McKinley appointee in the Department of Agriculture, a Yale man from a wealthy family, among the first professionally educated foresters. Roosevelt and Pinchot had a vision of the American wilderness as a sacred trust belonging to all Americans. The country was being gobbled up by grazers, miners, and especially the timber industry. Homesteading, the great opportunity for settlers spreading west, was often a front for big business acquisitions; fortunes were being made by a few at the expense, Roosevelt believed, of Americans yet to be born. He was determined to protect our heritage for those future generations. Pinchot and Roosevelt both came from privileged backgrounds but enacted populist policies, often infuriating the wealthy industrialists who had their eyes on the great spaces.

Under Roosevelt's presidency Pinchot tried to manage the vast Federal forests on the pittance Congress allowed him, staffing the service with a corps of committed young foresters, most of them from the Yale forestry program. Pinchot did not believe in removing the Federal land from commercial use; his vision was to lease cutting rights and regulate heavily to preserve the health of the forests. His greatest hubris was in his attitude toward fire: he believed that an agile, adequately funded Forestry Service could control and effectively eliminate forest fires. As fires were started by lightning, by sparks from trains, and by the many other works of man, the foresters used trenching and back-burning to contain them. The forests aged and filled with combustible debris, and it was inevitable that one day it would burn and burn, and not be stopped.

It was just chance that led me to this book exactly one hundred years after the furious fire that burned vast forested sections of Washington, Montana and Idaho. This great fire destroyed three million acres of forest--parts of the Bitterroot, Clearwater, Coeur d'Alene, Lolo, St. Joe's forests, and gobbled up several towns. Author Timothy Egan devotes the second section of the book to a detailed play-by-play of the two-day inferno and the courageous foresters, army troops and woodsmen who fought to contain it. In August 1910 the woods were tinder dry, clogged with brush and dead trees, and wanting to burn. Several smaller fires were fanned together by high, dry winds and became a "kinetic engine" that burned until the wind stopped and rain fell.

The third section of the book covers the political demise of Gifford Pinchot, Roosevelt's attempt to return to national politics with the Bull Moose Party in 1912, and the changing fortunes of the Forestry Service. Egan's somewhat dramatic title is to a certain extent substantiated by the change in forestry management policies, and now logging in the national forests is in decline because it's cheaper to farm trees and import them for construction than to log under forestry maintenance policies. There is mention of the modern acknowledgement that the forests MUST burn to some extent, to allow their renewal in the aftermath of fire.

I enjoyed this book very much but you can see that like Caesar's Gaul, it's divided sharply into three parts, and that gives it an uneven quality. The extreme detail in the first section, and particularly in the description of the two-day fire and its aftermath, leaves too little space for the arc of public policy in the last hundred years--it's a disaster novel set between bookends of serious history. Four stars; I listened to the ten-hour audio production from Audible, narrated by Robertson Dean.

Linda Bulger, 2010

An Extreme Burn, January 14, 2010
The Big Burn by Timothy Egan is probably the best non fiction book I have read yet. He starts a little slow because you must know the people and how the conservation movement started. The book builds in intensity with each chapter.It is the history of Teddy Roosevelt's fight to start the conservation movement. With John Muir and Gifford Pinchot they started the fight to preserve our land. National Parks and Forest Rangers to protect them was established. While many in this country did not see the need to protect our land, this trio fought and succeeded. While this fight was hard nothing could prepare Teddys group for what was about to happen.
What happened was the Big Burn. One of the largest, deadliest fires in history, these men stood their ground and fought it. It talks of certain Rangers and how they fought the fire and survived, or how mistakes led to their demise. The book is written in story form so it is easy to read. The characters come to life with Egan's descriptions of them.
In the three page chapter where the fire starts, I did not take a breath while reading! I felt as though I was in the fire. I could see it, feel the heat from it and fear it. It takes a great author to do that. I could'nt stop reading the book after the fire broke out. The acres and acres of destroyed land and the deaths of those that fought to protect it will be remembered because of this book.
Because of reading this book I have been interested in bio's of Gifford Pinchot and Teddy Roosevelt. If you want to read a great book...read this one. I guarantee you will enjoy it. You will laugh, cry and have feelings of dislike for and with people involved in the fire. I am grateful that we have these parks to visit and enjoy. I am even more greatful for the Rangers that protect them.
Read this book. It will change you. You will not be sorry. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The Sibley Guide to Birds has quickly become the new standard of excellence in bird identification guides, covering more than 810 North American birds in amazing detail. Now comes a new portable guide from David Sibley that every birder will want to carry into the field. Compact and comprehensive, this new guide features 650 bird species plus regional populations found east of the Rocky Mountains. Accounts include stunningly accurate illustrations—more than 4,200 in total—with descriptive caption text pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry contains new text concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. Accounts also include brand-new maps created from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent.

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America is an indispensable resource for all birders seeking an authoritative and portable guide to the birds of the East. ... Read more

Reviews

The Best of Birding Field Guides! Not just for East Coast.., January 30, 2004
I bought this book because I live in the Northeast. However, I was surprised to discover that this edition actually has most species of birds, including those that live in the West or South, with ranges through and including Mexico. This was a wonderful surprise as I actually travel quite a bit, so I don't have to buy additional editions of Sibley's bird books.

As to the content of Sibley's guide, there is none better. His illustrations are outstanding, and descriptions are just wonderful. He describes ranges, eating habits, whether the bird tends to be solitary or fly in groups (flocks), nesting, coloration, etc. Best of all, I really like how he shows the bird in a multitude of positions, from standing to flight, so that if you saw a glint of the bird in a different point of view, you can still identify it using this guide. Top ratings.

Excellent field guide, November 28, 2003
This field guide is a nice size that's easy to carry around, has multiple drawn pictures of each bird as well as a short text and range map for each - The text generally starts out with saying if the bird is common or not and then goes into where they nest, winter etc. It talks about the typical foods, if they're solitary or not. One thing I like too is that it often tells if the bird is native or non-native to the US which I find particularly interesting. Voice/song is also discussed in the text. Excellent reference book. I keep one in the house and one in the car. Highly recommended!

When only the best will do, November 5, 2005
After a several year hiatus of working with a camera, I recently picked up photography again as a hobby. Shortly thereafter, I started gaining an interest in wildlife and birds, and began photographing them. When I asked several photographers which bird ID book to look into, they immediately mentioned Sibley.

While browsing through the shelves at a B&N brick and mortar store, I immediately understood why Sibley's book is so highly regarded.

There are several elements that really stand out in my mind
* The book is very well laid out
*�Excellent, accurate illustrations detailing various characterstics among species, gender, etc
*�Thoughtfully organized sections that make reading it a breeze, whether you are simply browsing for a bird ID or want to learn more by reading more in-depth.
*�It's a managable size, that can be carried along, should you decide to take it in the field. I usually leave mine home, as I am usually capturing the bird on camera already.
* Although it's the Eastern North American field guide, there are species that can be found in the book from much further away. I can only assume they include everything that you "might" encounter out in the field, which is an excellent benefit.

Don't settle for anything less. Get the Sibley's book.

The Best Guide for the Field, March 8, 2005
As a new birder, I did a lot of checking before buying a guide. I found Sibley to be the best guide for the field. While there is limited information, this guide provides essential information needed to make a positive identification. It includes multiple images of birds as well as any variants for gender, age, etc. While I would definitely suggest at least looking at other guides, I would say this is the essential guide for time in the field. Additionally, now that the larger Sibley Guide has been split into a Eastern and Western version it is portable: it fits in my back pocket as I trek through the woods.

the best guide I've used, January 9, 2004
I own Sibley's larger guide, his "birding basics", and his guide to behaviour. I adore his plain, honest writing style, and his amateur-scientific approach. Not to say that Sibley, one of the big shots in the birding world, is an amateur -- just that he knows what the serious student needs and wants.

His paintings are amazingly accurate (and beautiful -- I wish you could buy offsets.) I've made tentative identifications (later more solidly confirmed) just based on, say, the density of stippling or the exact extent of a faint color wash. Even in the small-size guide, he includes helpful "in flight" sketches, notations about wing motion, and anything else that might be helpful.

His notations next to each species are fantastic. In addition to voice, they cover some identification problems (easily confused species, variable plumage, marks that are appear obvious in pictures but are hard to see in the field), some remarks on habitat and behaviour (especially when it helps identification), and some hints for identification that you might not pick up on at first. Subspecies and crossovers are depicted when necessary.

There are a lot of field guides that rely on photographs; Sibley's work will instantly convert you to drawings. They present the "idealized" bird; you can compare your rugged, flea-bitten specimen to the text and learn a lot more than just its name.

As a scientist myself, I appriciate Sibley's cautious approach to identification, as well as his ability to quickly synthesise what is know about a population even when it doesn't admit of a quick one-liner. Sibley jumps right in and uses the ornithological terms for plumage patterns; I would have appriciated having the non-passerines diagrammed on the back inside cover (instead of in his excellent introduction, and in place of a rather superfluous map of North America) for easier reference, but that's a minor quibble.

This is not a guide you easily outgrow. My one last complaint is that the pages and binding are a little stiff and seem to have resisted "thumbing in" even after many months of use!

I have most of them, but really only use this one, December 9, 2004
The Sibley book is the only guide I really use anymore. It just seems every time I find a tough bird to ID the sibley book is the one that makes my mind up. The drawings are almost caricatures of the birds, really accentuating what you need to pick out. The Nat. Geo book is good (more artistic drawings) and I keep my official tally in it, but when I go out walking around I take sibley. It also fits in your back pocket While Nat. geo. (Other Favorite) Doesnt. Peterson Guide I'm not a huge fan of. Flipping around to find the Range map, That bugs me.

Be careful where you start, July 29, 2004
I, like a couple of the other reviewers here, have all of Sibley's books. I like and use them, but I would urge anyone about to start birding to take the time and look at copies of Peterson, Audubon, Stokes, National Geo, all before you choose Sibley.

Sibley meets my needs. My wife, who is a professional Wildlife Biologist, would not touch anything but Peterson, and only specific editions of Peterson (and, yes, that divergence does result in a very large collection of field guides...). Neither of us care for any of the other ones. But, since the other ones sell, they must meet someone's needs, maybe yours.

What I have found, is you tend to think and learn in terms of the field guide you are used to. Make sure you can handle the guide's organization and approach. Understand that Sibley's information format is more free-form than some of the others. I don't mind reading for the details, you might.

Best field size guide ever., May 25, 2003
The Sibley Guide to Birds, as most mention, is a great guide but too heavy to tote into the field...this field guide solves that problem.

Yes, the illustrations are smaller, but just as useable. Yes, some of the illustrations in the original guide have been deleted, but the guide you take with is better than the one at home. (You should have the original at home anyway!)

I find that the addition of Status, Habitat and Behavior in the text more than makes up for fewer illustrations.

Well made and sturdy...buy it!

A guide in hand is worth two on your bookshelf, May 16, 2003
I started birdwatching a year and a half ago and the Sibley Guide to Birds was the first guide I purchased. Although I had been told it was for "expert" birders, I just thought the illustrations were much clearer than any other guide. It was a joy to look at, at home on my couch. But I never wanted to take it with me in the field because it's too darn heavy.

So the Sibley FIELD Guide is the exactly the guide I've been wishing for. The illustrations are just as clear, even though they've been scaled down, and the format is a managable size and weight. The original guide had many variations, by region, sex, age, etc., and I think they had to drop a few of these, but at my level of birdwatching I don't miss them. The guide DOES still show male and female, first year, etc. I took this guide with me to Prospect Park, Brooklyn, last weekend, and I saw and ID'ed 45 species. Not bad for an amateur!

Expert birders will already be familiar with Sibley and can make up their own minds, so I would like to say to beginning birdwatchers, give this guide a shot. I really think the illustrations are the best and most helpful.

Great field guide to carry while birding in Eastern regions, April 30, 2003
David Sibley has done it again. I enjoy reading and looking at Sibley's "Guide to Birds" several times a day. It replaced the National Geographic's "Field Guide to the Birds of North America" as my first choice for bird information. With "Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America", David Sibley has published a book that can be carried in the field. The heavy "Guide to Birds" was just too much to carry. This book has several new renderings and improved range maps. The book is also undated with several new bird names and taxonomic changes. It is a welcomed edition for my eastern bird books. As I live in the western regions, I needed a good field guide to carry when visiting the eastern regions. ... Read more

Editorial Review

In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.
 
Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, the pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness; rather, there were huge numbers of Indians who actively molded and influenced the land around them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had running water and immaculately clean streets, and was larger than any contemporary European city. Mexican cultures created corn in a specialized breeding process that it has been called man’s first feat of genetic engineering. Indeed, Indians were not living lightly on the land but were landscaping and manipulating their world in ways that we are only now beginning to understand. Challenging and surprising, this a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.

