
Turning to Stone
Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks
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Narrated by:
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Rebecca Stern
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By:
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Marcia Bjornerud
Earth is vibrantly alive and full of wisdom for those who learn to listen.
Earth has been reinventing itself for more than four billion years, keeping a record of its experiments in the form of rocks. Yet most of us live our lives on the planet with no idea of its extraordinary history, unable to interpret the language of the rocks that surround us. Geologist Marcia Bjornerud believes that our lives can be enriched by understanding our heritage on this old and creative planet.
Contrary to their reputation, rocks have eventful lives—and they intersect with our own in surprising ways. In Turning to Stone, Bjornerud reveals how rocks are the hidden infrastructure that keep the planet functioning, from sandstone aquifers purifying the water we drink to basalt formations slowly regulating global climate.
Bjornerud’s life as a geologist has coincided with an extraordinary period of discovery in the geosciences. From an insular girlhood in rural Wisconsin, she found her way to an unlikely career studying mountains in remote parts of the world and witnessed the emergence of a new understanding of the Earth as an animate system of rock, air, water and life. We are all, most fundamentally, Earthlings and we can find existential meaning and enduring wisdom in stone.
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.
©2024 Marcia Bjornerud (P)2024 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"Marcia Bjornerud masterfully weaves together the story of her own life and that of the Earth's long, often tumultuous history. “Turning to Stone” is a beautiful book—at once intimate and sweeping, informative and moving."—Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky
“This lyrical, wise book will change your relationship to the living Earth. Marcia Bjornerud offers a nuanced celebration of the languages of stone, from the subtle whispers of sand grains to the delightfully complex inner lives of mountains disclosed by eroding outcrops. Her careful attention not only reveals unexpected stories of stone, but teaches us what it means to be boundlessly curious and caring about our world and one another.”—David George Haskell, author of Sounds Wild and Broken
"Marcia Bjornerud has done it again! With flowing grace, technical mastery, and poetic insight, she takes us on a geological odyssey across the vastness of deep time and to the literal ends of the Earth. Turning to Stone interweaves the profound testimony of ancient rocks—granite, basalt, sandstone, and flint—with her inspiring personal journey from curious youth to avid student, from struggling junior faculty member to master field geologist and revered educator. In the process, we share in the eventful, poignant life journey of a gifted scientist who has gained the expertise and nurtured the passion to share astonishing stories of Earth in a unique and timeless book."—Robert Hazen, author of The Story of Earth
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A wonderful geological history of our beautiful breathing living planet.
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a beautiful inclusion!
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The scientific geological terms can get confusing. It helps to listen over again in bursts. But it doesn't really matter for the point of this book. And I did learn a LOT about rocks. And even more about humility and gratitude for what is.
The reader is wonderful.
I will read this again and recommend it to lots of friends.
Thank you Marcia Bjornerud.
Very unusual book by a profound writer
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Rocks Rock!
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Love for Rock
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Amazing coalescence of the life of rocks and a human life.
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Rocks are indeed alive!
I never realized Earth rocks owe so much to biology for their many varieties and types. You eloquently described that if one just takes the time to listen and learn to what they’re saying, overtime they reveal their true nature.
I started looking and listening myself over many backpacking trips and hikes through the Sierra Nevada and CO Rockies. Your book opened up the thought that so much wisdom in the rocks is still there for me to discover.
Cheers.
Rocks Are Alive
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Nice mix of science and personal memoirs. I enjoyed the authors
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Way beyond my expectations
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Fantastic book that combines great geology with powerful insights.
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