First published 2009
Bill Streever embarks on a year-long quest to understand cold in all its forms. His passion for frigid temperatures drives him to plunge into 35-degree Arctic swimming holes in July and excavate evidence of ancient ice ages in September. By October, he investigates how animals survive brutal winters, studying hibernation patterns in creatures ranging from wood frogs to bears and even humans. Streever weaves together natural history, geography, and ecology as he explores everything from avalanches and glaciers to seals and snowflakes. He draws connections between Shackleton's polar expedition and "The Year Without Summer," bringing together historical events and scientific phenomena. The scientist's enthusiasm transforms technical knowledge into vivid storytelling, conjuring woolly mammoth remains and ice-age Clovis peoples from thawing glacial evidence. His descriptions of savage blizzards become so immediate that readers experience the bite of subzero conditions.
Genres: science, nature, adventure, non-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: exploration, quest
Setting: Arctic, Clovis
Period: Ice Age, July, September, October
304 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company