Reviews

An excellent update on the current academic understanding of pre-Columbian America, November 15, 2005
Although recent years have yielded significant progress in understanding how "Indians" lived throughout the Americas before 1492 and Columbus, only isolated bits of the story have reached the popular press. Far too many people still hold to one of two myths of the Indians, or have little conception at all of pre-Columbian America.

The first popular myth is that the Indians were a bunch of primitive savages just keeping the land warm until superior Europeans showed up. It's sad to read reviews here that assert that because Indians used stone tools they were therefore "stone age", with the implication that their culture was no further advanced than that early period.

The second myth makes the Indians into proto-flower-children, naively and simply in tune with their environment.

Both myths are based on stereotyping and are condescending to the pre-Colombians. How could people spread over two continents and many millennia be briefly summarized? They can't be! The Americas saw the development of a broad range of cultures, just like every other inhabited area of the world. Some cultures overstressed their environment and soon collapsed. Others created stable conditions under which they could survive for generations. (Which is not the same as saying they didn't impact nature.) But even the latter could be brought down by climate change, political instability, disease (especially European), or contact with outsiders (Indian or European).

Great cities arose in mesoamerica and the Andes, and also in other areas when the right conditions prevailed. And sophisticated cultures existed even where city building wasn't favored.

This book takes the reader through a vibrant overview of centuries of Indian culture both before and shortly after Columbus landed. Much of the narrative is based on work-in-progress by archaeologists and historians, and will certainly become dated with time, but it is an important update to the common, current understanding of the subject.

For those not enthralled by one of the myths I mention above, most Americans recall our history along the lines of Scene 1: The Pilgrims land and encounter Indians who teach them how to grow corn; they then have a big Thanksgiving party together. Scene 2: Americans moving inland encounter savage Indians who need to be exterminated or moved to reservations to make the continent safe for manifest destiny. Scene 3: The few remaining Indians are victims of brutal European suppression, and we need to buy jewelry and pottery from them to make ourselves feel better about the situation.

This book is a welcome update to our thinking about the Americas before Columbus. It's also one of the best books I've read in long time, and I highly recommend it.

New Possibilites for Pre-Columbian Life in the Americas, October 30, 2005
Mann gives the reader a comprehensive overview of the new theories concerning native American societies before the colonial period. The story is intriguing, and the fascinating narrative will hold the reader's complete attention. The assertions made are too numerous and complex to go into in any detail here, but in brief: we are told that the Western Hemisphere was actually much more populous than anyone had imagined previously. Most of the inhabitants were wiped out by plagues brought by the Europeans. Far from being either brutal and child-like, or "noble savages", the native Americans had established sophisticated societies which served large and growing populations, and which had great impact on their natural environments. No small Indian tribes living in a vast, untamed wilderness! To the contrary, fire was used repeatedly to burn off weeds and undergrowth, extensive mounds and other structures were raised to provide crop land and ponds for fish breeding, and cultivation was widespread. Indeed, Mann asserts that the Amazon, far from being the quintessential wilderness most regard it as, is actually a garden gone wild!
The tale is breathtaking in its scope. But is it true? The author of 1491 acknowledges that the new theories are controversial. For example: everyone agrees the Europeans brought diseases which wiped out large numbers of Indians. But not all agree that the original population was anywhere near the levels claimed. And many researchers contend that structures claimed to be of human origin, such as the Beni causeways in Bolivia, are actually of natural origin. This reader withholds judgement until a lot more evidence is forthcoming. However, everyone interested in history owes it to themselves to read this spellbinding story of an America that just might have been, and then watch as it is either confirmed or refuted by continuing, widely based research.

An Intriguing New Look, September 13, 2005
Charles C. Mann has taken much of what we thought we knew about the Native Americans and their world and thrown it out the window. In a pleasantly informal yet highly professional style, Mann recounts tales of his own studies and travels, as well as those of many archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists past and present throughout the Americas.

If your knowledge of the Native Americans begins and ends with what you learned in school years ago, or with the stereotypes perpetuated by Hollywood, you are in for quite a shock. To begin with, the Native Americans have been "natives" here for far longer than any one suspected. Next, their cultures were heterogeneous and quite advanced, in many ways far outdoing their counterparts in Europe. And in what may be the most controversial sections, Mann maintains that the Native Americans were neither primitive savages who left no mark on their world, nor dreamy proto-environmentalists who lived as one with nature, but rather people who throughly altered and shaped their landscapes.

This is not a book which will please many with an agenda on either the pro-development or pro-environment side, but it will be found invaluable by those who seek a better understanding of the "New World" before the Europeans "discovered" it.

The Real Civilized Old World, October 6, 2005
This is a highly readable and informative compendium of current knowledge on the Americas prior to Columbian contact. Charles Mann has gathered modern research into an engaging narrative that offers updates on old theories, bold new theories that often contradict the old ones, and a fair amount of useful speculation on what was really happening in the ancient Americas. The speculative parts of this book will turn off serious historians (plus those with political, academic, or ethnic agendas, as can be seen in some of the more condescending reviews here), but the speculation offers plenty of food for thought, and Mann has mostly just channeled the exploratory ideas of his sources. In any case, such explorations are grounded in at least partially corroborated findings by modern archeologists, anthropologists, linguists, and experts in other fields, and Mann has made extensive use of legitimate sources both old and new. In fact, his bibliography will provide the enthusiast with reading material for years to come.

In addition to increasing the reader's knowledge of little-covered Native American societies such as the Cahokians and several pre-Inka South American kingdoms, the main running contention in this book is not necessarily historical but ecological. There is growing evidence that Indians throughout the hemisphere did not live in a timeless and static communion with nature, which is a common "green" stereotype. Instead, the majority of native populations actively engineered their landscapes and altered their local ecologies to better suit human needs, though this usually (but not always) resulted in long-term mutual benefits for nature and man, rather than the dead-end destruction resulting from Western methods. And in general, large and structured city states seem to have been remarkably common, even in the previously little-appreciated Amazon basin (which itself is not as "pristine" or "untrammeled" as modern hype would have you believe). And finally, Mann presents the latest evidence showing that Native American populations were once several orders of magnitude higher than those found by European explorers and colonists, with horrendous percentages being wiped out by Western diseases just a few years before. While this book is not a groundbreaking research effort in its own right, Mann has compiled a great amount of knowledge that will go a long way toward shaping your views of how civilized the "old" world really was. [~doomsdayer520~]

Wow!, August 16, 2005
If you thought, as I did, that the Americas prior to Columbus were a couple of barren continents occupied by a sparce population of savages, you are in for a mindblowing surprise in this wonderful new book. There may have been 100 million people living in the Americas in 1491, perhaps more than in Europe. There were bigger cities, some with running water and botanical gardens, larger than any in Europe. Did you know the Inkas invented the salad bar? Okay, that's a joke, but the other stuff is true and a zillion other amazing things. Other books and articles on preColumbian America have disappointed me with their fantasy: Chinese in Rhode Island, King Arthur in Kentucky, aliens in Peru, etc. But this is solidly researched by an award-winning science writer, with endorsements from some heavyweight historians--Richard Rhodes, Tom Powers, Joseph Ellis, and others. There are clear and helpful maps, copious and readable footnotes, and a H-U-G-E bibliography for those of us who teach or just want to know more. On a personal note, Mann explains why he uses the term "Indian" rather than "native American" or more politically correct terms. The Chippewas (aka Ojibwa) in my family always called themselves Indians, so this makes me realize Mann really immersed himself in the subject. This is an important, fascinating, readable, and handsome book

Sound and Rigorous, October 13, 2005
Mann's excellent book does not deliver "new" revelations so much as an accomplished and respected historian's summation of the salient points known to date about the history of the Americas. Certainly much of the material is new to many readers, and in Mann's competent prose, the information is presented in an understandable and compelling style. Significantly, Mann balances his sound and rigorous research with suppositions based on his own remarkable insights. It is a clever and interesting read for the lay historian--as well as an important book for researchers into early American history.

Mann's Atlantic Monthly article by the same title gave promise of a great book., June 18, 2006
This is it. A tour de force, referencing all of the specialized works which the media and other writers have brought to the attention of us non-specialists, and introducing much significant work that hadn't previously been widely reviewed.

Every author has his quirks. Mann sees anthropologists especially, but also the archaeologists, linguists and other specialists with whom they interact, as being constantly engaged in pitched battles defending their various pet theories, to such an extent that they abandon civil behavior towards one another. It's a bit of a bad rap. The anthropologists I've know, from Theodora Kroeber on down, have generally been a more agreeable lot.

Another quirk, not terribly surprising given his topic, is to inflate the significance of the accomplishments of American civilizations beyond even what his surprising findings might support. Yes, they did have fantastic architecture, well-developed and ecologically sensible architecture, elaborate social structures, writing, advanced arithmetic and vast cities and monuments. Even given all that, to suggest that they were on a par with or ahead of contemporaneous European or Chinese civilization seems to be a bit of a stretch.

Mann is very good on the subject of agriculture: the domestication of food crops. The story of maize/corn is especially interesting. It has been cultivated so long that it is the only grain the wild ancestors of which remain a mystery. His description of today's Amazon, Peru and Mexico are so accurate as to give great credence to his accounts of how they got the way they are.

His account of how and when the Americas were populated is likewise very thorough and balanced, giving thorough descriptions of the various schools of thought and well drawn support for his preference of one theory over another. His bottom line is that the continent was peopled well before the previous estimate of 12,000 years ago. He offers support for several novel ideas. The settlers may have traveled south by boat. The original Peruvian agriculture may have been to grow cotton for fishnets rather than food. Peruvian civilization started on the coast rather than in the Andes.

A question Mann chooses not to address is why these descendents of such grand civilizations have fared so poorly in modern times. Even granted their near extinction from European diseases, and their second-class status under the Spanish (the Portuguese, French and British are benignly overlooked), why is it that the native peoples of Bolivia have not adapted well to Western culture, and why does resentment run so high that the nativist politics of Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez, Ollanta Humala and others succeed as they do? Mann remarks several times on the minimal importance of marketplaces among the American civilizations. There was extensive trade, but it seems to have been on a tribe-to-tribe basis rather than person-to-person. Individual needs were satisfied by allocations from community stores. This highly communitarian description ties very well to what one observes in native American ruins and among contemporary native Americans. Is there something in the Indian history and temperament that handicaps their progress in societies that are now patterned according to the European model?

In summary, this book does a wonderful job of filling the huge void in most of our knowledge of the native peoples of the Americas. One can hope that its success inspires imitation; it is a huge topic, with much left to be written.

Indian civilizations much more complex than we thought., November 2, 2006
1491 is part science text, part history book. Charles C. Mann's main premise is that the Americas in 1491 were a much different place than our history books say they were.

Mann's first line of attack is the "empty America" syndrome. He claims there were as many people living in North America as there were in Europe, prior to decimation by smallpox and other European diseases. In the process he also belittles the "pristine America" argument. Prior to the smallpox pandemic, Indians burned the underbrush of our forests; the result was more of a parkland than a wild Garden of Eden. The forest stretching from the coast to the Mississippi came afterward, when the Indian caretakers had been depleted.

Most impressive for me was Mann's analysis of Indian technology. For instance, maize was not an indigenous plant. It was genetically engineered from a mountain grass called teosinte. The Amazonian Indians of South America also managed to invent their own soil, "terra preta," a sort of mixture of pottery shards and charcoal. The South American Indians even experimented in social engineering. Inca warriors would infiltrate villages, "convince" their rulers that accepting Inca rule would be beneficial to their people, then gradually take over. Once in control, they would move some of the subjugated population to others villages where they were required to learn the Inca language. The Incas even managed to "eradicate hunger" in an empire larger than that conquered by Alexander the Great.

Mann hopscotches back and forth between such diverse cultures as Triple Alliance (Aztecs) in Central America to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) in Canada and New England. Each has a surprise in store for the reader. For instance, it's not true that the Aztecs never invented the wheel. Children's toys have been unearthed with definite wheels. Mann theorizes that because of the mountainous and wet environment the Aztecs scorned the invention. Then he compares them to Europe, where our supposedly superior civilization never did invent the plow; it had to be imported from China.

Another criticism of Native American culture is that they had no system of writing. Mann counters this misconception with the Inca's "khipu," sort of three-dimensional stringed knots, which were felt and read. Scientists are still trying to decipher them. Mixtec Indians also left behind "codices," deerskin or bark books whose painted pages looked rather like murals.

Native America civilizations also appear to be much older than the history books say. The Clovis culture, for instance, has been carbon-dated to between 13,500 and 12,900 years ago and archaeologist Alex D. Krieger lists fifty sites said to be older yet. Some scientists maintain that paleo-Indians "walked or paddled" to Peru fifteen thousand years ago.

