Snowball Earth

Snowball Earth PDF Author: Gabrielle Walker
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 030742166X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Book Description
Did the Earth once undergo a super ice age, one that froze the entire planet from the poles to the equator? In Snowball Earth, gifted writer Gabrielle Walker has crafted an intriguing global adventure story, following maverick scientist Paul Hoffman’s quest to prove a theory so audacious and profound that it is shaking the world of earth sciences to its core. In lyrical prose that brings each remote and alluring locale vividly to life, Walker takes us on a thrilling natural history expedition to witness firsthand the supporting evidence Hoffman has pieced together. That evidence, he argues, shows that 700 million years ago the Earth did indeed freeze over completely, becoming a giant “snowball,” in the worst climatic catastrophe in history. Even more startling is his assertion that, instead of ending life on Earth, this global deep freeze was the trigger for the Cambrian Explosion, the hitherto unexplained moment in geological time when a glorious profusion of complex life forms first emerged from the primordial ooze. In a story full of intellectual intrigue, we follow the irascible but brilliant Hoffman and a supporting cast of intrepid geologists as they scour the planet, uncovering clue after surprising clue. We travel to a primeval lagoon at Shark Bay in western Australia, where dolphins cavort with swimmers every morning at seven and “living rocks” sprout out of the water like broccoli heads; to the desolate and forbidding ice fields of a tiny Arctic archipelago seven hundred miles north of Norway; to the surprising fossil beds that decorate Newfoundland’s foggy and windswept coastline; and on to the superheated salt pans of California’s Death Valley. Through the contours of these rich and varied landscapes Walker teaches us to read the traces of geological time with expert eyes, and we marvel at the stunning feats of resilience and renewal our remarkable planet is capable of. Snowball Earth is science writing at its most gripping and enlightening.

Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up

Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up PDF Author: Sally M. Walker
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0763675121
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Rocks, fossils, earthquakes. Seventeen short syllables? Earth Science haiku! In a stunning combination of haiku and impressionistic (but accurate) art, this one-of-a-kind book encourages readers to think playfully about our planet and its wondrous processes. Sibert Medal–winning author Sally M. Walker covers Earth’s many marvels — fossilized skeletons of plants and animals, terrific volcanic eruptions, the never-ending hydrologic cycle — in sometimes straightforward, sometimes metaphoric three-line haikus. Expertly drawn art by William Grill, author-illustrator of Shackleton’s Journey, provides a visual reference for each poem. In clear and creative back matter, Walker and Grill further use their skills to provide additional detailed explanations for the science behind each concept. A unique, artistic intersection of poetry and science, Earth Verse is sure to enthrall any and all readers interested in the world around them.

Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth

Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth PDF Author: Alice Walker
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0307430561
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Book Description
In this exquisite book, Alice Walker’s first new collection of poetry since 1991, are poems that reaffirm her as “one of the best American writers of today” (The Washington Post). The forces of nature and the strength of the human spirit inspire the poems in Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth. Alice Walker opens us to feeling and understanding, with poems that cover a broad spectrum of emotions. With profound artistry, Walker searches for, discovers, and declares the fundamental beauty of existence, as she explores what it means to experience life fully, to learn from it, and to grow both as an individual and as part of a greater spiritual community. About Walker’s Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful, America said, “In the tradition of Whitman, Walker sings, celebrates and agonizes over the ordinary vicissitudes that link and separate all of humankind,” and the same can be said about this astonishing new collection, Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth.

Rocks

Rocks PDF Author: Sally M. Walker
Publisher: Lerner Publications
ISBN: 0822559471
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 52

Book Description
An introduction to the many different types of rocks.

