"A National Geographic UK Best Travel Book of 2020
A Main Selection of the Library Science Book Club
2020 Foreword INDIES Finalist
"The Hidden Life of Ice is a brilliant short book that grabs a lay reader through the elegance of its prose and its dispassionate investigation of a changing world."
"Marco Tedesco tells us a story we need to hear. Most of us will never see Greenland with our own eyes, but we can see it, in all its splendor, through his. Tedesco teaches us that we are not just caretakers of our home planet, although we need to be that and do that, but also that we are intimately connected to the snow and ice of Greenland. As it melts, all of us, everywhere, are changed."
"When it comes to ice and snow, and to understanding the cold and exotic climates of Greenland and Antarctica, Marco Tedesco is one of the most knowledgeable scientists alive. The Hidden Life of Ice is a terrific complement to his important academic work—a book that is insightful, lyrical, and personal, and that will help guide readers through the science of a warming world."
"Imagine a science book that’s truly informative but without an intimidating slew of equations, graphs, and references. That book is The Hidden Life of Ice—a book about ice, climate, Greenland, and the daily life of scientists who study these esoteric topics. It’s a beautifully told story that will make you wish you could spend a year alone on the Greenland ice sheet."
"In the often poetic The Hidden Life of Ice, authors Marco Tedesco, a research professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, and Alberto Flores d’Arcais, an Italian journalist with a background in philosophy, offer fascinating insight into Greenland’s strangest features. Among the wonders discussed are evidence of long-extinct ‘polar camels’ and the lives of microorganisms that can survive in freezing temperatures. Underscoring the book is concern for the Arctic’s imperiled future, and how climate change is altering this fantastical landscape forever."
"In this illuminating narrative, history, science and the deeply personal experiences of living on ice are woven together in a way that offers the reader a unique perspective on the past, present, and future of the Greenland ice sheet. The colors and sounds of migrating ice, the challenges of tent life in one of the planet’s harshest settings, the importance of companionship, and the wild world’s power to inspire deep reflection and contemplation all make this book a must-read for anyone who is curious about the frozen Arctic landscape or concerned about the impacts of climate change."
A National Geographic UK Best Travel Book of 2020 A Main Selection of the Library Science Book Club2020 Foreword INDIES Finalist “The Hidden Life of Ice is a brilliant short book that grabs a lay reader through the elegance of its prose and its dispassionate investigation of a changing world.”—The Wall Street Journal “Tedesco shares scientific and historical insight into Arctic ice, discussing the hardy microorganisms that live in it, the famed explorers behind major discoveries about the ice, and the threat posed by climate change.”—Publishers Weekly “In the often poetic The Hidden Life of Ice, authors Marco Tedesco, a research professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, and Alberto Flores d’Arcais, an Italian journalist with a background in philosophy, offer fascinating insight into Greenland’s strangest features. Among the wonders discussed are evidence of long-extinct “polar camels” and the lives of microorganisms that can survive in freezing temperatures. Underscoring the book is concern for the Arctic’s imperiled future, and how climate change is altering this fantastical landscape forever.”—Literary Hub “Imagine a science book that's truly informative but without an intimidating slew of equations, graphs, and references. That book is The Hidden Life of Ice—a book about ice, climate, Greenland, and the daily life of scientists who study these esoteric topics. It's a beautifully told story that will make you wish you could spend a year alone on the Greenland ice sheet."—Henry Pollack, Professor Emeritus at The University of Michigan Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and author of A World Without Ice “When it comes to ice and snow, and to understanding the cold and exotic climates of Greenland and Antarctica, Marco Tedesco is one of the most knowledgeable scientists alive. The Hidden Life of Ice is a terrific complement to his important academic work—a book that is insightful, lyrical, and personal, and that will help guide readers through the science of a warming world.” —Jon Gertner, author of The Ice at the End of the World and The Idea Factory “In this illuminating narrative, history, science and the deeply personal experiences of living on ice are woven together in a way that offers the reader a unique perspective on the past, present, and future of the Greenland ice sheet. The colors and sounds of migrating ice, the challenges of tent life in one of the planet’s harshest settings, the importance of companionship, and the wild world’s power to inspire deep reflection and contemplation all make this book a must-read for anyone who is curious about the frozen Arctic landscape or concerned about the impacts of climate change.”—William E. Glassley, author of A Wilder Time: Notes from a Geologist at the Edge of the Greenland Ice “Marco Tedesco tells us a story we need to hear. Most of us will never see Greenland with our own eyes, but we can see it, in all its splendor, through his. Tedesco teaches us that we are not just caretakers of our home planet, although we need to be that and do that, but also that we are intimately connected to the snow and ice of Greenland. As it melts, all of us, everywhere, are changed.”—Susan Hand Shetterly, author of Seaweed Chronicles "Greenland is ground zero for the monumental change sweeping over our world during the Anthropocene. Dr. Tedesco makes a valuable and much-needed contribution toward the dire story unfolding in this great and sometimes enigmatic land."—James Balog, A.D. White Professor at Cornell University and founder of the Extreme Ice Survey and Earth Vision Institute
08/01/2020
Tedesco (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia Univ.) shares a day in his life as he and colleagues investigate climate change in Greenland. Along with coauthor and journalist d'Arcais, Tedesco shares his experiences working in the endless summer sun on the harsh, but beautiful Greenland ice sheets and the difficulties inherent in polar expeditions, even in the summer. Tedesco describes his team's fieldwork experiences, from gathering ground data to validating satellite data to seeing a collapsing lake to uncovering the microscopic life found in cryoconite holes. Woven among these events are the author's musing about everything from Greenland history to polar expeditions. He also explores how the increased melting of polar ice can spell disaster for numerous coastal cities and ocean life. A foreword by Elizabeth Kolbert (The Sixth Extinction) is a bonus. VERDICT A beautifully descriptive, lyrical love letter to Greenland that brings to life what it is like to work as a field scientist, from the daily hardships to the excitement of discovery. Readers who enjoy memoirs of field scientists, especially those set in polar areas like My Penguin Year by Lindsay McCrae, will relish this book.—Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove, IL
Narrator Joel Richards admirably handles the complex task of emulating the reverential voice of climate scientist Tedesco as he navigates the vastness of ice-covered Greenland. Read in an almost hushed tone, his nuanced narration reveals the exquisite silences, freezing temperatures, and harsh winds of one of the planet’s largest remaining arctic expanses. Richards smoothly vocalizes this audiobook, by turns paean to solitude, primer on global warming, and compendium of close scientific observations. Author Tedesco witnesses the disappearance of a lake into the ice, worries how warmer temperatures will bring about arctic tourism, and frets over a China-sponsored new Silk Road to connect with Europe. This fine, if brief, audiobook illuminates the lifework of scientists performing experiments, eating, and sleeping in very cold country. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