An essential book on American history, August 18, 2005
I was excited about this book for a while, yet, particularly after disappointment with 1421's overblown claims, I was skeptical that its initial claims would be supported by hard evidence. Instead, I found that Mann has clearly done his homework to produce a brilliant book describing the lost chapters of American history.

Mann's (and the researchers he cites) basic argument is clear: conventional history on American Indians is stale, often relying on faulty, static, or even blatantly racist research. These societies weren't waiting in stasis for Columbus - they rose and fell, much like European societies, a fact many researchers failed to realize. The introduction is illustrative, in which Mann describes an Indian society that is currently poor and nomadic, although it built large earth mounds and had a successful civilization before 1491.

I also like the fact that Mann presents the conventional historical argument before he introduces the more modern argument. He also does a good job explaining why past researchers may have been mistaken. For example, many glossed over the accounts of early explorers, even though they may have actually been recording what they saw (surely not that surprising when you think about it, but a revolution in the field nonetheless).

The only faults I found in the book were relatively small. First, it would have been nice to have a glossary. Second, while the book follows a well-developed structure, I wanted more. One gets the feeling that Mann only scratches the surface, and he could have easily written another 100 pages while keeping the reader entertained. On the other hand, this book already took so much work that this may be a lot to ask. I only hope Mann produces more books on this subject.

Brilliantly New, August 19, 2005
This is a fascinating book about an amazing subject of such breadth and diversity to startle the imagination. The subject is the Americas in the period before Columbus and the ravages of western diseases. The claims are deeply speculative and some will say revisionist. They are basically trying to get at three perplexing questions. 1) What was the population of the Americas before Columbus and what was its economic development? 2) When did Americans first arrive and from where and by what? 3) What happened to this civilization.

We are told by new scholarship that perhaps Americans immigrated from Siberia or across the pacific not 11,000 years ago but 20,000 years ago. We are also now finding that population densities were much higher then previously thought, not only among the Aztecs and Incas but in the Mississippi valley and elsewhere. At the same time we learn that technology of the Native Americans was higher and more progressed then previously thought. Lastly we are told the claim that diseases whipped out between 90-98% of the people living in America at this time.

These are radical new claims, especially the claims regarding Native American tampering with the environment. These are interesting claims and perhaps some of them are true. There are however several reservations. Evidence for the arrival of Americans 20,000 years ago is scant and based on only a few sites where carbon dating may have been wrongly applied. Secondly, the population densities of the Americas have been widely claimed as larger, especially in Diamonds well received book `Guns, Germs and Steel'. The idea that diseases brought by Europeans lead to one of the worst epidemics in world history, ten times worse then the great plague, is also rehashed from previous studies. The wonderful thing about this book is it presents the new ideas in a clear and convincing format, easily digestible and a fascinating read.

Seth J. Frantzman
... Read more

Editorial Review

"Read it, please. Straight through to the end. Whatever else you were planning to do next, nothing could be more important." —Barbara Kingsolver

Twenty years ago, with The End of Nature, Bill McKibben offered one of the earliest warnings about global warming. Those warnings went mostly unheeded; now, he insists, we need to acknowledge that we've waited too long, and that massive change is not only unavoidable but already under way. Our old familiar globe is suddenly melting, drying, acidifying, flooding, and burning in ways that no human has ever seen. We've created, in very short order, a new planet, still recognizable but fundamentally different. We may as well call it Eaarth.

That new planet is filled with new binds and traps. A changing world costs large sums to defend—think of the money that went to repair New Orleans, or the trillions it will take to transform our energy systems. But the endless economic growth that could underwrite such largesse depends on the stable planet we've managed to damage and degrade. We can't rely on old habits any longer.

Our hope depends, McKibben argues, on scaling back—on building the kind of societies and economies that can hunker down, concentrate on essentials, and create the type of community (in the neighborhood, but also on the Internet) that will allow us to weather trouble on an unprecedented scale. Change—fundamental change—is our best hope on a planet suddenly and violently out of balance. 

Editorial Review

Most people know Greg Graffin as the lead singer of the punk band Bad Religion, but few know that he also received a PhD from Cornell University and teaches evolution at the University of California at Los Angeles. In Anarchy Evolution, Graffin argues that art and science have a deep connection. As an adolescent growing up when "drugs, sex, and trouble could be had on any given night," Graffin discovered that the study of evolution provided a framework through which he could make sense of the world.

In this provocative and personal book, he describes his own coming of age as an artist and the formation of his naturalist worldview on questions involving God, science, and human existence. While the battle between religion and science is often displayed in the starkest of terms, Anarchy Evolution provides fresh and nuanced insights into the long-standing debate about atheism and the human condition. It is a book for anyone who has ever wondered if God really exists.

Reviews

I'll be damned. Two great books in one., October 1, 2010
Here's how nerdy I am: My introduction to Greg Graffin and Bad Religion came through his doctoral dissertation, which I purchased from Graffin and got autographed. And then I read it. And it wasn't very good. Since then I've read a couple of other things that Graffin has written or co-written (Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?: A Professor And a Punk Rocker Discuss Science, Religion, Naturalism & Christianity), but nothing prepared me for just how damned GOOD "Anarchy" is.

It must be said that the best parts of the book are the parts that only Graffin could have written--the autobiographical sections about his earlier childhood in Wisconsin, his transition to the California punk scene, his approach to music, and so forth. Much of what he write about evolutionary biology will be familiar, at least, to people who have taken some evolution classes or read books such as Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body (Vintage), and Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo. But he does have an interesting take on natural selection. Graffin makes it abundantly clear that his slightly unorthodox view of the importance of natural selection to overall evolutionary theory should give no aid and comfort to creationists (or their better-dressed cousins, Intelligent Design advocates). But he also wishes to show that science, maybe especially evolutionary biology, is still an active, lively field with vivid, animated debates...not about the fact of evolution, but about interesting details related to mechanisms.

And Graffin's chapter specifically on atheism was interesting as well, mostly for its biographical elements. I appreciate what he says about preferring a more dialectical approach that encourages questions, versus the more confrontational approach assumed by "New Atheists" in books such as God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, The God Delusion, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, and The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. He makes an interesting and appealing case, but I'm still left thinking there is room for both diplomatic discussion and spirited debate. After all, the New Atheist books listed probably created a much larger space for the more nuanced and sophisticated conversation even to take place in.

I see this book finding its most natural audience among Bad Religion fans (and I don't know how intentional this might have been, but it's easy to see some cross-currents betwee Anarchy and Bad Religion's new album release, The Dissent of Man) and younger people--say high school age--interested in science, the arts, and their relationship to each other. Also fans of flipping off authority--a Graffin staple, and a real strength of both his musical and, it would seem, his scientific careers.

Uniquely Captivativating, September 28, 2010
An astonishing insight into a man who is not only a legend in the punk rock scene, but also a doctor in evolutionary biology. Graffin shares tales of life as the front man of Bad Religion and his years of study and fieldwork. He also discusses his insights on evolution, as separate biological and cultural phenomena, and how they relate to his naturalist worldview. Recommended for anyone with an interest in the sciences or into Bad Religion.

No one here can show you where it is but I can point to a sign, October 8, 2010
I admit I was skeptical about this book. I saw the titles of the chapters included "The False Idol of Natural Selection" and "The False Idol of Atheism" and wondered just what Greg was going to be rambling about. Now, Bad Religion has been one of my favorite punk bands ( and maybe band in general ) for a few years now. Punk wise, their only competition for the title of favorite is the Misfits, but since the Misfit's lineup has been chaotic, Bad Religion's overall consistency ( apart from the few albums without Brett) makes them the current holder of that title. I've admired Gregg for balancing a band and a PhD with a career in both teaching and science. This book has led me to a whole new level of respect for Greg and Bad Religion.

Greg tells you everything you could want to know. He talks about his childhood, his high school years ( which upon reading about, I STRONGLY relate to -- both of us had a small circle of friends, were into punk rock, but not the illegal shenanigans and drugs most are into, and have had a passion for science rooted in our childhoods ), how the band came about ( I'll leave the names that they almost called themselves as a surprise for you ) , how he got interested in science, and many other interesting things about his youth. As far as his adult life goes, I've come to apperciate that he balances school, science, and music with raising kids and having a wife. Greg is not arrogant about his life. He's honest about the difficulties in it, and about the mistakes he has made in his life.

Other than getting to know the great singer, he presents some scientific views and philosophical views covered in the two suspect chapter names I listed above. Fear not, he's not out to destroy Natural Selection. In fact, he's just putting it in it's place. He acknowledges that random chance and chaos ( hence ANARCHY Evolution ) have as much or more to do with evolutionary change than the algorithm of natural selection. He's not trying to break new ground like Stephen J. Gould did ( Read The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design for a good analysis of Gould's ideas ). As far as atheism goes, he is indeed an atheist. But he acknowledges that the word atheist just means without gods. As far as a description of your world view, that doesn't really imply a lot. I also saw Richard Dawkins make this point in a TED Talk lecture ( Richard Dawkins on militant atheism at the Ted website ). Instead, Greg ( as well as Dawkins ) say that the term Naturalist is a more meaningful term. It implies a specific worldview, which atheism is only a part of. While I call myself an atheist ( because since most people dont know what naturalist mean, I just say what they will understand ) , I can sympathize with this sentiment. Atheism is a single component of MANY ideologies, from Objectivism to Marxism to Soviet Communism , etc, etc ).

One quibble I have is his sometimes less than great choice of wording. One example would be the chapter titles I previously mention, which imply something grandiose, but really isn't anything groundbreaking. Another instance is that he said he doesn't promote atheism in his songs, but I think a better choice of wording would be "I don't tell people what to believe" which, if you read further a few pages, is what he actually means. Those are two very , very minor complaints, however. This book is not a book on God. It's not like the God Delusion ( though I love that book). It's not a science book ( though it has science in it ). It's not a book on the band or an autobiography either. Instead, it's a mix of all of those, beautifully woven together in a little over 200 pages of actual reading material that took me 3 days to finish.

Get this book. You won't regret it.

I Wanted to Give it 4 Stars, October 9, 2010
First of all I enjoyed this book and I really hesitated giving it only 3 stars. I found the final few chapters very inspiring and wonderful. The evolutionary ideas are pretty basic and the author tells too many biographical details of his punk rock experiences. They were interesting in the beginning of the book, but by the middle I just wanted him to get on with it. Even though it is a short and easy read, it could have done without so much irrelevant biography; in that case I probably would have given it 5 stars. I think the reviews here are mostly too glowing, so I'm offering a less enthusiastic thumbs up. You probably won't regret it, but you aren't going to have a WOW experience either.

Insightful, Inspirational, Captivating, October 21, 2010
First off let me say, I have been a Greg Graffin/Bad Religion fan since I was in Kindergarten. Brought up and have lived in the punk scene for as long as I can remember. The problem with the punk seen in general is that the lifestyle is full a self destructive nature that is very hard to escape from. Inspired by the depth of the lyrics if Bad Religion, I began studying the band only to find out that they were not your typical punk band, Dr. Griffin was an educated man that could balance the life of a punk rocker as well as the life of a professional. This made me realize, what is the ultimate defiance of a punk rocker? It is success. I achieved my Masters Degree and continue loving the roots of my inspiration.

I loved the book because it gave me great insight into the man that has inspired me throughout my life. Seeing the struggles that he went though, the items that inspired him, seeing the human aspect of a person that I would consider one of my greatest influences in life. The greatest gift humanity has is the ability to question everything and find truth through observation, experience, and the anarchy life presents us with. This book is this journey, definitely worth reading.

The naturalistic worldview of a punk rock professor, October 18, 2010
Great, easy to read book is an evolutionary primer as well as a memoir of a punk rock legend. For fans of Bad Religion (obviously) and those interested in evolution and atheism.

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Greg for ChuckPalahniuk.net. We spoke about everything from music to the new book to evolution to the existence of god. He gives a great interview.

[...]

Great book, October 13, 2010
Having been a Bad Religion fan for about 16 years, Greg Graffin draws great parallels to his career as a scientist and a musician. He shows that it doesn't have to be all spikes, combat boots and leather to help change and influence the world we live in a positive manner. Thinking for yourself and asking tough questions. Truly anti-authoritarian.

