Why the Wind Blows: A History of Weather and Global Warming

by Matthys Levy

Through the use of true stories of exploration,  Why the Wind Blows  looks at how these adventures were influenced by the weather and man’s ignorance of its consequences. The science of meteorology is gently interspersed throughout the text, so that understanding weather becomes an integral part of the stories. Concluding with the influence of modern civilization on the changing climate and its world-altering consequences, the author challenges the reader to take action now to alter the effects of global warming on future generations.  

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Elise Cohen]

"Poorly written and disjointed, this book does at least have some interesting historical stories to tell. With the help of a good editor, it's possible Levy could have told them well.[return][return]However, the book has significant problems. Touted as a science book, it alternates between English and metric measurements, sometimes given one and sometimes both, and sometimes using terms of measurement like ""mps"" without defining whether the author means miles, meters, or some other unit.[return][return]The author seems to somewhat confuse issues related more to geography than to climate or weather. The stories related to the Titanic and to Stanley and Livinstone make little case that is related to global warming or global weather patterns as opposed to local geography and climate, for example.[return][return]There are no citations, no sources given for almost any claims or statistics, and there are terms in bold throughout the book with no glossary or definitions to explain them. In this day of advanced graphics, there is no reason why the diagrams and illustrations should be hand drawn, hand lettered, and not always directly related to the text. [return][return]Furthermore, Levy makes claims of world-wide change based on single event anecdotes, all the while jumping around in chronology and topic without much coherence.[return][return]I am reasonably well-versed in global warming science and concerns, and they frighten me a great deal; I am not trying to dismiss what Levy is conveying. I only wish he had done it better to get his desired message across to readers in a more compelling, more coherent, and more authoritative."