Customer Reviews

Why the Wind Blows: A History of Weather and Global Warming

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Are you concerned about what is going to happen to our world as we know it? In the last few years especially, the weather patterns all over the country have been so erratic, no one has really been able to predict the activity accurately. The author of this book, Matthys Levy, uses simple words and true stories of the past that were effected by weather to get the readers attention as to what is happening to the world. From Magellan's 38-day adventure to the Unsinkable Titanic to the flooding in the Midwest (did you know nine time more people die in floods then hurricanes or earthquakes?), Levy describes how the weather effected many areas of our history. What really is causing Global Warming?? The 6 million people in the world, the way we create energy, weather and all the other reason the author gives are high on the list of many that is causing our world to fit back at us. The scariest fact I have seen are the ice caps melting. Seeing the photos from years past and now makes you wonder what our world is going to be like in 10-15 years.

I would recommend this book for all ages to read. You will get a better idea of what we are facing in the years to come if we don't start taking better care of our world.

Not long ago, meteorology seemed like a science topic that is important only for those who predict weather for government agencies or TV forecasts. Now, a basic understanding of the science of weather is crucial in order to discuss global warming, which may be the greatest threat to the future of life on Earth as we now know it.

Matthys Levy's previous books have helped us to understand other human disasters--the collapse of buildings, including the horrors of 9/11--and the devastation of earthquakes. Once again, in a science book that is actually fun to read, he helps us to understand basic science, demonstrating the historical effects of weather on human endeavors and the challenges we now face.

Poorly written and disjointed, this book does at least have some interesting historical stories to tell. With the help of a good editor, it's possible Levy could have told them well.

However, the book has significant problems. Touted as a science book, it alternates between English and metric measurements, sometimes given one and sometimes both, and sometimes using terms of measurement like "mps" without defining whether the author means miles, meters, or some other unit.

The author seems to somewhat confuse issues related more to geography than to climate or weather. The stories related to the Titanic and to Stanley and Livinstone make little case that is related to global warming or global weather patterns as opposed to local geography and climate, for example.

There are no citations, no sources given for almost any claims or statistics, and there are terms in bold throughout the book with no glossary or definitions to explain them.

Furthermore, Levy makes claims of world-wide change based on single event anecdotes, all the while jumping around in chronology and topic without much coherence.

In this day of advanced graphics, there is no reason why the diagrams and illustrations should be hand drawn, hand lettered, and not always directly related to the text.

I am reasonably well-versed in global warming science and concerns, and they frighten me a great deal; I am not trying to dismiss what Levy is conveying. I only wish he had done it better to get his desired message across to readers in a more compelling, more coherent, and more authoritative.