I just picked it up on a whim!, November 29, 2010
I ordered this after hearing an interview with Greg Graffin on NPR. I'm not a big Bad Religion/science fan but thought I'd give this a try and it's pretty interesting, nice to have a different perspective on evolution and I like how he incorporates his own stories about growing up and being in a punk band. :)

Evolution for Punk Philosophers, October 12, 2010
What made this book such an interesting read is that Greg Graffin was able to intertwine a lesson on evolution with the story of his life. The main appeal to punk rock to me has been the angry response to authority. I have also enjoyed the spontaneous order and surprising politeness (with the exception of one concert) that would emerge from mosh pits at Bad Religion concerts. Punk rock spoke to the side of me that rabidly pursues truth. Greg also seems to have this same view about science and punk rock, which was exactly what I was hoping for from this book. Although he does not go into his personal politics in any part of the book, he does explain the beauty behind the anarchy of evolution. The natural order in evolution that arises out of seeming chaos, free of rules and only regulated by reality speaks deeply to a philosopher like me.

Original and Thought Provoking Book, October 7, 2010
Although I don't agree with Graffin on some of his ideas regarding religion and evolutionary biology, this is a great book that deserves to be read. It is clearly written and one of those rare books that you feel like you can read for hours at a time. Graffin is an atheist, yes, or as he refers to himself : a naturalist. However, Graffin should not be lumped in with the "New Atheists" as one reviewer implied. This book takes a different approach than the more predictable NA's like Dawkins, Dennet, Harris, Stenger, and others. Agree or disagree with the author(s), this book is well-written, insightful, and thought-provoking! ... Read more

Editorial Review

So much more than a calendar, the Weather Guide with Phenomenal Weather Events 2011 Wall Calendar packs 52 pages with captivating monthly articles, stunning weather photography, and climatic data, while also delivering a classic gridded monthly calendar with room to write appointments.

* Stunning photography of spectacular lightning, thrilling thunderstorms, horrifying hurricanes, blinding blizzards, and more.

* Each day recounts a phenomenal weather event.

* Monthly articles explore weather trends and topics in depth.

* 52 pages of robust weather data! ... Read more

Reviews

Always amazing, September 11, 2010
This is an annual purchase for me since heaven knows when. It's always terrific. This years front cover shows a 'wedge' tornado directly on a dirt road, coming toward the photographer, someplace I wouldn't like to be. I can't imagine my wall behind my computer without it.

Great Wall Calendar, November 23, 2010
This is a great wall calendar. It's packed with so many weather features and so much information concerning weather history and little known facts.

Great Climate Data, November 16, 2010
I have purchased at least one of these calendars every year for several years. I really like the climate data by U.S. city, and for several cities outside the U.S. It gives you some idea about what temperature and precipitation to expect when you travel. I wish they included some information on the Caribbean and more info on Central and South America. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A manifesto for a radically different philosophy and practice of manufacture and environmentalism

"Reduce, reuse, recycle" urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. As William McDonough and Michael Braungart argue in their provocative, visionary book, however, this approach perpetuates a one-way, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model that dates to the Industrial Revolution and casts off as much as 90 percent of the materials it uses as waste, much of it toxic. Why not challenge the notion that human industry must inevitably damage the natural world, they ask.

In fact, why not take nature itself as our model? A tree produces thousands of blossoms in order to create another tree, yet we do not consider its abundance wasteful but safe, beautiful, and highly effective; hence, "waste equals food" is the first principle the book sets forth. Products might be designed so that, after their useful life, they provide nourishment for something new-either as "biological nutrients" that safely re-enter the environment or as "technical nutrients" that circulate within closed-loop industrial cycles, without being "downcycled" into low-grade uses (as most "recyclables" now are).

Elaborating their principles from experience (re)designing everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, the authors make an exciting and viable case for change.
... Read more

Reviews

Visionary Environmentalism, April 27, 2002
This doesn't feel like a book - literally. It's a different size and shape, the pages are thick, the thing feels significantly heavier than it looks, and it's waterproof.

The design of the book is making a point also made in the text of the book: the current state of recycling generally turns higher quality products into lower quality ones useful only for purposes other than the original product, and then eventually discards them. This is not recycling; it's slow motion waste.

"Cradle to Cradle," the object, is intended to be easily and completely recyclable into a new book of the same quality.

"Cradle to cradle," the phrase, is contrasted to "cradle to grave."

"Cradle to Cradle," the text, argues in favor of making all human productions either recyclable in the way this book is or completely biodegradable so that they can be used as fertilizer.

In the future envisioned and partially created and described by this pair of authors, packaging will be tossed on the ground in response to signs reading "Please litter!" Appliances will be leased and returned to manufacturers to be completely recycled. Objects that must contain both biodegradable and inorganic recyclable elements will be easily separable into those respective parts: you'll toss the soles of your shoes into the garden and give the uppers back to the shoemaker. And the water coming out of factories will be cleaner than what came in, motivating the factory owners to reuse it and eliminating the need for the government to test its toxicity.

These authors teemed up on the 1991 Hannover Principles to guide the design of the 2000 World's Fair. McDonough has an architecture firm in Charlottesville, Va., and from 1994 to 1999 was dean of the University of Virginia's School of Architecture. Braungart is a German chemist who for several years headed the chemistry section of Greenpeace.

This book is superb and should be read by those familiar with the issues of environmental design and those completely new to the topic. It draws on themes common in a long list of books ranging from "Ishmael," by Daniel Quinn to "Natural Capitalism," by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins. But McDonough and Braungart make no acknowledgements of any such influences and present themselves (just as these other authors have) as the vanguard of a change as radical as the industrial revolution.

Their idea is incredibly important and well stated, but it's not the clear break from current environmental (or for that matter industrial or "Third Way") thinking that they maintain - and for students of evolution why should it need to be, what's wrong with evolving our thinking a helpful bit further, as they have done? What McD and B propose as revolutionary is -- instead of reducing pollution and consumption and having fewer children -- making increased economic activity actually beneficial to the planet.

Three comments. First, this book does not suggest any radical change in behavior for the typical reader. (Have lots of kids, drive lots of cars, buy lots of stuff - what a break through!) This book is, rather, advice for architects, corporations, and municipalities. It is intended to free the typical reader of guilt. I think it should do something else as well, namely urge us to political action, to demanding of our democratically elected representatives that the earth-saving innovations described in the book be taken advantage of. All the descriptions in this book of common household objects, such as sofas, "off-gasing" toxic particles makes me want to take action to change things or at least buy a mask, not go shopping.

Second, the examples of new materials and building and product designs described in the book all build on the environmental thinking that McD and B so loudly reject. Reducing pollution to zero is not a "new paradigm" from reducing pollution to a teeny bit - it's just better.

Third, the vision of rendering mad self-indulgence completely beneficial to all other species is far from a reality, and even the dream described by McD and B would not, in any way that I can imagine, make it possible to place an unlimited number of humans on the planet without hurting anything - more humans than under current practices, yes -- an infinite number, no. But let's remember that most of the people now on the planet do not do nearly as much damage as we do in this country. How many billion Americans the Earth can hold has not been answered.

There is also a disturbing thread of anti-government corporatism in the book. Ford and Nike and other corporations for which the authors have worked are described as heroes for their positive efforts, while their destructive practices are passed over. The authors repeat a distinction (citing Jane Jacobs' "Systems of Survival") between Guardians and Commerce, i.e. paternalistic government and noble corporate heroes:

"Commerce is quick, highly creative, inventive, constantly seeking short- and long-term advantage, and inherently honest: you can't do business with people if they aren't trustworthy."

Is this a joke? Do these guys believe press releases they read from, say, Enron? (Apparently so, because later in the book they write: "...the summer of 2001, when unusually high energy demand in California led to rolling blackouts, skyrocketing prices, even accusations of profiteering...." Accusations! High demand or restrained supply? What rock have these intelligent authors been naturally cooling themselves under? Well, at least they recognize the concept of profiteering, even though it fits poorly with the inherent honesty of commerce.)

Immediately following the "inherently honest" comment (page 60) Mc D and B go on to equate regulation with partial pollution reduction, and to conclude that because complete pollution reduction is desirable and possible, regulation is bad. Instead they should conclude that rather than allowing limited pollution, regulators should ban it entirely (through whatever stages of phasing in that policy prove feasible).

The proof is in your hands, April 29, 2002
Proof that our technologically advanced, high-consumption industrial system can make environmentally sound and sustainable products. We can manufacture a whole range of goods that are ecologically efficient in that they reduce waste and yet are less expensive to make than traditionally manufactured items. Pick up CRADLE TO CRADLE and the proof is right there in your hands. "This book is not a tree" the authors tell us. Its slightly heavier than your average paperback, the pages are whiter and they're also waterproof (I took the authors word on that one and am happy to say I was able to read on). The pages are made from plastic resins and fillers and in keeping with the message of "eliminating waste", the book is 100% recyclable.

McDonough and Braungart's vision of "Remaking the Way We Make Things" goes way beyond books. Why not buildings that produce more energy than they consume? Or "green" roofs that give off oxygen while cooling the occupants? How about factories that produce drinkable effluent? or products that when their useful life is over can be used as nutrients for soil? What sounds like science fiction is convincingly shown to be quite feasible by the authors. They offer numerous examples to prove it.

"We see a world of abundance, not limits" they say. As an architect (McDonough) and chemist (Braungart) they don't have any special qualifications for this re-thinking and re-doing. What they simply have done is re-imagine the whole manufacturing process beginning with the design elements. Sometimes it's simply a matter of asking the right questions and looking at things differently. They are not talking about smaller-scale industry or limiting themselves to the "four R's" of traditional environmentalism - reuse, recycle, reduce, and regulate. With their intelligent designs, "bigger and better" is possible "in a way that replenishes, restores, and nourishes the rest of the world."

McDonough and Braungart cover topics such as the history of the industrial revolution, new business strategies that emphasize eco-efficiency, the relationship between man, nature, and science, and the importance of design and planning. Hopeful, well written, thoroughly researched, and packed with practical examples, this refreshing book offers an alternative to our current industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes". We have the talent, technology, and with the enthusiasm of these authors, we have the capability to achieve economic and ecological sustainability.

A Truly New Kind of Book, April 18, 2002
I can't think of another book that so obviously practices what it preaches as _Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things_ (North Point Press) by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Books are usually printed on a fairly high grade of paper (compared to, say, that used in newspapers), paper which everyone knows comes from cutting down pretty and naturally useful trees. The paper is printed with inks that have heavy metals and other chemicals in them. You can recycle a book, but those chemicals get to be part of the mess, and are expensive to remove. Anyway, you don't really recycle it, you _down_cycle it (the authors' term), because the paper in it can only be bleached and chemically treated to turn it into a lower grade of paper, such as for newspapers. And newspapers can be turned into toilet paper, in further downcycling. _Cradle to Cradle_ is about breaking out of such "cycles" and into real cycles. It has smooth, bright white pages that are heavy, like the paper in the best books. They are not, however, paper in the usual sense, although you probably wouldn't notice the difference unless your attention was called to it. They are made of plastic resins and inorganic fillers. Although the pages are designed to last as long as any paper book, these pages can be recycled by conventional means to make more paper of equal quality. They might even be _up_cycled into resins of greater complexity and utility. The ink on them can be easily removed by a safe solvent bath, or washing with extremely hot water, and does not contain dangerous chemicals.

The authors, one an architect and one a chemist, created McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry in 1995, to consult with companies about designing sustaining products and factories. They have the ear of such companies as Ford and Nike, and their book is a primer on how they would like to see manufacturing work in the future to take part in natural cycles having little effect on the overall ecology of the earth. It is a rather thrilling little manifesto, by two obviously bright guys who don't let their optimism get in the way of bringing in real results. The idea is for products and processes not to be "less bad," but like ants or trees, to be positively good for the environment. "Waste is food" is the principle. Making products that can be composted, or can be used again without degrading them or the environment can be done, and it is no dream. Much of the book shows how the authors, as consultants, have put such principles into action.

It can be done. The words of the authors, clearly concerned about the future of the planet, are enthusiastic and convincing, and given the examples in this surprising book, it is clear that we will be seeing more design of products and processes that are incorporated into natural cycles. Given the example of the book itself, a good looking product on its own, the advantages are clear. And if that isn't enough, the book can be read without risk in the bathtub, as it is entirely waterproof.

Thought-provoking...not without shortcomings, March 10, 2003
McDonough & Braungart are obviously very talented guys. This book is harshly honest as they don't spare the rod in respect to either full-out industrial capitalists or eco-efficiency proponents.

However, I had three issues with this book:

1) It could have been a lot more throught-provoking if the authors had organized the book better. Seriously, it takes 80 or so pages before you get a handle on the author's true point of view. They spend every single word until that point debunking all other approaches in the field. I wish they had interspersed it with their ideas. But they keep their hand hidden until that point. I found it frustrating.

2) There's a big deal made of the book itself, and its 'upcycle potential.' All well and good, but can I point out a rather annoying side-effect? This is a difficult book to read...I mean from an ergonomic perspective. You just can't keep the thing open. And as far as reading it on a bookholder when you're working out: forget it. It will not lie flat. I realize this is an insipid criticism, but this technology is not yet ready for prime-time, in my opinion.

