The book made me think completely differently about "our moon" and how deeply it has influenced us earthlings, and indeed all living things, since we appeared on earth. The writing is almost poetic and the pace draws you in, learning about geology, the cosmos, history, and so much more. i came to feel a kinship with our moon, just as I believe the author feels about it.
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A riveting feat of science writing that recasts that most familiar of celestial objects into something eerily extraordinary, pivotal to our history, and awesome in the original sense of the word.”—Ed Yong, New York Times bestselling author of An Immense World
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
Many of us know that the Moon pulls on our oceans, driving the tides, but did you know that it smells like gunpowder? Or that it was essential to the development of science and religion? Acclaimed journalist Rebecca Boyle takes readers…
As a woman scientist and physician, turned writer of science books for the lay public, having come up through the ranks of my male-dominated profession in the 70's and 80's, I identified deeply with the experiences of the author - also a woman in a male-dominated field coming up through her ranks more or less in that era. I admired the writing in which the author deftly weaves her own life story with the life story of our planet. The rhythm and flow of these personal stories together with clear language descriptions of complex geological phenomena makes the book not only easy to read but also draws the reader along to the end. I also enjoyed how the author takes the reader from the very personal all the way to very broad phenomema and the climate crisis we are facing. It makes one want to be very careful about our responsibility in the stewardship of this unique planet. The book made me think differently about the world we live in and how it came to be, and where we are all heading in it.
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.…
As a woman physician/scientist coming up through the ranks of a male-dominated profession and working for the federal government in the 1970's, 80's and 90's, just as the "sisterhood" characters did, I identified deeply with many of the characters' experiences, and was surprised to learn that what they experienced in the intelligence community was very similar to what I had experienced in my own field in the federal government. Learning these stories of female spies explained a lot about the ways that my own career was directed, and it made me feel a sisterhood with the women described in the book, whose courage and lives are brought to light after having been hidden so many decades. Quite apart from that, it is a great read - exciting, disturbing in parts, uplifting in that these women soldiered on to the point that they made enormous contributions despite having been shunted to the sidelines at first. Best of all, it reads like any spy or detective novel, but it's real!
A “rip-roaring” (Steve Coll), “staggeringly well-researched” (The New York Times) history of three generations at the CIA, “electric with revelations” (Booklist) about the women who fought to become operatives, transformed spycraft, and tracked down Osama bin Laden, from the bestselling author of Code Girls
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • A FOREIGN POLICY AND SMITHSONIAN BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
In development as a series from Lionsgate Television, executive produced by Scott Delman (Station Eleven)
Created in the aftermath of World War II, the Central Intelligence Agency relied on women even as it attempted to channel their…
WELL at WORK: Creating Wellbeing in any Workspace By Esther M. Sternberg, M.D. Drawing on her pioneering research, Esther M. Sternberg, MD, shows how to design any workspace—at home, the office, or anywhere in between—to enhance both physical and emotional wellbeing. Staying healthy at work has never been more top-of-mind than it is today. But staying healthy isn’t the same as staying well. Staying well at work isn’t just about the germs and toxins that impact how we feel physically or even make us sick; it’s also about the many aspects of the environment that affect our stress levels, mood, focus, and productivity. Whether you work in a traditional office or a corner of your bedroom, healthy workplaces need not be a luxury. Well at Work reveals how to design these spaces for wellbeing across the seven domains of integrative health: stress and resilience, movement, sleep, relationships, nutrition, spirituality, nature and the air we breathe. And these principles apply to any spaces not only where you work but also where you live and learn! You’ll learn: • How the environment you work in all day can impact your sleep at night • Optimal lighting and noise levels for reducing stress and staying alert • How to adjust temperature and humidity to protect against infection • Why open-plan offices can keep you more active • The myriad benefits of access to nature (and how to bring nature indoors) • Office layouts that foster social interaction, but not distraction. • Foods to enhance cognitive performance • And more On this eye-opening journey of discovery, you’ll meet Dr. Sternberg’s colleagues in science and medicine, design and architecture, and building sciences who are striving to make workplaces more conducive to wellbeing. And you’ll glimpse into the future of the workplace, where artificial intelligence and the metaverse will help us design environments that respond to our individual needs. Above all, you’ll come away with a menu of simple steps anyone can take to be—and stay—well at work.
