Cold
Adventures in the World's Frozen Places
By: Bill Streever
Published: July 22, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
ISBN: 9780316042918
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
"The world warms, awash in greenhouse gases, but forty below remains forty below", writes Chair of the North Slope Science Initiative's Science Technical Advisory Panel and noted biologist Bill Streever, in his lyrical tribute to all things cold and frozen Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places. In language akin to poetry, the author shares his heartfelt love for the Arctic, and for the cold places of the world, and the plants, animals, and people who love in those frigid climes.
Bill Streever understands that the cold of the Arctic region, with its ice bound oceans, lakes, and frozen tundra, is critical for the survival of life on Earth. Without the cold, acting as gargantuan global air conditioner, the planet would overheat, and much of the flora and fauna of the Earth would perish. He also knows that people would be hard pressed to avoid extinction as well. He visits the colder climate regions of the world, rejoicing in their diversity of plant and animal life. Bill Streever makes clear that he loves the cold, and has respect for the explorers of the past who trekked to the poles, and traversed those ice and snow laden regions.
Their often tragic story, and the tales told by the winter habits of the indigenous plants and animals, tell of the importance of understanding and respecting very cold temperatures.
Bill Streever (photo left) travels the world, and shares his impressions of every locale where he discovers ice, snow, and well adapted life in abundance. The author ventures into the fields of history, biology, geology, chemistry, physics, and mythology as he conveys his story of the essential role of ice caps, tundra, local plants and wildlife, and people in the health of the Earth. Sharing anecdotes, blended with historical documents and scientific discoveries, the author expresses his thesis very well. Combining his scientific training with a poet's vision, Bill Streever writes a story that is moving and a joy to read. His writing is so evocative of the cold temperatures of his various locations, that he makes the reader feel cold with his words. He succeeds in his quest to share his love of cold with readers, and in conveying its value and importance.
For me, the power of the book is how Bill Streever creates a compelling case for celebrating cold as a crucial part of the global ecosystem. Whether describing the hibernation habits of northern animals, or sharing vivid descriptions of how people live and thrive in Arctic conditions, the author always shows his love of his topic. Bill Streever doesn't hesitate to take a side regarding global warming and planetary climate change. For the author, global warming is real, and he shares his evidence with the reader. The author challenges the reader to recognize the value of cold in the world, and why it's vital to maintaining life as we know it on Earth.
I highly recommend the insightful and seminal book Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places by Bill Streever, to anyone seeking a deeper appreciation of the cold, and the frost bound places of the world. In language befitting a novelist, the author shares his stories and scientific knowledge with the reader. The story of the book is one of the interconnected nature of every living thing on Earth, and how the absence of heat is as important to life as warm temperatures.
Read the landmark and essential book Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places by Bill Streever, and discover yourself the joys to be unearthed in the Arctic conditions of places like Alaska, the Yukon, Antarctica, Greenland, and Siberia, as well as all other locations on the globe that experience sub-zero temperatures. Far being forbidding, unlivable, and devoid of life, Bill Streever rejoices in and celebrates them and their role in the planetary eco-system. You will never look at low temperatures, the polar regions, or shiver in the cold in the same way again.
