Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks

Earth is vibrantly alive and full of wisdom for those who learn to listen.

Earth has been reinventing itself for more than four billion years, keeping a record of its experiments in the form of rocks. Yet most of us live our lives on the planet with no idea of its extraordinary history, unable to interpret the language of the rocks that surround us. Geologist Marcia Bjornerud believes that our lives can be enriched by understanding our heritage on this old and creative planet.

Contrary to their reputation, rocks have eventful lives-and they intersect with our own in surprising ways. In Turning to Stone, Bjornerud reveals how rocks are the hidden infrastructure that keep the planet functioning, from sandstone aquifers purifying the water we drink to basalt formations slowly regulating global climate.

Bjornerud's life as a geologist has coincided with an extraordinary period of discovery in the geosciences. From an insular girlhood in rural Wisconsin, she found her way to an unlikely career studying mountains in remote parts of the world and witnessed the emergence of a new understanding of the Earth as an animate system of rock, air, water and life. We are all, most fundamentally, Earthlings and we can find existential meaning and enduring wisdom in stone.

Publisher: Flatiron Books
Published: 08/13/2024
Pages: 320
Weight: 1lbs
Size: 9.25h x 6.12w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781250875891


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/01/2024 pg. 1
Publishers Weekly 06/10/2024

About the Author
Marcia Bjornerud is a professor of Environmental Studies and Geosciences at Lawrence University, and is the author of Reading the Rocks, Timefulness, and Geopedia.