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What's So Great About Granite? (What's So Great About Geology?)

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In her Introduction, Jennifer Carey says; "Though the book delves into complex topics, I tried to keep the technical jargon to a minimum and the tone light. I want readers of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy this celebration of granite."

Ms Carey has done all that she said she was going to do. There are catchy titles and cartoons. Any high school student should be able to handle the reading level and it is in the reach of a dedicated seventh or eighth grader. The concepts are another matter. Geology can't be interesting without being somewhat complex and this author hasn't shied away from the task. Amateur lay-geologists, young or old, will stop and study a bit. Others will do well to read the book at least twice.

The book tells what granite is and what differentiates it from other igneous and metamorphic rock. Granite comes in many shapes and sizes. It forms from liquid magma under pressure and deep in the earth. The book tells us how. Granite's constituent elements and crystalline structure govern everything from its color to how resistant it is to weathering. Do you want to know how scientists tell the age of rocks? This too is in the 73 pages of text in this little book. The author caps it off with an index, bibliography, glossary, and an appendix telling us where we might find granite in the United States.

Granite can almost be called the bedrock of the world. The oldest rocks known are granite. If you don't see granite where you live, you probably live on sedimentary fill in mid-America.

The photographs in "What's So Great about Granite?" are by Marli Bryant Miller. There are lots of them. They are in color and contribute significantly to the text. Unfortunately, the photographer is based in the western United States and the eastern part of the country is somewhat underrepresented.

Yes, it is great to know about granite. But there are lots of other interesting rocks and geologic processes. Let us hope for some more books by Jennifer Carey. Geology is too often presented only in technical reports and theses that are boring and nearly incomprehensible to laypeople. The contribution that this book makes to the literature is very real, and as solid as granite.

Just because it's everywhere doesn't mean it's not a valuable resource. "What's So Great About Granite?" discusses the origins of granite, a common stone with an extraordinary past. Discussing the rock, how it forms, and how it gets its crystals, Jennifer Carey forms a read aimed at young rock lovers who want to feed their never ending curiosity about their natural world. "What's So Great About Granite?" is a choice pick for addition to science collections.