A Sideways Look at Clouds
A Sideways Look at Clouds by Maria Mudd Ruth, published by Mountaineers Books in October 2020, is a 208-page exploration of clouds designed for those curious about the natural world but lacking a scientific background. The author shares her unexpected journey into the fascinating realm of clouds, addressing common misconceptions and the general lack of knowledge about their formation, shapes, and colors. Through her personal experiences and a unique survey of various individuals, Ruth highlights the importance of rekindling curiosity about the skies above.
Readers will find a blend of science, humor, and storytelling as Ruth navigates the complexities of meteorology and climatology. The book is structured around the fundamental definitions of clouds, making it accessible and engaging for a wide audience. A Sideways Look at Clouds encourages readers to embrace their sense of wonder and to look up, whether they are outdoors or enjoying a quiet moment indoors. This edition invites exploration of nature and weather, making it a thoughtful addition to any bookshelf.
Official synopsis Publisher
“Here’s somebody who is down-to-earth enough to talk to the 99.9 percent of us who walk underneath clouds all the time, but don’t have a clue about how they form, why they assume different shapes and different colors, and what makes them precipitate.” — Kitsap Sun
Silver Nautilus Book Award in Science and Cosmology
- Written by a critically-acclaimed natural-history author
- Shares author’s fun journey to understanding clouds
- Written for the curious–but non-science–minded
Author Maria Mudd Ruth fell in love with clouds the same way she stumbles into most passions: madly and unexpectedly. A Sideways Look at Clouds is the story of her quite accidental infatuation with and education about the clouds above.
When she moved to the soggy Northwest a decade ago, Maria assumed that locals would know everything there was to know about clouds, in the same way they talk about salmon, tides, and the Seahawks. Yet in her first two years of living in Olympia, Washington, she never heard anyone talk about clouds–only the rain. Puzzled by this lack of cloud savvy, she decided to create a 10-question online survey and sent it to everyone she knew. Her sample size of 67 people included men and women, new friends in Olympia, family on the East Coast, outdoorsy and indoorsy types, professional scientists, and liberal arts majors like herself. The results showed that while people knew a little bit about clouds, most were like her–they had a hard time identifying clouds or remembering their names. As adults, they had lost their curiosity and sense of wonder about clouds and were, essentially, not in the habit of looking up.
A Sideways Look at Clouds acknowledges the challenges of understanding clouds and so uses a very steep and bumpy learning curve–the author’s–as its plot line. The book is structured around the ten words used in most definitions of a cloud: “a visible mass of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the earth.” A captivating story teller, Maria blends science, wonder, and humor to take the scenic route through the clouds and encourages readers to chart their own rambling, idiosyncratic course.
Whether you are outside under the clouds, inside planning your next adventure, or curled up anywhere with a good book, A Sideways Look at Clouds will engage, inform, and inspire.
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