05/09/2016
In his latest natural history cum adventure story, intrepid biologist Streever (Heat: Adventures in the World’s Fiery Places) turns his attention from temperature to another force of nature: wind. The book’s narrative backbone is Streever’s amateur sailing expedition from Texas to Guatemala in search of firsthand exposure to the trade winds that fascinate him; tangential excursions of rigorous historical and scientific inquiry draw him into such subjects as barometry and wind farms. In clear prose animated by deadpan humor and enthusiasm for all things meteorological, he recounts the transformation of the weather forecast from its origins in qualitative theory through the development of graphical and numerical methods, weather balloons, satellites, anemometers, radar systems, and modern-day ensemble forecasting, which integrates sophisticated computational models and chaos theory into synoptic maps. Parallel to this chronicle of technological advancement runs a dramatic story of the scientific establishment, replete with “grumbling and infighting” and peppered with such figures as Benjamin Franklin and Lewis Fry Richardson, “the first man to calculate the weather.” As Streever absorbingly explains the processes that make air move, he also relays the history of humans’ efforts to harness the wind, as “knowledge of the two things—the winds and the science behind them—lies hopelessly intertwined.” 23 b&w illus. Agent: Elizabeth Wales, Wales Literary. (July)
Praise for And Soon I Heard a Roaring Wind
One of USA Today's "NEW AND NOTEWORTHY" Selections
"The wind is always changeable, whether it's a brisk nor'easter or the shifting tempests of intellectual history. And Soon I Heard Roaring Wind proves that Bill Streever is a master at navigating both."—Sam Kean, author of The Disappearing Spoon
"Science, history, and personal adventure come together in a wild and witty exploration of wind. When Streever deals with a natural phenomenon, he does so with aplomb...[he] has a knack for blending his research and personal experience into an easy-to-read account that is hard to put down."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Streever covers the science of wind and weather and the history of weather forecasting in an authoritative, well-researched, and engrossing text.... A riveting, detailed look at the power of wind, along with the pleasures and perils of sailing....This page-turning work of narrative nonfiction will appeal to readers interested in the history of science, the history and science of meteorology, the science of wind, and memoirs of life at sea."—Sue O'Brien, Library Journal
"Streever's ability to make complex concepts easy to understand while still capturing the awe and mystery of nature is spot-on."—Sarah Grant, Booklist
"Clear prose animated by deadpan humor and enthusiasm for all things meteorological.... Streever absorbingly explains the processes that make air move...."—Publishers Weekly
"Streever intertwines scientific histories in terms palatable even for laymen. When the going gets technical, Streever is there with an analogy to clarify....He brings the reader an understanding of what's important [about wind, and] along the way, Streever sprinkles in surprises and makes historical connections."—John B. Saul, Seattle Times Sunday
Although "few things in life are more ubiquitous than wind," Streever argues that it's "a problem not only for scientists but for the global economy."—Sarah Begley, Time Magazine
"Rather than simply being a book about the wind, this is more of a journey through our understanding of weather and our attempts to try to predict what the skies will do...Steever intersperses this historical journey of weather prediction with personal experiences gained during a 43-day journey by sailboat around the Gulf of Mexico, giving readers a feel of the real world impact of winds and storms."—Kit Gillet, Geographical
"Streever's voyage under sail from Texas to Guatemala [gives] a breezy immediacy to the story of how we learned to decode 'moving air.'"—Barbara Kiser, Nature Magazine
"A biologist and nature writer, Streever approaches meteorology in a way that brings to mind John McPhee's writings about geology, belaboring the text with no more scientific jargon than necessary....This book chronicles key discoveries in meteorology, [and Streever's] gale-force inquiry leads to some fascinating asides....As he unfurls Rocinante's sails, he muses on the development of wind-powered boats, he sails past Portuguese man-of-wars, and through all of this, we meet a motley crew of characters-theorists, philosophers, scientists, inventors, mathematicians-who puzzled and often disagreed bitterly as they sailed into the unknown mysteries of our atmosphere."—Kim Cross, The Dallas Morning News
"This is no dry academic text. Rather, [Streever] brings a fresh take on the history of weather forecasting and that devil wind."—The Baltimore Sun
"Streever does a fabulous job... a good read"—Captain Bob Solliday, American Sailing Association
Praise for Heat
2014 Nautilus Award Silver Winner
"An illuminating romp sure to delight connoisseurs of extreme geography and ignite everyone's inner pyromaniac."—David R. Montgomery, author of The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood
"In this worthy companion to Cold, Streever is able to mix the pop science, personal experiences, and historic asides into a fun and informative commentary on a subject that few people think about despite its inherent life and death implications."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This book, equally engaging and filled with fascinating facts, will appeal to old and young, and likely sell like superheatedcakes."—The Huffington Post
"Streever's book is rangy and free-form.... Evocative scientific explanations also punctuate his exploits.... He clearly has an affinity for extremes and a gutsy, undaunted spirit that enlivens both his inquiries and his writing."—Smithsonian Magazine
06/15/2016
Streever (biology, Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks; Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places; Heat: Adventures in the World's Fiery Places) covers the science of wind and weather and the history of weather forecasting in an authoritative, well-researched, and engrossing text. The author introduces the scientists who determined how weather works, building on one another's ideas over the generations, using observation, physics, mathematics, and computers. The science is interwoven with Streever's memoir of a trip he and his wife, marine biologist Lisanne Aerts, both novice sailors at the time, took aboard Rocinante, their cruising sailboat, traveling from Texas to Florida to Belize and Guatemala, learning to use the wind as an ally, and protecting themselves and their boat from its wrath. This provides a riveting, detailed look at the power of wind, along with the pleasures and perils of sailing. VERDICT This page-turning work of narrative nonfiction, this book will appeal to readers interested in the history of science, the history and science of meteorology, the science of wind, and memoirs of life at sea.—Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., IL
★ 2016-05-01
Science, history, and personal adventure come together in a wild and witty exploration of wind.When Streever, a biologist and nature writer, deals with a natural phenomenon, he does so with aplomb, plunging into the Arctic Ocean in Cold (2009) and walking on coals in Heat (2013). Here, he focuses on wind and sailing. A few years ago, the author purchased the cruising sailboat Rosinante; admittedly "a rank amateur" who is "scared to death of storms," he set out from Texas to sail to Guatemala with his wife as his sole crew member. Streever calls it a "voyage to understand the wind," and what happened to Rosinante and its sometimes-hapless, sometimes remarkably lucky crew of two was definitely a learning experience. Interspersed in his tale of their adventure-filled journey are essays on the history of weather predicting; profiles of meteorologists; descriptions of old and new meteorological instruments, from the barometer to weather balloons to satellites; a history of the harnessing of wind energy; and vivid accounts of the impact of moving air—e.g., the mighty hurricane that struck Galveston in 1900, the havoc of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, the selection of the landing point for D-Day in 1944, and more. Readers will meet well-known and little-known scientists as the author ranges from the computations of early weather forecaster Lewis Fry Richardson to the chaos theories of mathematician Edward Lorenz (who coined the term "butterfly effect"). They will also acquire plenty of new vocabulary, as the author explains ventifacts, yardangs, einkanters, and dreikanters, all formations shaped by windblown sand. Streever has a knack for blending his research and personal experience into an easy-to-read account that is hard to put down. Recommended for general readers curious about the natural world as well as budding scientists.
