'Vast and arresting' SPECTATOR 'A remarkably human take on the geological world' NEW
STATESMAN Rocks are the record of our creative planet reinventing itself for four billion
years. Nothing is ever lost just transformed. Marcia Bjornerud's life as a geologist has
coincided with an extraordinary period of discovery. From an insular girlhood in rural
Wisconsin she found her way to an unlikely career studying mountains in remote parts of the
world. As one of few women in her field she witnessed the shift in our understanding of the
Earth from solid object to an entity in a constant state of transformation. In the most
tumultuous times of her own life a deep understanding of our rocky planet imbued her life with
meaning. The lives of rocks are long and complex spanning billions of years and yet shaping
our own human lives in powerful invisible ways. Sandstone that filters out pathogens creating
underground oases in aquifers of clean water. Ecologite is "the chosen rock" whose formation
keeps the planet running. Earth is not just a passive backdrop or a source of resources to be
mined extracted and carved out. Rocks are full of wisdom but somewhere along the way many of
us have forgotten how to hear it. When we are uncertain about where to find truth a
geocentric worldview reminds us that we are Earthlings part of a planetary community where we
can find wisdom in the most unlikely places. More praise for TURNING TO STONE: 'Marcia
Bjornerud writes evocatively' COUNTRY LIFE 'A nuanced celebration of the language of stone'
DAVID GEORGE HASKELL 'A unique and timeless book' ROBERT HALZEN
