| Ground Truth: A Geological Survey of a Life Contributor(s): McConnell, Ruby (Author), Kimura, Jenny (Designed by) |
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ISBN: 1732610320 ISBN-13: 9781732610323 Publisher: Overcup Press OUR PRICE: $15.15 Product Type: Paperback Published: April 2020 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Science | Essays - Science | Earth Sciences - Geology - Literary Collections | Essays |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 5.5" W x 8.4" (0.60 lbs) 212 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: FINALIST for the Oregon Book Award "The Pacific Northwest that you see today is the result of forty years of radical changes in the culture and economics of what was once a resource-extraction and agriculture-driven region.. They are changes so fundamental in nature and scope...that, for those of us from this place, will always be marked by the cataclysmic eruptions of Mt. St. Helens on May 18, 1980." --Ruby McConnell In this collection of 17 essays, geologist Ruby McConnell opens her part natural history, part memoir-in-essays about the Pacific Northwest with the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. St. Helens in May of 1980. She was two years old. "Everything that I have stood direct witness to since, everything I know about this place, happened after we watched the mountain crumble... I was born to a region digging out." In poignant and wide-ranging essays that include the wondrous annual return of salmon, "the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest people," to working at an elementary school evaluating soil and wondering how many kids have cancer, Ground Truth is an extended eulogy to a rapidly changing land, population and society awakening to the realities of logging, climate change, land-use and pollution. The book illuminates the central role of landscapes in our ideas of home and self despite the growing disconnect between modern lifestyle and the environment. Written with a scientifically-driven female voice, McConnell's timely and significant work reveals how the landscapes we inhabit can also help us better understand ourselves and our relationship to the ground beneath our feet. |
Contributor Bio(s): McConnell, Ruby: - Ruby McConnell is a registered geologist and outdoor adventurer who writes about nature, art, and culture with a particular emphasis on the intersection of the environment and human experience. A recipient of numerous honors, including the Literary Arts Oregon Literary Fellowship, she has written extensively about the Pacific Northwest and the environment in scientific and literary journals.. McConnell is the author of two previous titles, A Girl's Guide to the Wild and A Woman's Guide to the Wild. She lives in Oregon with her husband, Paul. |