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Water Is...
Part history, part science and part philosophy and spirituality, "Water Is..." combines personal journey with scientific discovery that explores water's many identities and ultimately our own. Written by internationally published author, teacher and limnologist Nina Munteanu.
- GenresNonfictionScience
584 pages, Paperback
Published April 12, 2016
2 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
About the author
Nina Munteanu
42 books89 followersNina Munteanu is a Canadian ecologist and SF, fantasy and eco-fiction writer. She has published eight novels and a dozen award-winning short stories translated into several languages. Her novels are mostly eco-fiction and thrillers that explore humanity's tense co-evolution with technology and Nature.
Nina is also editor of several publishing houses and ezines. She teaches writing at the University of Toronto and George Brown College. Her three textbooks "The Fiction Writer", "The Journal Writer" and "The Ecology of Story" are used in colleges, universities, and writing institutions throughout the world. Her latest non-fiction book "Water Is..." explores the many identities of water (www.TheMeaningOfWater.com). Find more on Nina and her work at www.ninamunteanu.ca.
The books that appear on my bookshelf are all books I recommend. You will not find a book on my shelf or a book review from me that is not a recommended book; if I don't like it, it won't be here.
Nina is also editor of several publishing houses and ezines. She teaches writing at the University of Toronto and George Brown College. Her three textbooks "The Fiction Writer", "The Journal Writer" and "The Ecology of Story" are used in colleges, universities, and writing institutions throughout the world. Her latest non-fiction book "Water Is..." explores the many identities of water (www.TheMeaningOfWater.com). Find more on Nina and her work at www.ninamunteanu.ca.
The books that appear on my bookshelf are all books I recommend. You will not find a book on my shelf or a book review from me that is not a recommended book; if I don't like it, it won't be here.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 9, 2017
Water Is...The Meaning of Water
Nina Munteanu. Pixel Press 2016
Are you fascinated by what goes on in the physical world? Are you curious about the inner workings of natural phenomena? For anyone like me who is fascinated by water, Nina Munteanu’s Water Is offers wonderful analyses from minutia like the construction of a single drop to the way whirlpools and eddies form in the flow of a river and more macro issues like the relationship between the “stable chaos” of turbulence and quantum physics.
Water Is provides delightful explanations of things you thought you knew -
That "water occupies over 98% of a human cell molecule,”
That “what we do to water we do to ourselves."
How water’s negative charge benefits the health
How water arrived in earth from the cosmos
What are we drinking, e.g. In various bottled waters?
Issues of sustainability at various locals- the Arab Sea, the Empire of Angkor
Though a practicing limnologist and water scientist, Munteanu considers herself "one of the mavericks of the scientific community," attentive to what her colleagues term "weird water" - aspects of the way water behaves for which traditional science has not (yet) found formulas. The result is a trove of disparate treasures, like how Galileo understood water flow, the Chinese character for water, Leonardo da Vinci’s water drawings, the Gaia Hypothesis, and David Bohm’s theory of flux
This is less a sit-down-all-in-sequence read than a quirkily diverse compendium of disparate wonders which I dipped in and out of, sitting on my cabin dock as the river babbled and eddied by me, all summer long.
Nina Munteanu. Pixel Press 2016
Are you fascinated by what goes on in the physical world? Are you curious about the inner workings of natural phenomena? For anyone like me who is fascinated by water, Nina Munteanu’s Water Is offers wonderful analyses from minutia like the construction of a single drop to the way whirlpools and eddies form in the flow of a river and more macro issues like the relationship between the “stable chaos” of turbulence and quantum physics.
Water Is provides delightful explanations of things you thought you knew -
That "water occupies over 98% of a human cell molecule,”
That “what we do to water we do to ourselves."
How water’s negative charge benefits the health
How water arrived in earth from the cosmos
What are we drinking, e.g. In various bottled waters?
Issues of sustainability at various locals- the Arab Sea, the Empire of Angkor
Though a practicing limnologist and water scientist, Munteanu considers herself "one of the mavericks of the scientific community," attentive to what her colleagues term "weird water" - aspects of the way water behaves for which traditional science has not (yet) found formulas. The result is a trove of disparate treasures, like how Galileo understood water flow, the Chinese character for water, Leonardo da Vinci’s water drawings, the Gaia Hypothesis, and David Bohm’s theory of flux
This is less a sit-down-all-in-sequence read than a quirkily diverse compendium of disparate wonders which I dipped in and out of, sitting on my cabin dock as the river babbled and eddied by me, all summer long.