3) The book needs to be more quantitative. Only in the last chapter do we get any hint of realism, when the authors tell you about their work with Ford's River Rouge plant. Up until that point, there were some hints dropped here and there, most notably about the Herman Miller office the duo built. I'm sure they've got reams of quantitative evidence to support their theories. For some reason, they made a decision not to present it, and I think it hurts the book.

Still, depsite these comments, I think 'Cradle to Cradle' is worth your time.

Change your way of thinking about progress, June 2, 2002
"Cradle to Crade" is a fabulous book. Regardless of whether you agree with the authors' views, you will find excellent arguments, good research, and clear explanations from philosophical, historical, scientific, and business perspectives.

The upshot of the book is that humanity's whole philosophy of designing technology is destructive to the planet. What we need to do is realize that since the Earth is a closed system, we need to use industrial processes that both avoid toxifying the environment and produce finished products whose raw materials can be endlessly reused. We're not talking convential recycling programs, where various kinds of plastic get melted together to produce a big mass of low-quality material. The authors provide several examples of products that meet their conditions. They're well-equipped to do so, since for a decade they've run a design firm that helps companies do exactly what they preach.

There's more to this book than just a "2nd industrial revolution". When the authors apply the same basic ideas to urban planning, economic "efficiency", or health issues, it really gives us some great points to ponder. Hopefully some of us will even be inspired to action. It's really a very important book.

Excellent Premise - Problematic binding, July 5, 2002
I would like to split this book review into 2 sections:
1. Content
2. Binding as it relates to #1

1. Content
This book is an excellent "manifesto" about re-use, and defining it as "real" re-use -- meaning the material stays as close to its highest possible use as long as possible. It seems the terms "Reduce, reuse and recycle" have stuck in the authors' craw - since as they point out, most reuse and recycling involves taking 2L soda pop bottles and changing them into mattress fill essentially delaying the inevitable landfill destination, but not preventing it (they call this "downcycling"). And "reducing" brings us to the Carter 1970's where conservation involved great personal sacrifice to which modern eco-movement says "balderdash." These folks most certainly are in that new Ecology camp. (The new branch of the Ecological movement claims proper conservation and efficient use of resources makes living *better* than before, since the movement has shown that efficient use of resources is the key to living well, and in fact *better* than before in terms of personal comfort, more profits for companies, etc.)

The authors contend in well written words, that paying serious attention to same-level reuse during a manufacturing process can help to eliminate waste later. This brings us to the second part of this review -- the binding.

2. The binding

The binding is a durabook -- esentially a plastic book with a waterproof binding. The authors and publisher claim that the book is 100% waterproof, and others have claimed to have put it through a wash cycle with no ill effects. At $25 retail, $17.50 Amazon, I am not likely to try this, but it is "cool." Additionally, the authors claim infinite recyclability of the binding and pages into other books - giving great weight to their thesis, but can also bring up some issues.

Issue 1: You can't compost their book.

The authors are likely to point out, that their point was not FLEXIBILITY of use, just that this book can and should be disassembled to make other books, and they are quick to point out that it is not made of trees. I hope they are correct, since this book won't decompose if I lose it in the forest or on the beach - and if I throw it away mistakenly, will sit in a landfill with all those other non decomposible wastes. Paper, while not part of their thesis, does not have to be made of wood pulp - there is a lot of agricultural waste that could be made into paper for books such as this one that would be an example of "upcycling" - and last time I checked, paper could be reused several generations, then decomposed back into the life cycle -- the ultimate in upcycling, I think.

Issue 2: The inks.

I tried to look into the "durabook" on the web - and found nothing much about the ink. Durabook aside, printing on plastic involves inks that tend to be rather toxic. If the Durabook is no exception, the authors may have illustared how difficult it may be to achieve painless, true, same-level recycling, since somehow the inks would have to be removed from the pages and the toxicity neutralized before reprinting or reforming a page (some sort of plastic friendly soy ink might be good to use?). Current paper recycling has to deal with this issue and generates a lot of toxic sludge per year unless the paper uses soy inks, which naturally decompose and are not toxic.

Summary:

While the thesis is interesting, the binding tells the real story of how far we've gotten in the new definition of recycling. Thinking about the uses beyond the immediate was shown by the authors to be important, but their choice of binding shows that there needs to be a great attention to detail and rigor to avoid unintended consequences.

5/5 for their thesis, 3/5 for the binding, 4/5 overall!

People and their stuff CAN co-exist, May 8, 2002
At 1-1/4 lbs, "Cradle to Cradle" is more than twice as heavy as a same-size paperback edition of John Steinbeck's "The Winter of Our Discontent" and the fact is more than incidental.

"Remaking the Way We Make Things", the book's subtitle, is the social agenda of its authors, architect Bill McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart. They take issue with the three R's of environmentalism, "reduce, reuse and recycle." The process by which plastic bottles are recycled into carpet, for example, also produces considerable waste and the carpet itself "is still on its way to a landfill; it's just stopping off in your house en route."

The authors advocate designing products so that after their useful lives, either the product components provide biological nutrients for new products or circulate in a closed industrial loop.

The Yanomamo of Brazil whose banana soup dish may contain the ashes of their dearly departed was one source of inspiration for Braungart and McDonough was moved by the simple, natural and effective technology of the Bedouin whose goat hair tents ventilate hot air up and out and, when it rains, swell with absorbed moisture and provide protection.

The authors are walking the talk with the physical design of this new book. It is made of a waterproof polymer developed by Melcher Media so it can be read in the bath or at the beach, provided you have sufficient wrist strength to hoist it to viewing level. And the book can be "upcycled", made into a high quality polymer, at least theoretically. Until such time, place this book on the shelf above your hot tub next to Aqua Erotica, a collection of stories dealing with water and sex, another book of "Durabook" construction.

Undoubtedly, an electronic edition of the book would be most eco-effective. Also, a digital version would be searchable and might compensate for lack of an index. Despite its flaws as a model, it offers a vision of the future in which people and their stuff can co-exist.

A Shocking View of Our Everyday Lives, March 14, 2005
It seems that we have created a very hostile environment for ourselves. The house that we live in is filled with materials - carpet, paint, wood finishes - that fill the air with mutagenic materials and toxic gases. The cars that we drive emit noxious fumes and require non-renewable resources for their operation, and even the computer you are reading this on is made with materials that are harmful to the people who manufacture them and use them - not to mention the harm that is done to the environment once it is disposed of.


Many of the things that we take for granted are really quite silly when you look at them closely. We plop down houses, designed and built with no regard for their orientation to the sun, on land that has been stripped of trees that may have shaded the houses, or bodies of water that could be used to guide water runoff. Those houses are then surrounded by a foreign grass species that is forced to grow with dangerous chemicals, and then cut down with polluting machinery.


Many of the ways we impact the environment are more apparent, and attempts to alleviate them have gained in acceptance, but "Cradle to Cradle" argues that many of our "solutions" are simply patches for poorly-designed systems. They argue that recycling is actually "downcycling" - a process that results in a lower quality product with each cycle, that sometimes requires just as many resources as manufacturing a new product. The fact that soda cans are made with two different grades of aluminum, and are coated with paint, are a good example of unconsidered life-cycle.


William McDonough and Michael Braungart uncover many frightening side-effects of the way we live our lives and design our products. Most of the solutions they present for these problems are not currently feasible, but they present steps to take to work towards environmental utopia. The book itself is an example - its not quite the dream book they describe, with inks that wash off in a hot water bath and glues made of materials that can be recycled with the pages of the book, but "Cradle to Cradle" is printed on a very durable, heavy, and waterproof polymer-based paper that can be "upcycled."


There do appear to be some conflicts of interest in this book, however. McDonough and Braungart speak of clients of theirs - companies such as Monsanto, Dow, and Ford - as if they were environmental saints even though these companies have committed atrocious harm to the environment. But, where else do we expect them to provide anecdotes from? Also, it is true that the very power that enables those companies to do harm can enable them to do good.


"Cradle to Cradle" is a thorough survey of the environmental dynamics of the things and practices that make up our everyday lives. It is wrapped around a the framework of a fresh pattern of thinking that will hopefully bring us closer to living in harmony with our environment without abandoning our lives as we know them.

Interesting ideas, April 25, 2004
This book is a sometimes interesting, often meandering treatise on design. The authors, and American architect and a German chemist, have a very sincere desire to realign the world of design of objects and buildings so that they contribute to the betterment of the environment rather than destroy it. The title of the book "Cradle to Cradle" encapsulates their goal of designing objects that when they are no longer needed, naturally become useful inputs for the production of other objects rather than getting sent to the grave (or buried in a landfill). For example, they would like to see the creation of food packaging that could be thrown on the ground when the contents are consumed and would become fertilizer rather than non-biodegradable litter. (By this measure, the women concessionaires selling steamed rice treats in Indonesian trains are masters of design. The rice is both steamed and packaged in banana leafs, which are simply thrown out the train windows once the rice is consumed. But this practice also creates enormous problems- -since Indonesians have been accustomed to using such environmentally beneficial packaging for generations, they assume that "modern" packaging can be discarded in the same manner, much to the detriment of the Indonesian countryside. If you are living in a world of mixed packaging, some of which can be thrown out the window, and some of which must be discarded by other means, it's hard to keep straight which stuff goes where. That's a vital cultural issue that the authors don't explore here.)

McDounough and Braungart list the goals for their design program. They challenge inventors and industry leaders to design factories that "produce more energy than they consume, and purify their own waste water," and products that "can be tossed on the ground to decompose" or become "high-quality raw materials for new products" rather than simply "down-cycled". At the outset, these goals can sound a bit far-fetched. After, all, a factory that produces more energy than it consumes would seem to violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics. But what the authors really mean here is not that the factory would miraculously produce something from nothing, but that the design of the factory would include such things as solar collectors on the roof and devices to capture heat that could then send energy back out to the power grid, perhaps even in excess of electrical energy coming in. They illustrate their lofty dreams with concrete designs that they have helped develop and implement, such as a cosmetics plant in Germany whose wastewater is actually cleaner than the water coming in to the plant, thanks to the new chemical formulations they recommended. What's more, they point out that such design efforts can be even be good for business, since in this particular example, the company was able to cut costs on hazardous materials handling and storage enough to more than offset slightly increased production costs with the new formulas. Such design efforts are fabulous examples of the potential benefits of thinking "out of the box".

The book contains quite a few additional examples of brilliant design ideas that can save resources as well as money. The book is also filled with surprising tidbits that haven't become general knowledge yet, like the potential hazards of wearing fabric made of recycled plastic bottles, and the fact that PET bottles were found to leach antimony when used as soap containers. The authors point out that the decision to use either recycled paper or virgin paper is not as clear cut as it seems- -while the production of virgin paper necessitates the cutting down of trees, recycling paper requires enormous amounts of bleaching, which produces PCBs. To demonstrate an alternative, the book itself is printed on a paper-free composite of plastics, which could be easily recycled into more book-grade plastics. The informative details and design goals of the book are quite interesting. However, the text often meanders around and through topics that are at best tangential or described better in other volumes. At times, some details or issues are also rehashed repetitively. In these places, it would have been better to focus on explicating McDonough and Braungart's own design program more fully. They've got some neat ideas that are well worth exploring, and it would have been great to be able to read even more about them and less about the general problems of environmental destruction that are described better in other books.

Very Disappointed, September 21, 2002
This book touches on a very interesting topic and has a great deal of potential; unfortunately this book is a real disappointment. This book makes many strong claims about the state of the environment with out backing them up with sources. Rather than citing facts from a reliable source the authors opt for harsh adjectives, which any knowledgeable reader will not take seriously. The authors touch on topic after topic without following up there claims, stories, ideas and previous work. Case in point, they talk about a well designed Brazil waste treatment system project that Mr. Michael Braungart worked on, but give no update of the state of the project today. Jumping from topic to topic this book does not read smoothly, and many times I felt frustrated and unsatisfied. They discussed the positive results of some of the projects they were involved in or headed, but they only used figures twice to back up their claims. Most of the time they briefly described their work, and offered no data, no comparisons nor any cost analysis showing the benefits.

I was hoping to see some more concrete examples, including some numbers, statistics and graphs. For example, some type of cost comparison of the designs, techniques and systems used by the authors versus modern mainstream conventional designs, techniques and systems was probably the most crucial missing piece of this book. In addition, an actual example of long term savings achieved by using the eco-friendly systems and designs proposed by the authors would have been convincing for skeptical readers; none were given. Instead I received very little new information, and the new interesting information that was found in the book was not followed up and the reader is forced to follow up these leads by reading other material.

