Soul of the Sky: Exploring the Human Side of Weather

by C. Ralph Adler, Dave Thurlow

Soul of the Sky is a collection of essays that illustrates how the weather can inspire and terrify, connect us and urge us on to new adventures, and invite us to gain a deeper appreciation of how weather and climate affect our everyday lives. Contributors include Diane Ackerman, Catherine Buni, David Clark, Jan DeBlieu, Jerry Dennis, Annie Dillard, Gretel Ehrlich, Robert Henson, Sebastian Junger, David Laskin, John Hanson Mitchell, Chet Raymo, and others.

150 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 1999

Reviews

[Laura Boudreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Simply wonderful book full of well-written stories by serious writers on their experiences with weather. The chapter on tornadoes quotes John Park Finley's 1926 book "Tornadoes of May 29th and 30th, 1879" thusly:

"Upon arriving at the ruins of the once happy home a dreadful sight was presented. Human beings could not be distinguished from animals as all alike were covered with mud and mingled with an interminable mass of debris in the most sickening manner. Women and children stripped of their clothing were found lying by the side of horses and hogs. Now an arm or a leg would be raised up from the filthy mess surrounding them, attended with a piercing shriek for help, and upon examination."

Weather stories don't get more up close and personal than these. Enjoy.

[Abby]

This collection is showing its age a bit, as the conversation about "the human side of weather" has changed significantly since the '90s. There are no essays here about heat, for example--bet that would be different now. There are also a lot of white people in here, which would hopefully also be different now. But there are some old favorites and familiars--Annie Dillard, Chet Raymo, Diane Ackerman, Gretel Ehrlich. My favorite, though, might be the interview clip with Sebastian Junger about his book The Perfect Storm: "Like the desert, you have this tremendous sweep of horizon, you can see three or four different kinds of weather happening at the same time in different parts of the sky. You see the complexity of the atmosphere, the complexity of the world, in a place like that."

[Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to my long delays getting back to Iowa from Denver, I was able to read this entire book.

The stories relate how people have been affected by weather. The stories are written by people not just in the weather realm but also free-lance writers, educators, etc. Regardless of who wrote what, I learned something from each story.

Thanks Kyle!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty nice collection of short stories all based around individuals reactions to weather. The stories varied from journalistic in quality to just straight personal expression. It really illustrated just what a powerful shared effect weather has on us. If you enjoy watching the sky I think you would enjoy this book.