November 8, 2017
For the Love of Water
When Margaret Atwood recommends a book, you pay attention. Nina Munteanu’s Water Is … has earned that praise and much more. Water Is … is a timely treatise that answers any question you may have had about water, from its properties to its potential, from its tangible uses to its abstract benefits.
Munteanu writes about water and humanity and our role in commodifying this resource and the impact of that mindset. Water is … is an in-depth, compelling and passionate study of water, the world’s life’s blood. Though not a typical read for me, Water is … stirred my emotions and has made me a better steward of this precious resource.
When Margaret Atwood recommends a book, you pay attention. Nina Munteanu’s Water Is … has earned that praise and much more. Water Is … is a timely treatise that answers any question you may have had about water, from its properties to its potential, from its tangible uses to its abstract benefits.
Munteanu writes about water and humanity and our role in commodifying this resource and the impact of that mindset. Water is … is an in-depth, compelling and passionate study of water, the world’s life’s blood. Though not a typical read for me, Water is … stirred my emotions and has made me a better steward of this precious resource.
July 7, 2016
"Water connects what was once separate, urging it into a conscious being, melding into all an element of liquid heaven." - Rainer Maria Rilke
Wow, just wow.
I have no idea where to begin to describe all that I have read and learned from this 583 page book on water.
This book will tell you everything about water, what you think you knew and many more than you have ever imagined can be said about water. It tells about water's structure, forms, shapes, phases, uses, varieties, past, present and the rather bleak future but it is also intertwined with the author's personal journey which can also be better understood through many photographs that are included in this extensive book on water.
But first things first. I really like the format of this book. It doesn't have hard covers but it works much much better this way. It is quite heavy so I recommend everyone to take that into account if you decide to take it everywhere with you like I have, to me that doesn't matter, what matters is that I have a book with me. Regarding photographs, they are placed very elegantly, they can take a whole page or just be on the book's sidelines but it definitely adds to the experience and for the people who are visual types, it will help remember certain things. I loved the quotes about water like the one from Rainer Maria Rilke or Theodor Schwenk or our very own Nikola Tesla, I believe it is a great way to start a new chapter of the book. It shows us that water has been cherished and wrote about throughout our history and how could it not, it is a source of life after all.
Secondly, my apologies for taking longer to review this book than I usually do but since this is a science book and I am not a scientist, I took more time to read carefully through everything written. I felt like I was preparing for an exam because I put bookmarks on many pages and returned to reread certain passages like the one on what 'epitaxy' is (page 184).
And for the most important part. Water was here before us and water is a source of life. Yet, we tend to forget that fact and take water for granted. A lot of people do. It is just there. People are so convinced water will always be there, always available that they don't take notice on how many people die from thirst, how many areas of our beautiful Earth are suffering because of water shortage and/or pollution. Big companies tend to not care about the environment and use water to such lengths that it devastates the area around it. Water is being privatised and then charged a great deal of money for processed bottled water we are all so convinced is better than our tap water but that isn't so. It is perfectly explained in this book, I hope You take a look at it.
Now, I am speaking as a nonscientist and a person who cares about our environment. I drink water every day, I use it for cooking, cleaning, bathing and as a refreshment. Without water there is no me. There is no you. People wouldn't exist in the form that we do today. I know that and I am concerned about how our future will be like. Pollution, climate change, all of it affects all of us and most of us ignore it. It is a sad and concerning state of affairs.
The author Nina Munteanu goes towards the philosophical and spiritual aspects of water towards the end of the book, mostly in the chapter 9. Water is Story then 10. Water is Prayer and that is not something I would have included in such a book which is why I gave this book 4*. Personally, spirituality, religion and alike should have been left out or maybe mentioned in a paragraph or two.
But once I read the author's afterthoughts I suddenly realised why she decided on doing all of it in such a way. Allow me to quote the author on this one:
"Early on, during the research and writing of this book, I discovered that this project on water had become a gestalt watershed for all the important moments in my life. Places I've been. Things I've learned. People I've met and with whom I'd had surprising discussions and realizations. All spanning many years. And many of them totally unrelated. And yet, now, with a sudden flood of context, their significance has transcended into a new fabric of meaning through surprising connection."
