Turning to Stone

The lives of rocks are long and complex, spanning billions of years and shaping our own human lives in powerful, invisible ways. Marcia Bjornerud's life as a geologist has coincided with an extraordinary period of discovery - the shift in our understanding of the Earth as solid object, to an entity in a constant state of transformation. From an insular girlhood in rural Wisconsin, Bjornerud found her way to an unlikely career studying mountains in remote parts of the world. As one of few women in her field, a deep understanding of our rocky planet has imbued her life with meaning, even in the most tumultuous of times. Rocks are full of wisdom, but somewhere along the way many of us have forgotten how to hear it. Turning to Stone encourages a geocentric worldview, where humans are seen as part of wider planetary community and rocks are a powerful record of our planet's continual reinvention. [RRP: £12.99]