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The Whispers of Rock

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What to expect

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. 

Critics Review

"Anjana Khatwa’s unique rapport with rocks as time-traveling storykeepers invites readers to commune with our planet's deep geological history. Each page manifests a profound and personal awe and respect for all Earth’s rocks, their origins and character, whether plain or lustrous. I love this soulful, wise, and surprising book."
 —Adrienne Mayor, author of The First Fossil Hunters
“Deftly joining the lithic and the lyrical, Anjana Khatwa reveals the surprising stories that lie beneath our feet. The Whispers of Rock gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, 'heart of stone'."—David Farrier, author of Footprints
"In this poetic and heartfelt journey through deep time, geologist Anjana Khatwa braids scientific knowledge and traditional stories to bring alive the lessons that rock both keeps and tells us - if only we know how to listen." —Robert Macfarlane, author of Is a River Alive?
"Anjana Khatwa has written an exuberant ode to the diverse types of rock that have shaped cultures around the world. The Whispers of Rock reminds us that we humans are still – happily – in the Stone Age."—Marcia Bjornerud, Author of Turning to Stone
Author Anjana Khatwa
Narrator Anjana Khatwa
Duration 9 hours and 32 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781668652930
Format Audiobook
Publisher Hachette Audio
Genre Ecological science, the Biosphere, Geology, geomorphology and the lithosphere, Rocks, minerals and fossils: general interest
Availability US

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