The lone bright spot was the construction of the book, which was quite unique. I have no doubt that Mr. McDonough and Mr. Braungart are leaders in their respective fields, but this is a poorly written book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

September 8, 1900, began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange deep-sea swells and peculiar winds that greeted the city that morning. Mere hours later, Galveston found itself submerged in a monster hurricane that completely destroyed the town and killed over six thousand people in what remains the greatest natural disaster in American history--and Isaac Cline found himself the victim of a devestating personal tragedy.

Using Cline's own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the science of hurricanes, Erik Larson builds a chronicle of one man's heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude. Riveting, powerful, and unbearably suspenseful, Isaac's Storm is the story of what can happen when human arrogance meets the great uncontrollable force of nature. ... Read more

Reviews

I Loved It, January 2, 2000
I've been a meteorologist for 20 years. Trained by Dr Bill Gray, I've walked in the eye of three hurricanes and flown in they eye of one. One recent book interest has been adventure stories including THE PERFECT STORM, INTO THIN AIR, ENDURANCE, etc. I had shyed away from ISSAC'S STORM because I couldn't imagine what Larson could tell me I didn't already know about the 1900 disaster at Galveston. I shouldn't have waited. Even the most seasoned weather geek will learn from this book. Like Carl Sagan, Larson has a knack for putting complex concepts in layman terms. I took away new simple descriptions of tropical meteorological concepts. However, that is not the genius of this book. Erik Larson did a wonderful job piecing together thousands of bits of information and crafting it all into a gripping read. What's missing? Photographs. Like SHIP OF GOLD IN THE DEEP BLUE SEA, this book is screaming for a companion book of photos. Eric said he waded through over 4,000; 250 of the best would make a super addition to this treatise. Rick Taylor, vorticity@aol.com

An Eerie and Powerful description of a Natural Disaster, July 30, 2000
Are there other folks out there who enjoy reading true accounts of someone else's misfortune, especially if that misfortunate involves a titanic, unstoppable force of nature? A few, really good examples of this true-life disaster genre that I've read over the years are: "The Earth Shook - The Sky Burned" (San Francisco Earthquake)"; "The Coming Plague" (newly emerging diseases); "Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Survivals" (doomed on Lake Superior, etc.); "Rats, Lice, and History" (a biography of typhus); and "Isaac's Storm" (the Galveston hurricane of 1900).

Erik Larson's book on the deadliest hurricane in history has two main focal points: the hurricane itself; and the human drama of Isaac Cline, the Galveston meteorologist who failed to predict the intensity of the storm. The book meanders through occasional dry stretches of Isaac's pre-storm biography, and through the history of the U.S. Weather Bureau (they were interesting, but not nearly as interesting as the storm), but once it focuses on the events of September 8, 1900 and beyond, I wasn't able to set "Isaac's Storm" down. Especially compelling are the eerie descriptions of what it's like to sail through the eye of a hurricane, and of course the narrative (from the viewpoints of several survivors) of what it was like to be in Galveston before, during, and after the storm. If you are afraid of storms or of water, you might not want to read this book because Erik Larson puts you right there when the storm debris is caving in the side of your house, or when the "tide suddenly rises fully four feet at one bound".

Mother Nature and human nature collide., October 14, 1999
Larsen's book is a true account of not only the physical damage a severe hurricane can bring but also how human error (read: stubborness) can cause just as much damage. "Isaac's Storm" chronicles the Galveston hurricane of 1900. Larsen ably follows the path of the hurricane and the paths of the survivors and non-survivors. I enjoyed Larsen's description of the anatomy of a storm, tracing one from the west coast of Africa to possible destruction on the other side of the Atlantic. As I read, I feared the description would get too scientific to follow. Larsen gently leads through the stages of the storm and takes time to explain what is happening and why. Equally fascinating is the pride the people of 1900 exhibit. Consider: 1) A storm would never cross the Gulf of Mexico and strike Galveston. 2) The U.S. Weather Bureau was convinced that Cubans could not forecast a hurricane and caught off all weather warnings from Cuba. 3) Only Washington could declare the storm a "hurricane". The local forecaster (who was dealing with the wind, rain, etc.) could not. I found this book enjoyable, historical and a little chilling. I may have also learned a little more about all of us.

an absolute page turner, December 13, 1999
I went in to work sleepy-eyed quite a few mornings because I'm a slow reader and did not want to put this one down. It's a very clever combination of distilled eye-witness accounts, scientific and historical fact, memoirs and conjecture. I did not find the lack of photographs to be a problem, because the author portrays images wonderfully with words. The narrative builds gradually, like a good suspense novel; in the end, the horror of the event is very much evident in the narrative and the memories of those who survived the hurricane of 1900. The story has essentially the same fascination as that of the Titanic. Disaster occurred, and much of it could have been averted had human beings behaved differently. The difference is that this story has not been told repeatedly and does not focus on prominent citizens of the nation. Isaac's Storm, in the right hands, would make a terrific movie. In many ways, this books succeeds in taking the reader back to the year 1900. History at its best.

Isaac's Storm, November 23, 1999
Author Erik Larson opened a door through which one clearly sees the seaside town that was Galveston, Texas, in the year 1900. For anyone who loves history, and is facinated by weather, this is a must-read. Can't understand why this isn't on the best seller lists yet. It's every bit as compelling as "The Perfect Storm". This particular hurricane took on a persona of its own. The descriptions of the approaching storm, and of the town, as the storm submerged it, are unforgettable. More intriguing even, are the explanations of how great storms develop -- often far from those shores upon which they eventually land. Could not put this book down!

Issac's Storm comes up a little short, November 26, 1999
Overall this was an engaging account of a huge human disaster. The author manages to relate the failings and arrogance of the meteorologists who supposedly were responsible for tracking this storm. Their ability to allow their own sense of importance to overshadow scientific objectivity is unforgivable. The accounts of the human losses and acts of heroism are extremely moving; the description of workers finding the orphans buried in sand tied together with clothesline was particularly upsetting.

The book itself is well written but for my taste was rather thin on the science alongside the human story. In the earlier chapters, there are sections devoted to the storm itself, but these disappear as the account develops. Most surprising is the lack of inclusion of any photographs from the time. This, and the lack of a decent map, leaves the reader unable to fully comprehend the aftermath of the storm.

Breakers of the heart, January 20, 2000
It is hard to explain the shear power of water and wind unless you have experienced it. This book is amazing with the descriptions, both scientific and emotional, of the human event of attempting to survive the storm. What is truly powerful is the heartache that was not written into the book. It didn't need to be. There are moments in the book where nothing is written and you are left to think. Those are the moments you look up from the book, stare out into the space in front of you, and you wonder if you would have done the same thing. I found my heart at a lost. I felt the grief. The book didn't describe it, but led you to it. What dumbfounded myself when I finished the book was that I chose to read it for purely scientific reasons and I found I read a real human drama. An excellent piece of work that will reach the hearts of all who read it.

Stirring Account Of A Terrible Disaster, August 12, 2000
What a great story! This book just raced along full of facts and interesting detail about "a man, a time, and the deadliest hurricane in history." I must admit that when this book was first released in Australia I wasn't overly interested. It didn't sound like something that would interest me in the slightest.

How wrong can you be, after picking the book up for the third or fourth time and actually taking the time to see what the story was about I had to read it. The author, Erik Larson, presents a gripping and terrible account of the events leading up to the destruction on Galveston on the 8th of September 1900 by one of the deadliest hurricanes in America's history. Along the way the Larson provides details of man's efforts to predict and control the weather and the often-disastrous results when we got it wrong!

The personal accounts offered in this book are often very touching and the human drama really gets you involved in the story. The narrative moves along like an action paced novel and you find yourself up in the early hours of the morning glued to the pages. I really didn't want this story to finish, it was a great account and the only fault I could find was a lack of photographs. On a number of occasions Larson refers to old black and white photographs that he had seen during his research for this book, it would have been nice to share these with his audience. Overall this is a great book and well worth the time to read.

A compelling tale of an already well-researched hurricane, December 31, 1999
When I heard this book was coming out, I was surprised that people didn't already know the tale of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900...the greatest 19th century disaster in the U.S.. However, this book surprised me by going into the early career of Isaac Cline, and his family. However, it seems to fault Cline with a lack of understanding. If he had known anything about the storms of 1886 and 1875, it wouldn't have mattered. His boss had him strong-armed... nothing more could have been done. A good thing this doesn't happen in the National Weather Service anymore.

The story was told well, but it's been told many times before. It lacked maps, charts, and pictures from the time - trust me, there are many pictures, map, etcetera from the 1900 hurricane around, whether they be in Galveston or elsewhere. In fact, Thomas Edison took his first moving film footage from the aftermath of this storm. If the author had even visited the Library of Congress or National Archives, he would have done a better job.

Otherwise, the prose does a good job of balancing the meteorology of the situation with the everyday life of an emerging large city. The personal stories are a nice touch. This story could have been a tough read if it were all weather.

If you want to catch up on Isaac Cline, read Rising Tide, by John Barry. If he had any fault in the 1900 disaster, it was more than erased by his future actions, including those during the Mississippi River Crevasse of 1927. He also preformed bravely during the 1915 hurricane as well.

The Law of Storms, March 26, 2003
I thought this was a very interesting and well-written book. For my own tastes, I would have preferred a little less about the office politics of the U.S. Weather Bureau and more about the mighty hurricane that destroyed Galveston, Texas in 1900. The book doesn't really take off until the monster makes landfall, and then the story gathers speed and interest very quickly. The author, Erik Larson, has a good eye for detail and a good clean way of writing about terribly moving a tragic moments: a child's rocking horse washed up along inland railroad tracks, corpse pyres in the aftermath creating illumination along the beach like "suns about to rise", and many other moments like these flash throughout the second half of the book.

The Galveston Hurricane was a watershed for the advancement of hurricane prediction, as it became an urgent matter to avoid the horrific death tolls such as this storm produced. One aspect of this book is a depiction of the U.S. Weather Bureau during the storm, and it is not a complimentary portrait. It is the author's view that the huge death tolls of this storm might have been avoided if the U.S. Weather Bureau had been willing to listen to the Cuban forecasters, which had predicted the advance of a large hurricane; that in fact, the US Bureau was stubborn and dismissive of the Cuban meteorologists. Yet, as the author writes, the Cubans seemed to call every puff of wind that crossed their island a "hurricane," so how could you take them seriously? I feel the author's need to find fault with the U.S. Bureau for the high death toll is simply an example of the very current need to place the blame, from the comfort of 20/20 hindsight, of every bad event on somebody.

After reading this book, it seems to me that no one, anywhere, had the technology in 1900 to predict or track hurricanes effectively, and the Cuban Bureau, by calling every storm a hurricane, got this one right (as they were bound to eventually). Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book a great deal, and would recommend it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The best-selling science book ever published in the English language, COSMOS is a magnificent overview of the past, present, and future of science. Brilliant and provocative, it traces today's knowledge and scientific methods to their historical roots, blending science and philosophy in a wholly energetic and irresistible way.
... Read more

Reviews

This book is brilliant ! ! !, September 7, 1999
Carl Sagan's Cosmos, tells the strory of 15 billion years of cosmic history like no one else can.

The book shows how broad and deep Carl's interests extend and draws the reader into a world of fascination. Although the book is primarily about how science has developed in our society the book touches on subjects such as history, philosophy, religion, cultures and so fourth. The book is written in simple terms and is understandable to those without a background in science.

Carl has an amazing ability to write with such enthusiasim and sincerity. Although the book was written at the height of the cold war it reflects an overall optimisim and hope for our species and planet. Carl Sagan is a remarkable human being and humanitarian as is reflected in all of his books. Cosmos is in some way his manifesto and I believe his best book. Carl's death was a loss not just to science but also to our species.

Carl Sagan is my favourite author and Cosmos my favourite book.

I recommend Cosmos to all of those who can read! *****!!!

"All that is", March 19, 2003
As one of the great astronomer-writers of the Twentieth Century, Carl Sagan was extraordinarily communicative with the non-scientific public, able and willing to take the time and trouble to break down the mysteries of the universe into comprehensible fragments. The purpose of this book, which can be considered a companion to the acclaimed television series, is to explain what we know about the universe from a cosmological perspective and why we need to know more about it.

Physicists often talk of the unity of the branches of physics: the interrelation and application of mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, and optics to the motion of everything from galaxies to subatomic particles. Similarly, Sagan's major theme is the unity of cosmology with the natural and physical sciences that define what we know about the Earth. Does the stifling, carbon dioxide-choked atmosphere of Venus imply anything about the greenhouse effect on Earth? Was a nearby cosmic explosion called a supernova indirectly responsible for the disappearance of the dinosaurs? What would be the biological consequences for the survivors of a global nuclear war? The answers to these questions are vital to the continuation of life as we know it.

