Science Nature Books

Required reading for freshmen entering SUNY Geneseo in preparation for an Adirondack Adventure. Bought this version after inadvertantly getting an abridged Walking.

ok it's old english, but it's classical masterpiece.
i recommend it to anyone that enjoy and dream of nature and the wild.

The words of Thoreau are familiar to all those who have experienced life in the woods. His philosophies and observations are just as relevant today as they were when he first wrote them. In more eloquent words Thoreau explains how In the woods and wild places we find fuel for the soul. Without them we become stagnant in physicality and mentality. I recommend this book to anyone interested in conservation.

More than any book, this argues for experiencing nature and preserving wilderness. Thoreau himself saw that fewer passenger pigeons were visiting and even then was aware of threats. Though first spoken in lectures on 1851, and 1856-1857, and published in June 1862 Atlantic Monthly, a month after his death, it still speak to us in the 21st century. For example ".. what would become of us, if we walked only in a garden or a mall?", . "In wilderness is the preservation of the world." , "To preserve wild animals implies generally the creation of a forest for them to dwell in or resort to. So it is with man". So lace up your shoes, grab your binoculars, and go for a walk and join the tribe of squirrels!

Short little essay by Henry David Thoreau about nature. Writer teaches us that simple walking can awake awareness about animals, trees and flowers around us. It is meditation on connection between wildlife and men, development of civilization from nurture thru nature and men's appreciation of the world outside of human villages and societies. It is amazing to read this piece that was created by a writer who died in 1862. With environmentlist movement of today, it is refreshing to find a piece by one of the early nature writers that teaches us to appreciate world we are born into. Thoreau teaches us to surrender to the world that has been in existance long before humans came to occupy it. While he is aware of limited ability of older men to sustain themselves in widerness, to him it is incomprehensible how women can live in confinment of the domestic life. I became interested in this writer after watching the film "Into the Wild", Now that I read this little piece, I understand how someone young and impressionable can fall under the spell of Thoreau's words about nature and the beauty of it, especially on the west side of the hemisphere.

This book is an exceptional resource for people who want to help prevent animal abuse. Mark Hawthorne offers clear, concise actions we can take in our every day lives that really do make a difference. And he reminds us that we don't have to sacrifice ourselves to the cause to be effective. In fact we are better advocates if we don't.

Informative, engaging, easy-to-read and inspiring. If you care about animals, read this book.

I am so grateful for Mark Hawthorne's debut release, 'Striking At The Roots.' This book is essential for anyone who has observed an injustice in our society but wasn't sure how to approach the systematic eradication of the problem; Hawthorne provides strategies, testimonials, and practical advice for any fledgling or veteran activists who want to make the greatest impact on the world.

The oppression of billions of animals each year for food, clothing, and entertainment is one of the most pressing matters in the world today, and it's my hope that anyone who picks up this book will be inspired to take action to stop the egregious cruelty and abuse that exists in these animal industries. Furthermore, the skills and knowledge learned in Hawthorne's book can be applied to any cause for which one may take up arms: racism, sexism, heterosexism, etc. All struggles are one struggle, and Mark Hawthorne has written a book that will, hopefully, make those struggles a little less grueling.

This is a wonderful book for folks who love animals but are not sure how to turn that love into action. Does everyone have to carry a picket sign in front of KFC? Not at all. As the author shows, there are as many ways to help animals as there are people who care. This is a great book!

"Striking at the roots" is an excellent guide for all those who want to act in defense of animals, without breaking any law. There are so many of us who feel they could contribute more, but have a hard time finding a practical way to do it. This book is extremely useful because it offers so many ideas and examples: there surely is one for you, too. Well written, smart, concise, pragmatic. Couldn't be better.

Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism, by Mark Hawthorne, is about walking the walk - and getting others to walk with you. The book, Hawthorne explains, is "intended for the person who agrees with the premise that animals are mistreated in our society, believes that the public has a moral obligation to speak out against this cruelty and who wants to be directly involved in opposing animal exploitation in its many forms." The book is "a guide to the most pragmatic opportunities available for speaking and acting on behalf of animals." Readers with busy lives are encouraged, "you can make a difference even if you limit your involvement to an hour a month."

Striking at the Roots shows how to become an effective leafleter, write publishable letters to the editor and opinion pieces, conduct successful protests and demonstrations, use vegan food to educate and win people over, engage in corporate campaigning, set up and run a sanctuary, shelter & rescue center, deal with the legal system, and engage in direct action - rescuing animals in order to experience directly and expose firsthand the atrocities they are forced to endure on commercial farms, in laboratories and other abominable places.

As for rescuing chickens from the filthy "broiler" sheds in which they are raised for meat, we're told that "nothing except firsthand experience could convey the utter despair a compassionate person feels at the sight of lame, feces-encrusted birds limping about and dead chickens, their ammonia-scalded breasts denuded of feathers, lying where they collapsed from inhumane breeding practices."

