Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* All Southern Californian Glassley wanted to do was surf, but then a geology course captured his imagination and eventually led him to Greenland and a little-known fringe of land that proved to be brimming with life and geological revelations. Writing with the same poetic precision, artistry, and soulful receptivity as Gretel Ehrlich and Barry Lopez, with the added impact of his rigorous scientist-in-the-field expertise, Glassley is spellbinding as he chronicles his exhilarating adventures and incandescent experience of a place of unexpectedly galvanizing, even mystical wonders. He describes a transfixing mirage, high rock walls coming to life as thousands of gulls or sea urchins stir, the intricate glory of lichen and moss, and a slow ballet of hundreds of rainbow-shimmering comb jellies, as well as swarming mosquitoes. For Glassley and his colleagues, the Greenland rocks including dramatic stretches studded with garnets, blue tourmalines, and giant orthopyroxene crystals formed 20 miles below the surface of the earth and never seen before are ancient texts written in a language we barely knew, yet which yielded astounding evidence of the existence, two billion years ago, of a Himalayas-like mountain range. Glassley's deeply perceptive, exceptionally involving appreciation for the profound significance of both science and wilderness reminds us that we ignore both at our peril.--Seaman, Donna Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Glassley, a geologist at the University of California at Davis and an emeritus researcher at Aarhus University, Denmark, retraces his several expeditions to Greenland alongside Danish colleagues Kai Sorensen and John Korstgård in this thoughtful volume about how his scientific work shifted his perspective on notions of wilderness. The men spent weeks camped out and "isolated from the rest of humanity" to sample, photograph, and measure ancient bedrock. Though their scientific interests were purely academic, Glassley says, their experiences were "almost mystical." Glassley divides his narrative into three primary sections, each featuring observations that helped to change his perception of Greenland's vast terrain. The first part, "Fractionation," deals with ways in which Glassley's expectations had been altered. In the second, "Consolidation," he comes to terms with the reality that "ignorance is an integral part of being aware." The third, "Emergence," contains "small epiphanies about our place in existence." Glassley documents his observations, spending considerable time and effort among "rolling outcrops, tundra plains and pockets, massive rock walls and glaciated peaks." Evincing humility in the midst of the great "unshaped wild," Glassley exudes a palpable and infectious sense of wonder that is bound to draw contemplative readers. Maps. Agent: Malaga Baldi, Baldi Agency. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A veteran geologist recounts time spent studying Greenland's remarkable landscape during a series of six expeditions.Glassley's (Geology/Univ. of California, Davis; Geothermal Energy: Renewable Energy and the Environment, 2010, etc.) exploration of Greenland's wilderness and the "emotional truths" it contains is profound and moving. This is a rich reading experience for those interested in one of the few remaining truly wild places and how humans relate to it. Glassley's narrative "unfolds in three parts, each part containing a suite of formative sensory experiences that shifted my perceptions." The author's writing skills are such that even those lacking any knowledge about Greenland or the science of geology will be readily transported to one of the world's most exotic locations. Though the titles of the sectionsFractionation, Consolidation, and Emergencemay sound daunting to some general readers, Glassley expertly combines understandable explanations (and a helpful glossary) with a beautiful, lyrical prose. Whether he is writing about the magnitude of the landscape, the silence that permeates each day, mirages, lichen, falcons, gulls, ptarmigan, fish, ice, or tidal currents, his descriptions capture the majesty of the area. Just as captivating are Glassley's detailed explanations of the complex geologic processes that formed this incredible environment. He conveys the significance of shear zones, straight belts, "root" zones, and the feeling of standing in the middle of a molten rock chamber formed 65 million years ago 10 miles below the surface of the Earth. The author's final thoughts regarding the preservation of wilderness are especially poignant within our current turbulent environmental, political, and cultural arenas. "With infinite hubris," he writes, "the modern world is imposing the consequences of its industrial avarice on lifestyles it knows nothing of. The moral bankruptcy of the rationalizations for the destruction of wilderness and the people who live in harmony with it is staggering."A superb tool for a better understanding of the natural world and why real science matters. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