Sagan also identifies cosmology with its own history. He lavishes reverent detail on the ancient Greek and Alexandrian study of the stars and planetary motions, the pioneering work by the Renaissance scientists Brahe, Kepler, Copernicus, Huygens, and others, and the men who revolutionized science with the formulation of laws of motion, Newton and Einstein.

The scope of "Cosmos" is tremendous, from the farthest expanses of the universe containing a hundred billion galaxies in addition to our own Milky Way, at the end of a spiraling arm of which our solar system is located; down to the lone electron circling the nucleus of a hydrogen atom, the most plentiful single entity in the cosmos and the source of everything we know, love, and are. In between there is discussion of the unmanned spacecraft expeditions to investigate "our" planets: Mars with its boulder-strewn, desert-like terrain; the gaseous giant Jupiter; Io, a Jovian moon of incredible redness, spotted with volcanic orifices and resembling an unappealing sauce-covered meatball; Saturn with its ice rings. Would these worlds contain life? Using what we know about the evolution of life on Earth, Sagan hypothesizes how different types of lifeforms might develop on worlds with different environments.

Even a casual interest in cosmology requires a fascination with astronomical distances and unthinkably long spans of time in which a human lifetime is but a blink of an eye. However, Sagan seems to write also for those who would rather relate cosmic arcana to familiar terms, and in this sense he is a grand entertainer: A thought experiment that provides a simple but fanciful illustration of the concept of black holes uses the tea party scene in "Alice in Wonderland" as a setting. "Cosmos" neither complicates unnecessarily nor insults your intelligence; very few "popular" science books will capture your imagination so well.

Surely one of the greatest of all books., January 7, 2001
I first saw the series COSMOS on TV in about 1980 when I was about 12, and have been searching for similar material ever since. Carl Sagan is able to capture the mystery and the beauty of astronomy, science, art and religion in a way that most poeple can follow, and in a way that is interesting and invigorating. He is a very clear thinker and presenter. And this book, based on that very popular TV series of the same name, I found in an old book store, which I immediately grabbed. Here was something of my childhood, and something very special. The book did not disappoint. It is filled with stunning images, photographs, illustrations, diagrams and so on. And the text is fun, enlightening, clear, visionary, and precise. Not surprising, since it is written by an atronomer at heart. It is also advisable to search around and buy the illustrated edition-the illustrations add much to the text.

Carl places the earth on the shores of the cosmic ocean-the title of the first chapter. He traces religious, artistic and scientific investigations into the 'cosmos' throughout the millenia, and the amount of useful historical information he brings up is quite extraordinary. He draws together the thoughts of ancient cultures like the Greeks, Babylonians, Stone Age man, Renaissance thinkers, poets, artists, and famous scientists, and ties these in with many modern discoveries concerning the nature of the universe. One can see his strong leanings on the likelihood of extraterrestial life and the SETI project between the lines, as well as his views on religion and its place in the human psyche. One particularly interesting peice describes the downfall of the old greek science and the destruction of the library at Alexandria, and how these tie in with his views on history, science and religion in general.

Carl Sagan is a very clear and thoughtful writer. It is obvious that his knowledge of human nature and science is vast and humane. He worries much about the mususe of science, and the future of man. This book is a must for lovers of general science, human nature and destiny. As such it is a timeless classic. I'll close with the books closing words:

"For we are the local embodiment of a Cosmos grown to self awareness. We have begun to contemplate our origins:starstuff pondering the stars; organised assemblages of ten billion billion billion atoms considering the evolution of atoms; tracing their long journey by which, here at least, consciousness arose. Our loyalties are to the species and the planet. We speak for earth. Our obligation to survive is owed not just to ourselves but also to that Cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we sprung."

Simply the best single volume about how the Earth was born!, November 6, 2000
"Cosmos" is Carl Sagan's masterpiece! He provides us with a very lucid, understandable history of the Universe and how galaxies, solar systems, planets, and our biosphere came into existence.

This book reaches way out into the farthest reaches of the Universe, as well as deep within each of us explaining the DNA that makes us who we are. Carl Sagan literally touches on every known field of science as he explains how a brilliant flash of cosmic energy that was transformed into matter eventually provided the stuff needed to make you and me.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Not only does it inform, but it truly captivates the imagination and provides the basic groundwork for future ponderings.

The icon of awareness in the realm of science and astronomy., June 29, 2001
I barely remember the program leaflet...

"Introducing Doctor Carl Sagan - Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences, and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University."

It seems like just yesterday. I was a teenager in New England, and some guy was invited to give a lecture about astronomy at the high school auditorium. I'd never heard of Carl Sagan before, but when his credentials were publicized, I had the notion that his talk would most likely be very interesting. That is, if he was a capable speaker. You never know - I'd been put to sleep by the best of them.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep a wink! I was literally riveted to a fluid voice that sounded (and felt) like the eternal trickle of clear water from a bottomless well. His lecture was a celebration of passion and prose. His accounts and speculations of the Planetary Sciences and Exobiology seemed to drain into my head through an ectoplasmic funnel. There were brief moments when my awareness would be perched on just his phrases and expressions, as though he were coining new terminology - "Billions and billions". And afterward he mingled, and I shook his hand.

His enthusiasm for science was infectious, like a virus. If you weren't careful, he was going to get you interested. His demeanor and presence were a magnetic force to be reckoned with, and you were darned glad it was. Then the TV series Cosmos hit the screen we all nodded, and said that we just knew he was going to be famous someday. Before he died in 1997, over half a billion people saw Cosmos on TV, and it was the best-selling science book ever published in the English language.

Some of the science in Cosmos is now out of date. But that doesn't change the fact that this book and its author will remain forever the symbols of awareness in the realm of science and astronomy. Plus, its philosophies and ideals are as current as today, and for all time.

Cosmos was really the beginning of enlightened public interest in the Universe. The juicy morsel that got us to salivate over what has become the ultimate banquet. When the science of Sagan was new, and its theories current, we all dreamt in hoards of being closer to it all; of knowing what he knows; of learning beyond the boundaries that he so ardently confronted. And now that he's gone, there is this legacy - the original manuscript of collective understanding; the quintessential tablet of science for the past, present, and future.

Cosmos was the first book to be placed on the Belmont Society's "Required Reading List for the amateur astronomer". It is mostly available in paperback, but a few hardcover editions are still around. Whichever you find, read it with a slight note of reverence. It would be well deserved.

Billions and billions..., June 6, 2003
How many people who watched the 'Cosmos' series on television (PBS in America - perhaps the best astronomy and general science series ever produced by them) could ever forget Carl Sagan's intonation at proclaiming the wonders of the universe in grand terms, billions and billions of stars and galaxies and planets (and consequently, everything else).

While this book was published in 1980 to be a companion to the television series, there is nonetheless a certain timelessness about it. Many science texts (even general readers such as this) become dated fairly quickly. Yet this book remains a volume to which I refer time and again for its history, philosophy and insight into scientific method and personality.

This book more than anything provided the inspiration for me to study astronomy. While I did not take a degree in it (when I arrived at university I was informed that I had already studied more than their undergraduate curriculum provided; that I should take some physics and mathematics courses and then take a Master's degree later if interested--which may happen after the my current degree progress is completed), my interest in astronomy has remained strong and permeates many of my other interests, including my current work in theology and philosophy.

The visual presentation of this book is stunning. Pictures, particularly those from telescopes, space probes, and dramatic artistic renderings of phenomena not yet captured on film give a real feel for the subject.

Sagan begins the book with a grand tour of the universe, starting at the outermost edges with quasars and unknowns, and travelling back through galaxies and stars, passing interesting objects such as nebulae, black holes, stellar nurseries, planetary systems, finally to arrive back on earth, the unique planet (from our perspective) because it has life.

From here, Sagan goes back in history to the great library of Alexandria, which remains an object of fascination (current archaeological excavations continue in Alexandria, and there are various plans for memorialising the library). He introduces early efforts at scientific method and investigation by discussing Eratosthenes, a librarian who investigated reports in the various texts for himself, rather than taking things at face value.

Chapters include explorations of planetary astronomy, with special attention to Mars; stellar astronomy and the life cycle of stars; issues of space and time; issues of observation and epistemology (how do we know what we know, and why do we think we know it?); the origin and fate of the universe; the idea of life on other planets (Sagan confesses to a prejudice--the idea that life must be based on carbon, and not other elements); and the idea of SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) which due to Sagan's work and influence continues today in various ways around the globe. Finally, Sagan discusses the politics of science (and politics in general) giving a cautious hope for the fate of the earth--this was the height of the Cold War, after all.

'We are the local embodiment of a Cosmos grown to self-awareness. We have begun to contemplate our origins: starstuff pondering the stars; organised assemblages of ten billion billion billion atoms considering the evolution of atoms; tracing the long journey which, here at least, consciousness arose. Our loyalties are to the species and the planet. We speak for Earth. Our obligation to survive is owed not just to ourselves but also to that Cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we spring.'

Intelligent, written with grace and humour, the narrative is largely non-technical but not condescending and lends itself well to understanding.

A wonderful book about everything, for everyone, March 23, 2001
Cosmos is more than just a book about space. The word Cosmos itself, derived from ancient Greek, implies the deep interconnectedness of all things, in which we all play a part. Although it was written over two decades ago, and therefore you may think that it may not be so relevant in its facts today, its underlying dual-purposes, to educate and to inspire, remain just as relevant as ever. It serves as an introduction to science, and the late Carl Sagan, one of the great humanists of our time, does an excellent job in bringing us into that world by not presenting simply hard facts and technobabble. Instead, he tries to make the book accessible to the scientific novice, and shows how it is relevant to every aspect of our daily lives. And we learn about the development of human understanding, not only in terms of 'Where did we come from?' and 'How did the universe get created?', but the development of ourselves, as people who began our existence from the most humble of beginnings, and were intelligent enough to ask ourselves 'Who are we?' and of course 'Why are we here?'. He shows why science is not only relevant to us here and now, but how it can help us to understand the future, and in the final chapter, he makes it clear that through the rampant destruction of our environment, that future may not be so long-reaching as we might dream it. Sagan manages to gently educate us in a stylish and entertaining way, and his book Cosmos leaves us feeling richer for the experience. I certainly recommend this to anyone. After all, it does concern everyone!

Unique, November 9, 1999
This book changed my life. I studied science for over 10 years, and now I teach science (to High school kids) because of this book. My parents bought me Cosmos when I was an 11-year old (the same year the book was originally published) and I have been reading it ever since. I like to think I'm a decent teacher, but Dr. Sagan was a master. Students of all disciplines can learn from this remarkable text; Carl Sagan's passion for understanding and his various commitments to human welfare shine out like a beacon. If you have teenage kids, but them this book.

What more can be said?, January 27, 2007
What more can be said about this book which hasn't already been said? This is the kind of book which sparks an interest in science which can't be extinguished. When you read this book, you'll be fascinated by all fields of science, from the most elementary electrons, lost in quantum physics, to the most elegant inner workings of biology, and finally, to the farthest expanses of the universe itself. Of all the books, in all the countries, written by all the authors in the present and past, this is surely the book which must be read by everyone. It would be impossible to quantify how many people's lives have been influenced by this masterful book. No other book in my library comes as highly recommended as does this one.

Words cannot fulfill my passion for it, July 1, 2006
I've read this book couple of years ago but it was translated into Arabic & I knew nothing about Dr. Carl Sagan, but I felt like am standing in front of a giant in science & from that day I loved this book so much & I took it everywhere, I think my passion for space science & then to all sciences really began after I read this book. Indescribable book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Lesley Harrison - Spirit of Horses, The - The stunning photo-realism of artist Lesley Harrison captures the breathtaking beauty of the horse. Each detailed study is accompanied by a descriptive passage written by the artist explaining the process or inspiration behind the image. This collection is perfect for the horse lover or anyone who appreciates equine magnificence! ... Read more

Reviews

Talent and horses, September 11, 2010
This is my third Leslie Harrison calendar. It's worth every penny. I hope it will be another traditional calendar for me. She has a painting style that is at the level of photography. She shows all the moods, the beauty, the intelligence of the horses. Savitt, Goodwine, Anderson, and others, great artists, but Leslie's talent is special. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A dramatic chronicle of Antarctica's penguins that bears witness to climate changes that foreshadow our own future

The towering mountains and iceberg-filled seas of the western Antarctic Peninsula have for three decades formed the backdrop of scientist Bill Fraser's study of Adélie penguins. In that time, this breathtaking region has warmed faster than any place on earth, with profound consequences for the Adélies, the classic tuxedoed penguin that is dependent on sea ice to survive. During the Antarctic spring and summer of 2005-2006, author Fen Montaigne spent five months working on Fraser's field team, and he returned with a moving tale that chronicles the beauty of the wildest place on earth, the lives of the beloved Adélies, the saga of the discovery of the Antarctic Peninsula, and the story—told through Fraser's work—of how rising temperatures are swiftly changing this part of the world. Captivated by the tale of these polar penguins and a memorable field season in Antarctica, readers will come to understand that the fundamental changes Fraser has witnessed in the Antarctic will soon affect our lives.