While most activists will not be directly involved in rescuing animals from factory farms and laboratories, Striking at the Roots shows the importance of keeping informed about these rescues and what they uncover, in order to provide credible and compelling content to one's letter writing and other advocacy on behalf of animals. Essential to being an effective activist are poise, self-confidence, knowledge, and persistence.

For example, I am quoted regarding rejected letters to editors and op-eds: "Over the years, I've published many guest columns about the plight - and delight - of chickens and turkeys. I've also written letters and op-eds that were turned down. Usually in such cases, I rework the piece and eventually submit it elsewhere with success. Also, it's good to establish a relationship with an editorial page editor. Not to ramble on and take up their valuable time, but a brief friendly phone call about your submission can increase your chance of being published, and you may be pleased to learn on occasion that the editorial page editor cares about animals and values your concerns."

Striking at the Roots stresses the importance of seizing opportunities to act and speak out locally - "don't overlook even the smallest neighborhood media outlets," activists urge. Local media want to know what is happening in their area. Often a protest demonstration is "a quite interesting and different story to what they normally may cover," stresses an Australian activist.

Striking at the Roots is not just for novices and the insecure. A good activist never reaches the point where ideas about activism are "preaching to the choir." Effective activism is about continuing education, not only of others, but of oneself. It's an essential part of the attitude that is needed to liberate animals and establish their rights.

Karen Davis, PhD, President
United Poultry Concerns
Dedicated to the compassionate & respectful treatment of chickens and other domestic fowl. www.upc-online.org

Quite a few errors were found.
However, the book appears to give a thorough review of NY State Regents material for Chemistry: The Physical Setting.

As an original member of the 53rd Weather Recon. Sqdn of the USAAC and who has flown in B-17's & B-29's into Hurricanes in the early 1940's, I felt alive as I read Kerry's Divine Wind. I have complimented Kerry on this excellent work that covers History, Poetry and Science. This book is a must for everyone, particularly those living on the Eastern Seaboard of the USA. All of us living on Planet Earth need to know about the forces of nature and Divine Wind educates us about Hurricanes--Thanks to the expertise of Kerry Emanuel!

This book is subtitled "The History and Science of Hurricanes." Exactly.
I bought it to learn more about the natural processes that produce hurricanes, and the science that "explains" them. I got everything that I hoped for, and more.
This is a nicely written description of science for the non-scientist, but not dumbed down or patronizing. I also got social history, not a topic I had been looking for, but which I enjoyed; it added yet another dimension to this outstanding presentation.
10 stars for this book.
I am about to buy a second copy, for a friend in Florida.

Rarely has a book come out in so timely a fashion. And to match the timeliness, rarely has a book had such an excellent match of science and history.

The book gives a series of historical stories beginning with the Kamikaze storms that saved Japan from the Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281. He continues with numerous stories from the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico including incidents beginning with Columbus and continuing until recent times. Two particularily interesting chapters dealt with the 1945 typhoons that did more damage to Admiral Halsey's fleet than the Japanese, and then the chapter on flying airplanes into the eye fo the storms.

From the scientific standpoint he presents numerous chapters on every aspect from general descriptions to explaining terms used by the weather forcasters such as wind shear. At the conclusion you'll understand what's happening much better.

And to prove just how good forecasting has become, the forecast at the beginning of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season 15 named tropical storms and eight hurricanes were predicted. By November 1, 2005 there have been 23 named storms...with 13 becoming hurricanes and 7 becoming major hurricanes.

While it is true that the Amazon rating system only goes to 5, this excellent book should get a 10!! I've read/own most of the hurricane books written and this is absolutely one of the best.

The rare artwork, clear illustrations, historical treatment and cutting-edge science make this a book that should be in your library.

Being a Hurricane Katrina victim I found this book to be quite informative and interesting. The scientific aspect of it is a bit technical, but it related to my current Biology course and it's always nice to come across a real-world application of something you're studying in class. I've also discovered some interesting facts regarding the history of hurricanes, although I was a little disappointed to find there was practically nothing about the Last Island Hurricane which, to my surprise, is a piece of history that has been largely ignored.

My 6.5 year old son loved this book, along with Simon's other books on tornadoes, earthquakes and volcanoes. In fact, I am going to buy him all of Simon's other books. The photographs are amazing and we both learned a lot from the information in the book. They are well written and very high quality. Plus, they are thin, so they're very easy to take on a trip or put in the backpocket of the passenger seat. You can't go wrong with these.

Go on a learning experience so you can find out what lightning is in this amazing book. Kids will have a blast reading this picture book all about the electric bolts from the sky. This book contains breath-taking photographs of different types of lightning over cities, in the solar system, and even near a twister! There is also a lot of history as well including the experiment by Benjamin Franklin. This book is jam-packed with science experiments that kids will enjoy. I recommend this book to kids of all ages who are eager to learn. This is also a very good book to read with your family. In conclusion, don't let the fact that this is a picture book throw you off. It is very informative and interesting. "Lightning" will give you a jolt! Good book! JPW - BP

Seymour Simon has captivated my four year-old son with so many of his books. This one had to be checked out of the library twice! Not only is my son absorbing what mother nature does, but I have learned a lot as well.