The Last Dog on Earth

The Last Dog on Earth PDF Author: Adrian J. Walker
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 1492665770
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 363

Book Description
"A real find." —STEPHEN KING on The End of the World Running Club Every dog has its day... And for Lineker, a happy go lucky mongrel from London, the day his city falls is finally a chance for adventure. Too bad his master Reg plans to hide himself away from the riots outside... But when an abandoned child shows up looking for help, Reg and his trusty hound must brave the chaos in a journey that will prove not just the importance of bravery, but of loyalty, trust, and finding family in the unlikeliest of places. When the world has gone to the dogs, who will you choose to stand with? Praise for The End of the World Running Club "Extraordinary." — BBC Radio 2 "An end-of-the-world tale that is anything but an ending." — Anne Corlett "An exciting and nerve—wracking 'run'" — Robert McCammon

Psalms Book 2: An Earth Bible Commentary

Psalms Book 2: An Earth Bible Commentary PDF Author: Arthur Walker-Jones
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0567676293
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 183

Book Description
Arthur Walker-Jones presents an Earth-focused reading of the second book of Psalms, focusing upon the many nonhuman animals that appear repeatedly within the text. In the first commentary to explore the implications of the natural and cultural history of animals for the interpretation of Psalms, Walker-Jones moves beyond the standard treatment of animals as mere metaphors for human concerns, or background to human stories. Instead, Walker-Jones draws upon the interdisciplinary field of animal studies, incorporating this into ecocritical analysis and arguing for the similarity between the two approaches, including recognizing that the oppression and liberation of humans is interrelated with the oppression and liberation of Earth and all its creatures. Walker-Jones looks at foxes, sheep, goats, cattle, doves, snakes, lions, snails, dogs, and deer, which all appear in Psalms 42–72, taking into account that many of these animals co-evolved with humans and created the particular ecological niche of the highlands east of the Mediterranean. Perceiving Earth in various ways-as refuge, as enemy, as Rock, and as fertile and joyous-this volume brings an entirely new ecological perspective to the Psalms.

The Age of Miracles

The Age of Miracles PDF Author: Karen Thompson Walker
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0679644385
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 255

Book Description
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY People ∙ O: The Oprah Magazine ∙ Financial Times ∙ Kansas City Star ∙ BookPage ∙ Kirkus Reviews ∙ Publishers Weekly ∙ Booklist NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A stunner.”—Justin Cronin “It’s never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass—it’s the ones you don’t expect at all,” says Julia, in this spellbinding novel of catastrophe and survival by a superb new writer. Luminous, suspenseful, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles tells the haunting and beautiful story of Julia and her family as they struggle to live in a time of extraordinary change. On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakes to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world—divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by her friends, the pain and vulnerability of first love, a growing sense of isolation, and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world. “Gripping drama . . . flawlessly written; it could be the most assured debut by an American writer since Jennifer Egan’s Emerald City.”—The Denver Post “Pure magnificence.”—Nathan Englander “Provides solace with its wisdom, compassion, and elegance.”—Curtis Sittenfeld “Riveting, heartbreaking, profoundly moving.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.

Sent by Earth

Sent by Earth PDF Author: Alice Walker
Publisher: Seven Stories Press
ISBN: 1609803019
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 34

Book Description
Now more timely than ever, Alice Walker’s Sent By Earth reflects on the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and addresses the anger many Americans felt at the presumed perpetrator of the attack: Osama bin Laden. In powerfully reflective, nuanced, and above all heartfelt prose, Walker explores the seeds of hatred and resentment around the globe, and advances a surprisingly controversial theory: that hatred can never be defeated by hatred, but only by love.

Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth

Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth PDF Author: Nicola Davies
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763694835
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36

Book Description
The more we study the world around us, the more living things we discover every day. The planet is full of millions of species of plants, birds, animals, and microbes, and every single one including us is part of a big, beautiful, complicated pattern. When humans interfere with parts of the pattern, by polluting the air and oceans, taking too much from the sea, and cutting down too many forests, animals and plants begin to disappear. What sort of world would it be if it went from having many types of living things to having just one?--

The Water Walker

The Water Walker PDF Author: Joanne Robertson
Publisher: Second Story Press
ISBN: 1772602302
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 38

Book Description
The story of a determined Ojibwe Grandmother (Nokomis) Josephine-ba Mandamin and her great love for Nibi (water). Nokomis walks to raise awareness of our need to protect Nibi for future generations, and for all life on the planet. She, along with other women, men, and youth, have walked around all the Great Lakes from the four salt waters, or oceans, to Lake Superior. The walks are full of challenges, and by her example Josephine-ba invites us all to take up our responsibility to protect our water, the giver of life, and to protect our planet for all generations.