Marcia Bjornerud is professor of geology and environmental studies at Lawrence University. She is the author of Reading the Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth and a contributing writer for Elements, the New Yorker’s science and technology blog. She lives in Appleton, Wisconsin.
"Shortlisted for the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, Phi Beta
Kappa Society"
"Finalist for the 2019 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science &
Technology"
"Winner of the 2019 PROSE Award in Popular Science & Popular
Mathematics, Association of American Publishers"
"Longlisted for the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science
Writing Award, PEN American Center"
"One of EcoLit Books' Best Environmental Books of 2018"
"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year"
"[Timefulness is] a profound meditation on the richness, depth and
entanglements of geologic time . . . elegantly condensing the
landmark tomes of geology, from James Hutton’s Theory of the Earth
. . . to John McPhee’s Annals of the Former World."---Robert M.
Thorson, Wall Street Journal
"In this trenchant study, Bjornerud calls for a new geological
literacy to instill deeper knowledge of planetary rhythms and
processes."---Barbara Kiser, Nature
"Timefulness is a delightful and interesting read. The author’s
cadence and the illustrator’s aforementioned figures made me feel
as though I was having a glass of wine with a friend who was
explaining geologic history while sketching on a napkin."---David
R. Wunsch, Science
"With Timefulness . . . [Bjornerud] delivers a brisk biography of
Earth. Aside from charting the rise of mountains and the
transformation of the atmosphere, she shows us why–given an
uncertain future–taking the long view is more critical than ever
before."---Matt Huston, Psychology Today
"Timefulness is a charmer and makes a strong case for thinking like
Bjornerud."---Heather Smith, Sierra
"It is always a challenge to make geology accessible to a popular
audience, but Timefulness is never impenetrable and is sparing in
its use of jargon. New Scientist readers will have little
difficulty following the heartfelt narrative. Bjornerud’s book is a
manifesto for humanity – but on a very long timescale."---Mick
O'Hare, New Scientist
"Bored? Anxious? Busy? Try considering time as a geologist would—in
segments of years, or hundreds of years. Understanding the rhythm
and pace of the planet we live on is what Bjornerud calls
‘timefulness.’ It all seems unfathomable, until we begin to fathom
it—and realize that thinking on this scale might be the only way we
can truly understand (and save) the world."---Emily Temple,
Literary Hub
"Being timeful, in [Bjornerud’s] formulation, means allowing
ourselves to be daunted by events and landscapes whose scale
strains the imagination; it means seeing Earth, and not our own
short-lived species, as the main character in the story."---Geoff
Manaugh, WIRED
"[Timefulness] is an antidote to the new climate report (not to
mention raging fires and floods around the world) that seems bereft
of hope for humanity’s future. . . . Bjornerud argues that if we
all can change the way we view our world and our place in it,
adopting an approach grounded in ‘timefulness,’ we’ll be able to
create a more sustainable future not just for ourselves and the
next generation but for many generations to come."---Sarah
Rothbard, Zócalo Public Square
"One of the most important books of recent times."---Marcus Smith,
host, BYU Radio's Constant Wonder
"We need to understand the Earth more intimately than ever now,
Bjornerud argues, as we change it in unprecedented ways (a fact
that only becomes more terrifying the more you know about Earth’s
long history). A more grounded view of time—zooming out and looking
at the Earth’s entire life thus far from a remove—practically begs
for saner, longer term decision-making for the future. And this
perspective is something we can only get from acquainting ourselves
with geology, Bjornerud posits, because ‘fathoming deep time is
arguably geology’s single greatest contribution to
humanity.’"---Chelsea Leu, Bay Nature
"Bjornerud’s lucid writing gives geology an energy it rarely has in
popular imagination, with just enough warm autobiographical moments
to make a personal connection. In both content and prose, she
skillfully makes the case that this sort of knowledge (even using
the what more than the how) offers us great opportunity to think
about our contemporary situation, particularly regarding climate
change."---Justin Cober-Lake, Englewood Review of Books
"Clear, well-paced, [and] witty."---John Wilson, First Things
"Marcia Bjornerud’s book tells the story of the deep history of
Earth, a history that’s been punctuated by cataclysmic and
unfathomable violence. Oddly, I found comfort in learning about the
processes by which this little ball of rock has evolved into a
habitable planet and, despite our best efforts, will continue to be
so for billions of years to come."---Stephen Sparks, co-owner of
Point Reyes Books,, Literary Hub
"Bjornerud’s vision of Earth science is poetic and lovely. . . .
[Timefulness] feels essential and timely. It encapsulates the
mismatch between the long-term sense of who we are and where we
came from with the short-term-thinking that dominates our election
cycles and our stock markets. Recommended to all."---Callan
Bentley, Mountain Beltway
"Timefulness transforms geological phenomena, from atmospheric
carbon molecules to ancient mountains, into a meditation on life
itself."---Alistair Scrutton, Anthropocene
"In reading Timefulness, one encounters a clear, engaging text
grounded in years of teaching, thinking, and conversations about
the struggles of humans to relate themselves to geologic
time."---J. S. Lackey, Pomona College
"Bjornerud has made sure that her message reaches audiences without
being crippled by jargon."---Ishan Kukret, Down to Earth
"[Timefulness] offers the reader the underlying science in
sufficient detail to develop an understanding and perhaps an
opinion on the challenges before us."---Ben van der Pluijm,
Holocene
"[Bjornerud] positions geology as a field of study ready to tackle
the larger philosophical questions being posed by climate change
experts."---Jennifer Ferng, Leonardo Reviews
"One of the most interesting and informative books I have read for
a long time."---Jane A. Michael, Proceedings of the Open University
Geological Society
"[Timefulness] must cause us to pause and reflect on the sudden
speed at which we are undoing processes that have taken millennia
to evolve."---Paul Sorensen, International Journal of Environment
Studies
"This is, frankly, the most poetic rendering of geology I have read
since Darwin’s Origin of Species. "---Christiana Zenner, America
Magazine
"I fear I cannot give justice to this eloquent presentation of how
important geologic knowledge is to an intellectually healthy
society. I thoroughly enjoyed Timefulness and, more importantly,
have been affected by this book. Timefulness: How Thinking Like a
Geologist Can Help Save the World has pushed to the front of my
mind the importance of looking after the environmental health of my
grandchildren and their grandchildren. It is now my desire to find
a way to influence people to be environmentally involved and what
should be done to assure a healthy planet for our current and
future well-being."---Roy Van Arsdale, Environmental & Engineering
Geoscience
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