By far the best illustrations of any book I've seen about lightning. It also contains two photos from Boston's Museum of Science's electricity show, which are interesting, and a special treat for those of us who have seen that wonderful show.

The content of the book is great and gives more detail about lightning than I've found in other children's books on this subject. An example is giving a list of all the different types of lightning and even revealing three new kinds of lightning discovered in 1995. Who knew? Three other books I read about lightning and storms failed to give the level of detail that Simon chose to include.

Simon tells us what to do if we are caught in a lightning storm but it is done in a careful way with statistics given such as the number of people hit by lightning who lived through is almost double the number who are hit and die as a result of it.

As usual Simon writes in a non-patronizing tone, which I appreciate. We really enjoyed this book. A must-read for learning about the weather!

The full-color photos in this book are absolutely stunning. Lightning towering over a cityscape, hitting a tree, bursting from clouds, even right beside a twisting tornado! The text is large and easy to read. This book provides a wonderful overview of the phenomenon that is lightning, and is appropriate for readers of all ages.

I have owned this novel for over a year, and I still have not been able to complete the whole thing from cover to cover! Some chapters make me cry. Some chapters make me angry. Some chapters remind me more of a Hollywood-ized "story" that McLean created to make money.

Jessica Johnson was my best friend, and McLean describes her character (as well as another whom I love and respect) inadequately which only makes me want to rip pages out, crumple them up, and throw them in the fireplace! The Thirty-Mile Fire is an epic fire that firefighters can still learn from to stay safe and still do their jobs. Fighting fire is a tough job that I respect and I appreciate all the fire men/women out there!

There are some well written reencounters at the scene and McLean does a good job at describing the confusion and miscommunication from up the line... But I would suggest you check it out from your local library, rather than fill up John McLean's wallet.

I have spent over 30 years in wildland fire, 29 of those on the line. Most of my work has been as a Division Supervisor or Type 3 IC. This book hits the nail on the head in the fact that the bureaucrats will always try to blame the line personnel for any entrapment/burnover incident. I was in a shelter deployment once and was crucified for it. Of course that's a long story, but I was vindicated in the end. But before that, judgment was passed by those without the experience to know what they are talking about. Maclean does a good job digging into this phenomenon. Blame the dead people is standard operating procedure for the agencies in wildland fire. Ken

John has a very easy writing style which makes it an enjoyable reading experience. The content in the book provides a lot of lessons to be learnt and studied. The issues discussed don't just focus on this one incident but can be applied worldwide. A must read for any Wildfire firefighter from the rookie to the leaders of these men and women. John discusses some of the "Human factors" that contributed to this disaster.

This is a comprehensive review of the ThirtyMile Wildland Fire in 2001 that claimed the lives of four Federal Forest Service firefighters compiled from all the survivors, investigators, government officials, witnesses, and families affected by this incident. The Official Report of this fire laid blame on the firefighters themselves for the loss of there lives, and the report made was taylored to protect upper-level managers and the Forest Service from blame.

Mr. Maclean sorts through all of it and presents a clear picture of the events that transpired before, during, and after the incident where the time of the fire, the lack of resources, communication breakdowns, environmental rules, fatique, failure to follow fire safety rules, and tunnel vision lead to this tragedy. This book addresses questions that were not asked in the official report. It goes onto describe what happened to those in charge, and what did not happen to those administrators involved.

As a result of this fire, along with the 1994 Storm King Fire that killed 14 federal wildland firefighters, this book describes how through legislation the investigation responsibilities for large incidents shifted from in-house Forest Service to unprepared and unqualified outside government investigators. As a result of this political shift an overzealous US Attorney leveled four charges of manslaughter and five charges of lying to investigators about what happened at the fire, almost five years after the incident happened.

Mr. Maclean also chronicles the almost absolute abandonment of the firefightes and survivors involved in this incident, the heartless measures the Forest Service showed to families involved, and the failure of the wildland fire system involving the US Forest Service.

This book is important to all firefighters because the potential exists now for Fire Incident Commanders to be criminally charged if an injury or fatality occurs on a wildland fire incident, and what it may lead to in the future. Anyone involved in wildland / forest firefighting should read this book and learn from it.

John Maclean is an excellent writer and it shows once again in this book. It's obvious he's done his research on the Thirtymile Fire. As a wildland FF who studies fatal fires and near miss incidents, I devoured the information on this fire and the lives lost from the day it happened. I waited several years to get more than just news articles and investigation reports. Thankfully John Maclean stepped up to the plate. This read has been fascinating and educational. Most importantly, this is not just a book about a fire or mistakes made at a fire. This book is about four "kids" who lost their lives while living out their dream.