Reviews

Once you start reading you can't stop. A great read., December 1, 2010
I read this on Mac Kindle and that was an experience. Now this book is a must for anyone interested in the Antarctic Peninsula and the impact of global warming on this land and wildlife. This book focus is the Adelie penguin however the author brings in the history of antarctic exploration as background. I know I loved this because we are off to the area in mid December and this was the perfect book to read before the trip. Also here is a link to his Blog [...]

Riveting Antarctic Adventure, December 22, 2010
Fen Montaigne's account of the impact of climate change on adelie penguins in Antarctica is absorbing not only for its mastery of this troubling yet poignant subject but also its vivid writing and story telling drive. The redoubtable Adelie population is dwindling and the likely culprit is human reliance on fossil fuels. Montaigne spent five months with researchers in Antarctica monitoring the dwindling colony of adelies. He skillfully weaves the history of Antarctic exploration, the science of global warming and adelie population trends, and the quirky personalities of the scientists themselves into a vivid tale that resonates for its clarity and depth. What makes the book special is the author's own reactions to what he sees and feels, along with his writerly descriptions of the strange creatures that inhabit this ethereally beautiful world. Like all good adventure stories this is a tale of discovery where the reader becomes a fellow traveler of the author, seeing what he sees with the same sense of astonishment and awe. The book has all the elements of a classic.

Fantastic and moving read, December 12, 2010

THis book is riveting. The difficulties these penguins face are practically insurmountable and they seem doomed to exinction in our lifetime. What millions of years of evolution developed is being destroyed by human beings in a couple of lifetimes. We must stop and focus primarily on the ecological well being of this planet and the creatures we are lucky to share it with. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

I learned an amazing amount from this book., November 1, 2010
Although I have heard about the tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, I was never aware of all the details and the effort going on the predict and warn of future events. Just the shear number of earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. that occur without us knowing about them is amazing. All the cases described in this book about tides, waves, etc. show how important the sea has been throughout history. If you have ever had any interest in history and/or the sea, read this book.

THE book about waves!, December 1, 2010
Purchased this book after being sorely disappointed from reading "The Wave" by Susan Casey. And there I found what I really wanted: a whole up-to-date exposition of the knowledge as to how different types of waves in the ocean come to being and their impact on life on earth including their sometimes terrifying consequences on human societies. No breathless prose about extreme surfers, an extremely tiny group (although I would like to see a video of them doing it and talking about their experiences anyway), but, along the science, vivid description of the the aftermath on people...

Outstanding Book, December 10, 2010
As a landlocked landlubber fascinated with the Sea I found Dr. Parker's book to be incredibly interesting, informative, and engaging. He presents some very interesting but complicated data in an easy to read format and backs his narrative up with a well-documented set of notes that adds to the technical and historical content of the book. It is time well spent in both reading enjoyment as well as an excellent learning experience.

Literate Science Communication, December 18, 2010
This popular-style science book is praiseworthy and worth its low cost. As a practising geoscience engineer, I was especially pleased with the book's huge End-Notes section, where topics that fascinated me in the author's main text can be substantiated and further investigated by access to the references. (Too many popular books become unreliable technical resources because they lack Bibliographies or Citations sections.) The author has a nack for a writing style that popularizes science and its jargon in a manner that is entirely informative and I hope he writes more such books on his favorite topics. He's an authentic scientist, not some ordinary, money-grubbing "journalist" turned "authority" in search of public recognition and future book-penning contracts. The illustrations, maps are to the point and there was just one typographical error (a date) that I noticed. This book will interest many people!

MUST READ - FASCINATING, December 12, 2010
THE POWER OF THE SEA BY BRUCE PARKER
FASCINATING BOOK, VERY INFORMATIVE
COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN - BRUCE IS A STORYTELLER
WITH THE SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE TO EDUCATE EVERYONE
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR ALL READERS

ART TROY ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reed Timmer, a star of the top rated Storm Chasers on the Discovery Channel is one of the most successful and most extreme storm chasers in the world. His is a job that requires science and bravado, knowledge and instinct just to survive, never mind excel. Now, in Into the Storm, he takes readers inside the terrifying and awe-inspiring world of big weather.

Published to coincide with the fourth season's premiere, Into the Storm is Timmer's dramatic account of his extraordinary profession. Featuring stories of the three-hundred-plus extreme tornados, hurricanes, or blizzards that Timmer has watched ring-side over the last decade-storms that include the killer F5 tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma, in May 1999; the unprecedented, devastating storm surge of Hurricane Katrina; and the little-studied but enormously powerful storm systems in places like Canada and Argentina. As a Ph.D. candidate in meteorology, Timmer is after more than just an adrenaline rush-his stories feature fascinating insights into the science of storms, and how the data he is collecting will could possibly save lives. With a firsthand perspective on the storm-chasing community, Timmer also takes readers inside this world, examining his controversial obsession and the ethical debates it sparks.
Featuring the same you-are-there immediacy that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to Timmer's web site tornadovideos.net, every month, Into the Storm is one wild-and informative-ride. ... Read more

Reviews

All the thrill of stormchasing, without the danger, October 15, 2010
I have to admit I was skeptical at first: Wouldn't a visually dynamic phenomenon like storm chasing suffer when translated to the written page? Fortunately, no. To the contrary, I found that all the extra details and context that you get in these pages help to put the reader in the passenger seat like no short clip or TV series can.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in weather or adrenaline. I would never personally risk my life to see storms and hurricanes up close, but reading this gave me a chance to experience what it's like for Mr. Timmer and the others who take that risk in the name of science and kick-ass video.

Highlights for me were the Moore, OK chase and the description of what it was like to go face to face with Hurricane Katrina. If I have a complaint, it's that reading about all these chases made me crave more. I'm not about to hop in a truck and head for the plains, so here's hoping for a sequel.

This book makes you want to grab the laptop, hit the road and start the chase! (DO NOT ATTEMPT), November 3, 2010
"Weather" you watch Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers" or "Weather" you don't there is very little chance that you will be able to pick up the book "Into the Storm" and then put it back down. If you do happen to watch "Storm Chasers" you will recognize Reed Timmer as the energetic and animated meteorologist/videographer in the burgundy colored Kevlar and Rhino Liner coated "Dominator" storm chase vehicle.

Reed, as you will learn in this book, is much more than an enthusiastic adrenaline junkie out for a fix. He chases for the science and the knowledge that is obtained by his adventures in the pursuit of his elusive prey, the tornado.

Reed is obviously a very intelligent young man with many hunts still to go. His prey is the cyclonic warriors that attack Middle America each year and every year. Rarely during the year is there not at least one life lost because of a tornado. In his efforts, Reed is not only trying to capture the powerful beasts on his video camera as they move across the grasslands, farmlands and wooded areas of the continent but he is also gathering previously unretrievable data that will be used one day to protect property but more importantly lives.

This book will guide you through what drives him to make the next journey and it will show you the seeds that were sewn early in his life that kept him on the path that he has found to be fulfilling and exciting. As you read this you will find yourself in the back seat of the car wondering if you should close your eyes or open them to see these monsters take you with him. You will also find that you are getting an excellent education as well. Reed explains the ingredients that make up the recipes for the perfect storms and he explains how the weather observations you have seen in your lifetime make up both the dangerous and the spectacular.

There have been few books that I have enjoyed more but what I enjoyed the least was the end. Because I chose the unabridged audio version from Audible.com, I was surprised when it was all over as I could not see the pages waning away as the book was coming to a close. I wanted more. I want more!

Lucky for all of us Reed will be there to assist the scientific community for a long time to come. If you have watched any of this season's shows (Season 4) you are already aware of he and his team's direct humanitarian assistance to the survivors of one of this year's tornadoes he captured on video in Yazoo, Mississippi.

Being an OCD enthusiast in many hobbies and interests myself, I understand his fervent and enthusiastic approach. I look forward to more writings by Reed and much more video as well. I also plan on staying tuned to his website and his YouTube channel.

I feel this is a must read book for all, even in you do not live in Tornado country. Whether you have never seen a Tornado in all it's beauty or you have experienced the harm they have caused or lived in the communities they have affected you will still read the passion and compassion he has for his interests and the people they affect and assist.

I was almost afraid to buy this book., October 27, 2010
I am a fan of Storm Chasers on Discovery but not a fan of most of the behaviors on that show. Reed was one of those whose loud enthusiasm would get on my nerves at times. This book showed me another side of Reed Timmer. The book showed a young man who was still incredibly passionate about his love for meteorology in general, tornado chasing in particular but also self-aware and insightful about his own behaviors and how they come across.

The book essentially starts with his incoming freshman experience at UO with occasional side trips to his childhood development on through to his Ph.D. and current goals. As Reed recalls stages in his meteorological education we are taught meteorology in small understandable and very interesting segments. Fortunately for us, Reed did leave out the detailed physics and math involved in his education. I never realized how intensive getting that kind of degree was.

Reed's journey through school also involved tornado and hurricane chases: booms and busts. Always with great descriptive detail and admitting when he screwed up, showing an angst and concern for those accompanying him which has not been a side seen on TV.

Those who see Timmer as merely an excitement junkie looking for a fix will be in for a surprise. Clearly, he has an incredible singleminded focus on chasing tornadoes but that focus also includes an equal passion for the chasing the science to understand tornadoes.

Engaging, entertaining, educational and well written: This was a book I could not put down. I wish it was longer. Hopefully there will be more, especially as Reed experiments and develops assorted out of the box methods for data collection and scientific study of the beasts he is chasing.

A Page Turner, November 5, 2010
I am a huge fan of "Stormchasers" and decided to give this book a chance. I was not disappointed.

As other reviewers have mentioned, this book fills in a lot of gaps that are not shown on the Discovery Channel Series. Reed and his colleagues are real scientists, not just adrenaline junkies out for a fix. The book provides in depth detail of chases from the last 10 or so years. Into The Storm is a great page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Exciting book, that fills in a lot of gaps, November 1, 2010
I love the T.V. show "Stormchasers," and this book helped fill in a lot of gaps that the t.v. show doesn't have time to answer or might appear boring to the average watcher. I loved learning the details of Reed's life that got him to this point. I wish the book had explained the history of some of his other relationships a bit more, like with Joel. It introduces Joel as just a guy that helps Reed get to a tornado over the phone one day, but I wanted to know how they meet, etc., since the t.v. show puts a lot of emphasis on their relationship.

Overall, this is a very exciting book that is hard to put down. I wish there was less apologizing and justifying of Reed's actions in the book, but I guess that's been a large part of his stormchasing life so far. The fact that the entire community doesn't view Reed as a necessity for what everyone is trying to accomplish amazes me. Sure, he's a bit crazy and loud, but look at what he's accomplished in the past 10 years. And he's not just some person who gets off to tornadoes. I think the fact that he's devoted his entire life to stormchasing, including his education, and the fact he puts almost all of his money back into the adventure should automatically grant him some leeway with the community. I just hope I don't read a Steve Irwin type of headline one day about Reed.

If you like the t.v. show, you'll love Reed's book. I can't wait for more details in another book.

Intense!, October 16, 2010
I Love this book! It is filled with the same action and intensity that is felt while watching Timmer's television series "Storm Chasers". At times I feel as if I am right there, riding along on the chase, without really realizing that I was being educated on weather too. I recommend this book for everyone, young and old, and hope you enjoy it as much as i have!

Into the Storm: Violent Tornadoes, Killer Hurricanes, and Death-defying Adventures in Extreme Weather

Thrilling! What a Page Turner!, October 18, 2010
As good as any thriller on the stands today! From the moment I picked it up I could not put it down. It shows all the trials and tribulations of storm chasing and I didn't even have to get wet! Reed really is passionate about this and is willing to risk his life to save others. I am such a fan of the Discovery Channel show and really this book brought it to a whole new level. He is trying to research some robust science and push the envelope to the extreme. I want to sign up for the Extreme Tornado Tour now! YOU MUST BUY THIS BOOK! WHAT A THRILL RIDE!

Good Read, November 9, 2010
This was a gift for my husband, and he has really enjoyed this book, he loves the show!

GREAT!, October 16, 2010
This book is so cool! It`s almost like in real life! It`s like when you`re reading, he 'comes' out of the book to take you in with him! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Editorial Review