"Water Is... has incorporated a synchronicity that defies space-time. I have no doubt that it's the result of quantum entanglement.
Water is the singularity."
I believe this book should be a must read book for all the younger generations. It talks extensively about water but also sums up everything important, everything we need to know and everything people should be aware of especially regarding our future.
I thank the author for sharing her knowledge and her personal journey via such an important book.
*I have received a copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways and I gave my honest and heartfelt opinion on it.
Wow, just wow.
I have no idea where to begin to describe all that I have read and learned from this 583 page book on water.
This book will tell you everything about water, what you think you knew and many more than you have ever imagined can be said about water. It tells about water's structure, forms, shapes, phases, uses, varieties, past, present and the rather bleak future but it is also intertwined with the author's personal journey which can also be better understood through many photographs that are included in this extensive book on water.
But first things first. I really like the format of this book. It doesn't have hard covers but it works much much better this way. It is quite heavy so I recommend everyone to take that into account if you decide to take it everywhere with you like I have, to me that doesn't matter, what matters is that I have a book with me. Regarding photographs, they are placed very elegantly, they can take a whole page or just be on the book's sidelines but it definitely adds to the experience and for the people who are visual types, it will help remember certain things. I loved the quotes about water like the one from Rainer Maria Rilke or Theodor Schwenk or our very own Nikola Tesla, I believe it is a great way to start a new chapter of the book. It shows us that water has been cherished and wrote about throughout our history and how could it not, it is a source of life after all.
Secondly, my apologies for taking longer to review this book than I usually do but since this is a science book and I am not a scientist, I took more time to read carefully through everything written. I felt like I was preparing for an exam because I put bookmarks on many pages and returned to reread certain passages like the one on what 'epitaxy' is (page 184).
And for the most important part. Water was here before us and water is a source of life. Yet, we tend to forget that fact and take water for granted. A lot of people do. It is just there. People are so convinced water will always be there, always available that they don't take notice on how many people die from thirst, how many areas of our beautiful Earth are suffering because of water shortage and/or pollution. Big companies tend to not care about the environment and use water to such lengths that it devastates the area around it. Water is being privatised and then charged a great deal of money for processed bottled water we are all so convinced is better than our tap water but that isn't so. It is perfectly explained in this book, I hope You take a look at it.
Now, I am speaking as a nonscientist and a person who cares about our environment. I drink water every day, I use it for cooking, cleaning, bathing and as a refreshment. Without water there is no me. There is no you. People wouldn't exist in the form that we do today. I know that and I am concerned about how our future will be like. Pollution, climate change, all of it affects all of us and most of us ignore it. It is a sad and concerning state of affairs.
The author Nina Munteanu goes towards the philosophical and spiritual aspects of water towards the end of the book, mostly in the chapter 9. Water is Story then 10. Water is Prayer and that is not something I would have included in such a book which is why I gave this book 4*. Personally, spirituality, religion and alike should have been left out or maybe mentioned in a paragraph or two.
But once I read the author's afterthoughts I suddenly realised why she decided on doing all of it in such a way. Allow me to quote the author on this one:
"Early on, during the research and writing of this book, I discovered that this project on water had become a gestalt watershed for all the important moments in my life. Places I've been. Things I've learned. People I've met and with whom I'd had surprising discussions and realizations. All spanning many years. And many of them totally unrelated. And yet, now, with a sudden flood of context, their significance has transcended into a new fabric of meaning through surprising connection."
"Water Is... has incorporated a synchronicity that defies space-time. I have no doubt that it's the result of quantum entanglement.
Water is the singularity."
I believe this book should be a must read book for all the younger generations. It talks extensively about water but also sums up everything important, everything we need to know and everything people should be aware of especially regarding our future.
I thank the author for sharing her knowledge and her personal journey via such an important book.
*I have received a copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways and I gave my honest and heartfelt opinion on it.
December 1, 2016
“Water Is….” provides amazing insights into our most valuable element. As you read it your own relationship with water begins to transform. You develop an entirely new respect and perspective about something that perhaps you currently take for granted. I know that having read “Water is..” I now look at water with a new curiosity and wonder. The depths and beauty of “Water Is..” are reminiscent of a waterfall, layers and layers of information unfolding and presented in a captivating way. Thank you Nina for introducing me to the majestic power of water. Your book is a wonderful resource for anyone that has a thirst to know more about water. A refreshing read!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews