Tides

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What to expect

In Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean, writer, sailor, and surfer Jonathan White takes listeners across the globe to discover the science and spirit of ocean tides.

In the Arctic, White shimmies under the ice with an Inuit elder to hunt for mussels in the dark cavities left behind at low tide; in China, he races the Silver Dragon, a twenty-five-foot tidal bore that crashes eighty miles up the Qiantang River; in France, he interviews the monks that live in the tide-wrapped monastery of Mont Saint-Michel; in Chile and Scotland, he investigates the growth of tidal power generation; and in Panama and Venice, he delves into how the threat of sea level rise is changing human culture—the very old and very new.

Tides combines lyrical prose, colorful adventure travel, and provocative scientific inquiry into the elemental, mysterious paradox that keeps our planet’s waters in constant motion.

Critics Review

  • “Jonathan White provides us in this fine, fascinating book with a clear understanding of the infinitely complex and wild nature of our planet’s tidal forces in all their mystery and beauty.”

    Peter Matthiessen, New York Times bestselling author
  • “A wonderfully paced account…White offers clear explanations of how tides work and scientific giants such as Aristotle, Copernicus…and others helped us get where we are today.”

    Wall Street Journal
  • “Offers a grand mix of science history, ocean lore, and literary travel writing.”

    Oregonian
  • “This lyrical tribute of science, history, and travel tales… elucidates how the cycle of life on Earth maintains a steady beat with the ebb and flow of the tide and what’s at stake when the rhythm of the ocean is disrupted by climate change. The book is peppered with detailed interviews…[A] captivating read.”

    PNBA Awards Committee
  • “White’s research makes Tides a fascinating read.”

    Portland Press Herald
  • “A fascinating work of literary nonfiction, rich with characters, stories, and scenes from around the globe.”

    Bangor Daily News

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