What do you think?
Rate this book
The Whispers of Rock: The Stories That Stone Tells About Our World and Our Lives
A geologist’s revelatory invitation to discover how our planet’s seemingly inert bones pulse with unexpected vitality
If you listen, can you hear the stones speak? The question seems absurd. After all, rocks are lifeless, inert, and silent.
In The Whispers of Rock, earth scientist Anjana Khatwa asks us to think again and listen to their stories. Boldly alternating between modern science and ancient wisdom, Khatwa takes us on an exhilarating journey through deep time, from origins of the green pounamu that courses down New Zealand rivers to the wonder of the bluestone megaliths of Stonehenge, from the tuff-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia, to Manhattan’s bedrock of schist. In unearthing those stories and more, Khatwa shows how rocks have always spoken to us, and we humans to them. She delicately intertwines Indigenous stories of Earth’s creation with our scientific understanding of its development, deftly showing how our lives are intimately connected to time’s ancient storytellers.
Through tales of planetary change, ancient wisdom, and contemporary creativity, The Whispers of Rock offers the hope of reconnection with Earth. With Khatwa as your guide, you won’t simply hear rocks speak--you, too, will feel the magic of deep time seep into your bones.
If you listen, can you hear the stones speak? The question seems absurd. After all, rocks are lifeless, inert, and silent.
In The Whispers of Rock, earth scientist Anjana Khatwa asks us to think again and listen to their stories. Boldly alternating between modern science and ancient wisdom, Khatwa takes us on an exhilarating journey through deep time, from origins of the green pounamu that courses down New Zealand rivers to the wonder of the bluestone megaliths of Stonehenge, from the tuff-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia, to Manhattan’s bedrock of schist. In unearthing those stories and more, Khatwa shows how rocks have always spoken to us, and we humans to them. She delicately intertwines Indigenous stories of Earth’s creation with our scientific understanding of its development, deftly showing how our lives are intimately connected to time’s ancient storytellers.
Through tales of planetary change, ancient wisdom, and contemporary creativity, The Whispers of Rock offers the hope of reconnection with Earth. With Khatwa as your guide, you won’t simply hear rocks speak--you, too, will feel the magic of deep time seep into your bones.
- GenresScience
Audible Audio
Published November 4, 2025
12 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 13, 2025
I LOVED this book. It is definitely one of those books that will cause me to view the world differently.
Dr. Anjana Khatwa is an Earth Scientist in the UK who wrote an ambitious book that weaves together western geology with Indigenous knowledge.
Something I think is cool about this book is that Khatwa is highlighting geological locations all over the world. The sections that are most impactful to me, personally are the ones I have visited (Mesa Verde, Mount Rushmore, Half Dome, Arches, etc, etc)... So I think it is cool that she has something for so many people and so many geographical locations.
When she talked about how the arches and bridges near and in Arches National Park were considered to be portals to another world to Indigenous people but also... That studying these rocks are also a portal for geologists to worlds of the past… I loved that connection
I LOVED the volcano chapter. I especially loved the end where she talked about how western scientists have linked geological evidence to the Native Hawaiian story of Pele and her sister... showing that the Native Hawaiians had a deep knowledge of how volcanoes work.
the Space Invaders chapter was SO good. I really appreciate that Khatwa talked about the Black Hills. I first learned that the courts awarded billions of dollars to the Sioux Indian Nation and that the tribe refused the money so they didn't lose their claim to the land from THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES which I read in 2020.
I also really loved the section on Mesa Verde in the Beauty of Negative Space chapter. I love Mesa Verde so much, and you really do feel the presence of the ancestral Pueblo people when you visit.
I love how Khatwa centers how rocks are part of the natural world. Which makes so much sense, but I know I don't think about rocks in that way.
Such a fantastic book. One of my favorites that I have read this year.
Dr. Anjana Khatwa is an Earth Scientist in the UK who wrote an ambitious book that weaves together western geology with Indigenous knowledge.
Something I think is cool about this book is that Khatwa is highlighting geological locations all over the world. The sections that are most impactful to me, personally are the ones I have visited (Mesa Verde, Mount Rushmore, Half Dome, Arches, etc, etc)... So I think it is cool that she has something for so many people and so many geographical locations.
When she talked about how the arches and bridges near and in Arches National Park were considered to be portals to another world to Indigenous people but also... That studying these rocks are also a portal for geologists to worlds of the past… I loved that connection
I LOVED the volcano chapter. I especially loved the end where she talked about how western scientists have linked geological evidence to the Native Hawaiian story of Pele and her sister... showing that the Native Hawaiians had a deep knowledge of how volcanoes work.
the Space Invaders chapter was SO good. I really appreciate that Khatwa talked about the Black Hills. I first learned that the courts awarded billions of dollars to the Sioux Indian Nation and that the tribe refused the money so they didn't lose their claim to the land from THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES which I read in 2020.
I also really loved the section on Mesa Verde in the Beauty of Negative Space chapter. I love Mesa Verde so much, and you really do feel the presence of the ancestral Pueblo people when you visit.
I love how Khatwa centers how rocks are part of the natural world. Which makes so much sense, but I know I don't think about rocks in that way.
Such a fantastic book. One of my favorites that I have read this year.
November 15, 2025
As I discovered some time ago, books on geology have a calming, soothing effect on the reader. The best of them help us appreciate the beauty of the natural world around us. Moreover, the time scale measured in eons and the descriptions of rugged landscapes make it easy to escape daily worries.
Anjana Khatwa’s book delivers on both — and more. The author skillfully blends earth sciences with anthropology to examine the role that rocks have played in different cultures and adds interesting personal reflections to the mix.
Thanks to the publisher, Basic Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
Anjana Khatwa’s book delivers on both — and more. The author skillfully blends earth sciences with anthropology to examine the role that rocks have played in different cultures and adds interesting personal reflections to the mix.
Thanks to the publisher, Basic Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews