Becky Libourel Diamond

NonfictionMemoir

Hiking with Nietzsche

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

The calming repetition of putting one foot in front of the other innately lends itself to philosophical thought, particularly while experiencing the natural beauty of the great outdoors. In Hiking with Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are, John Kaag (American Philosophy: A Love Story) retraces the contemplative journeys through the Sils region of Switzerland he took as a 19-year-old and the return trip he made at 37 with his wife and young daughter in tow.

As a professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Kaag has the perfect resume for this type of introspective blend of memoir and biography. As a young man, he was drawn to the Swiss village of Sils-Maria because it was a favorite spot of 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Kaag cleverly connects Nietzsche’s musings with his own experiences both past and present, detailing how his understanding of Nietzsche has evolved and changed over the 17 years between his trips to Switzerland. He pairs breathtaking descriptions of the Sils region with Nietzsche’s fascinating personal history, providing a unique, engaging narrative.

Kaag delves deep into his own past and his path to a philosophical profession, revealing painful details about his absent father and his brush with an eating disorder. Ultimately, Kaag discovers that it is OK to get out of one’s comfort zone, make mistakes and learn from them—in Nietzsche’s words, to “become who you are.”

As Kaag notes, philosophers “have always thought on their feet,” citing examples of “great wanderer-thinkers” such as Jesus, Rousseau, Wordsworth, Emerson and Thoreau. With Hiking with Nietzsche, Kaag can now add his own name to the list of thoughtful wanderers.

 

This article was originally published in the October 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

The calming repetition of putting one foot in front of the other innately lends itself to philosophical thought, particularly while experiencing the natural beauty of the great outdoors. In Hiking with Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are, John Kaag (American Philosophy: A Love Story) retraces the contemplative journeys through the Sils region of Switzerland he took as a 19-year-old and the return trip he made at 37 with his wife and young daughter in tow.

NonfictionHistory

The invisible enemy at home

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

We are living in a world of technological marvels, with each decade bringing increased numbers of medical breakthroughs. However, one disease that has been very tough for scientists to track and understand is the ever-mutating influenza virus. In Pandemic 1918, historian Catharine Arnold provides a detailed and chilling look at the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak, explaining what has been learned in the 100 years since this deadly epidemic, which killed more than 50 million people.

Arnold gives firsthand accounts from those who witnessed and survived the Spanish flu’s deadly grip while examining its impact. By exploring family memories, journals and medical documents, she is able to focus on these personal stories that have been preserved and handed down over the years.

One of the most terrifying aspects of the Spanish flu was that it often struck the healthiest rather than the elderly, young or weak. Victims included farm boys who were going off to fight in World War I. Arnold notes, “By the end of the war, more Americans died from Spanish flu than perished in the war.” The war also aided the flu’s spread, with soldiers coming from around the globe to fight. As described by one health officer at the time, Spanish flu “came like a thief in the night, its onset rapid, and insidious.”

Arnold also provides a touchstone to more recent flu epidemics, such as the Hong Kong bird flu in the late 1990s. She explains how scientists have been able to exhume and examine tissue samples from those who succumbed to Spanish flu to learn more about its causes and the virus’s ability to jump from animals to humans. As she cautions, “The threat of pandemic flu is as severe as that of a terrorist attack.”

We are living in a world of technological marvels, with each decade bringing increased numbers of medical breakthroughs. However, one disease that has been very tough for scientists to track and understand is the ever-mutating influenza virus. In Pandemic 1918, historian Catharine Arnold provides a detailed and chilling look at the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak, explaining what has been learned in the 100 years since this deadly epidemic, which killed more than 50 million people.

NonfictionEnvironment

An island teetering on the brink of destruction

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

Scientists are finding that climate change has many ramifications, including stronger storms, droughts, heat waves and rising sea levels. It is this last factor that is directly impacting tiny Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay of Virginia. Predicted to succumb to rising tides within 50 years, the island will likely become America’s first climate change victim, forcing its longtime residents to abandon their beloved home.

In Chesapeake Requiem, journalist Earl Swift recounts his experiences living on Tangier for a year, tracing its history, getting a firsthand look at the environmental impact on the island and discovering what makes the islanders tick. Tangier is just 1.3 square miles, and an area in the northernmost tip of the island has already largely disappeared. As Swift notes, “the lower Chesapeake’s relative sea level rise—the one-two punch of water coming up and land going down—is among the highest on earth.” As a result, “the island is slumping, actually subsiding into the earth’s crust.”

With a history that dates back to the 17th century, Tangier’s residents are a tight-knit community of hardworking, resilient individuals, most of them devout Christians. Their main source of income is crabbing, an expertise that has evolved over the past two centuries. So there is much at stake for them if the island disappears—not only their homes but their lifestyles and livelihoods, too.

Swift details both the joys and difficulties of life on Tangier, coming to the realization that its sinking situation makes it “an island both literal and metaphorical.” Tangier will ultimately become a model of how the U.S. handles rising sea levels for cities and communities up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

 

This article was originally published in the August 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Scientists are finding that climate change has many ramifications, including stronger storms, droughts, heat waves and rising sea levels. It is this last factor that is directly impacting tiny Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay of Virginia. Predicted to succumb to rising tides within 50 years, the island will likely become America’s first climate change victim, forcing its longtime residents to abandon their beloved home.

NonfictionNature

The importance of beavers

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

As descriptive phrases go, “busy as a beaver” is right on target. Most of us probably don’t give much thought to the second largest member of the rodent family, except perhaps when they become a nuisance by felling trees and plugging waterways in residential areas. But did you know just how integral beavers are to the environment?

In his intriguing debut, Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb details the multitude of ways beavers impact the landscape. Their dams help create wetlands and water storage, reviving aquifers for farms and ranches and providing homes for a diverse assortment of flora and fauna. Without beavers, wetlands and meadows dry up, streams are altered, and countless forms of wildlife become homeless.

Through interviews with experts in the field, scientific studies, statistical analysis and his own experiences crisscrossing the U.S. and the U.K. to witness beavers up close and personal, Goldfarb explains how restoring these “ecosystem engineers” to their natural habitat can save tens of millions of dollars each year and help combat drought, climate change and other environmental issues.

Goldfarb delves millions of years into the past, explaining how much North America’s terrain has changed since its colonization. Trappers seeking lush beaver pelts brought these “hairy banknotes” to the brink of extinction. But conservationists saved and even reintroduced beavers to some areas in an effort to restore the land to its former status, and today a fervent group of “Beaver Believers” help spread the news that we need to live in harmony with this keystone species.

As Goldfarb reinforces, beavers are “nothing less than continent-scale forces of nature, in large part responsible for sculpting the land upon which we Americans built our towns and raised our food.” It’s a wake-up call that needs to be answered.

 

This article was originally published in the July 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

As descriptive phrases go, “busy as a beaver” is right on target. Most of us probably don’t give much thought to the second largest member of the rodent family, except perhaps when they become a nuisance by felling trees and plugging waterways in residential areas. But did you know just how integral beavers are to the environment?

Nonfiction

Is there anyone out there?

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

Are we alone in the universe? Is there life on other planets? These are questions astronomers, philosophers and theologians have been asking for centuries. It wasn’t that long ago that the idea of intelligent life on Mars and Venus was entertained. Once scientists determined this was not the case, they began to look elsewhere in the cosmos. Their discoveries have been amazing; uncovering the realization that countless other planets are out there, many that could be in the “habitable zone” in their orbit around a sun—just like Earth.

In Light of the Stars, astrophysics professor and science writer (About Time) Adam Frank cleverly links Earth’s current climate change with the possibilities of life on other planets. He postulates that “humanity and its project of civilization represent a kind of ‘cosmic teenager,’” lacking the maturity to take responsibility for our actions and future. He stresses the importance of our global societies to adapt and become fully sustainable as human activities continue to strain the Earth’s resources and climatic systems.

This is not a new concept. What is revolutionary is Frank’s contention that other worlds have likely evolved enough to create intelligent civilizations, and the knowledge gleaned from studying other planets can be used to reach the necessary level of maturity to face our future. He discusses the groundbreaking work of famous thinkers and researchers, from Greek philosopher Epicurus and Renaissance-era Copernicus to modern-day astrophysicists Carl Sagan and Frank Drake. One breakthrough after another is covered in fascinating detail; not only in astronomy and physics but also in the history of life on our planet, particularly its geology and the numerous climate shifts it is gone through during the past five billion years.

Providing multiple levels of fascinating science, Light of the Stars proposes a novel theory of how astrobiology and the study of life on other planets can help us understand climate change and civilization on Earth.

Are we alone in the universe? Is there life on other planets? These are questions astronomers, philosophers and theologians have been asking for centuries. It wasn’t that long ago that the idea of intelligent life on Mars and Venus was entertained. Once scientists determined this was not the case, they began to look elsewhere in the cosmos. Their discoveries have been amazing; uncovering the realization that countless other planets are out there, many that could be in the “habitable zone” in their orbit around a sun—just like Earth.

Nonfiction

The science of psychedelic drugs

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

Psychedelic drugs often conjure images of the colorful, mind-bending world of 1960s counterculture. But therapists and scientists at the time also used these drugs to treat and research issues such as depression, alcoholism and anxiety. However, when publicity began to take a negative turn, focusing on bad trips, psychotic breaks, flashbacks and suicides, the drugs became illegal and largely unattainable—until now.

In his fascinating book How to Change Your Mind, bestselling author Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Cooked) discusses the recent psychedelic drug resurgence. Starting in the 1990s, a new generation of scientists began to quietly reinvestigate the potential of these drugs, not only to treat mental illnesses and addiction but also to help cancer patients cope with the prospect of dying and “explore the links between the brain and mind, hoping to unravel some of the mysteries of consciousness.”

Pollan discusses the different types of psychedelic drugs and their history in detail, from plant-based forms such as psilocybin (mushrooms) and mescaline (cacti) to LSD (synthetically produced). The current psychedelic renaissance piqued his interest and prompted him to do his own exploration. He devotes a whole chapter, appropriately named “Travelogue,” to these encounters. He writes, “Psychedelic experiences are notoriously hard to render in words,” but he does his best, thoughtfully deeming a “trip” as the relinquishment of the ego power struggle most of us go through every day.

As Pollan describes, this altered state of consciousness can be spiritually enlightening, mind-opening and life-changing. It can also be terror-provoking. How to Change Your Mind chronicles the unusual power of these substances, instilling a better understanding of their capabilities in helping to discover, heal and change our minds. It’s a trip worth taking.

 

This article was originally published in the May 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Psychedelic drugs often conjure images of the colorful, mind-bending world of 1960s counterculture. But therapists and scientists at the time also used these drugs to treat and research issues such as depression, alcoholism and anxiety. However, when publicity began to take a negative turn, focusing on bad trips, psychotic breaks, flashbacks and suicides, the drugs became illegal and largely unattainable—until now.

NonfictionBiography

Joined at the hip

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

As conjoined twins, Chang and Eng Bunker could easily have chosen to live as recluses, away from the public’s gawking stares. But instead, they traveled the world as entertainers. In Inseparable, Chinese-American professor Yunte Huang (Charlie Chan) faithfully chronicles their incredible story.

Born in Siam in 1811, Chang and Eng Bunker were the namesakes for the term “Siamese twins.” In their late teens, they were discovered by an enterprising Scotsman who convinced them to join him on an exhibition tour of Europe and America. The 19th century was a time when “curious freaks” were put on display. As noted by Huang, these carnival acts were “indubitably the birthplace of American mass entertainment.”

But the twins became adept and engaging performers. Financially savvy and frugal, they were able to save their earnings and settle in North Carolina, where they married two sisters and fathered a total of 21 children. This specific factor has long been a curiosity, and Huang surmises the twins’ lovemaking logistics and technique, referencing previous biographies, medical commentary and even the autopsy notes in which the lead doctor asked the widows “the most sensitive question about their sex life.”

Throughout the book, Huang provides historical perspective by noting other global events of the time, such as a slave uprising in New Orleans the year the twins were born and the political upheaval in 1830s America when the twins were taking their show on the road. Many of the subjects are timely today, such as the racial injustices the twins faced as Asian immigrants, often doubly worse for them due to their conjoined state.

As Huang points out, “[T]o them, being human meant being more than one, inseparable from the other—never alone in life, death, happiness, pain, procreation, or even answering the call of nature.” Inseparable is an engaging look at the lives of two singular people.

 

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our Q&A with Yunte Huang about Inseparable.

This article was originally published in the April 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

As conjoined twins, Chang and Eng Bunker could easily have chosen to live as recluses, away from the public’s gawking stares. But instead, they traveled the world as entertainers. In Inseparable, Chinese-American professor Yunte Huang (Charlie Chan) faithfully chronicles their incredible story.

NonfictionTravel

Two men walk into the jungle

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

In The Last Wild Men of Borneo, author Carl Hoffman (Savage Harvest) tells the alternating stories of two bold and fearless men: Bruno Manser from Switzerland and American Michael Palmieri. Comparing and contrasting the two, Hoffman compellingly explains what drove them to seek a life of daring exploration.

Both traveled to a variety of intriguing locales, including Beirut, Kabul and Thailand, and they eventually ended up in tropical Borneo, the world’s third largest island. Home to parts of Malaysia, Indonesia and the tiny sultanate of Brunei, Borneo’s terrain is not the lush jungle typically associated with a hot, steamy climate, but rather an “ancient primary landscape of hardwood trees soaring one hundred feet tall.” Both Manser and Palmieri were drawn to the beauty and mystery of this unusual island, particularly the sacred cultures of its people and “romantic notions of their power.”

Although the two men were different in almost every way, in Palmieri’s words, they were “both obsessed.” Manser ventured deep into the dense rainforest and essentially went native, living among the Penan people and leading a fight against the logging and mining companies destroying the pristine forest. Palmieri also journeyed far into the rugged terrain, ultimately becoming a tribal art dealer and collector. They were each trying to save this land and its culture in their own way. But while Palmieri ended up with a comfortable lifestyle, Manser mysteriously disappeared without a trace in 2000.

Hoffman charts the engrossing backstory of both men, and through meticulous research, interviews and personal visits, he paints a vivid character portrait of the two adventurers while detailing the incredible splendor of the unique region. The Last Wild Men of Borneo is an exciting tale of Borneo’s rich history and two modern-day treasure hunters who followed their dreams.

 

This article was originally published in the March 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

In The Last Wild Men of Borneo, author Carl Hoffman (Savage Harvest) tells the alternating stories of two bold and fearless men: Bruno Manser from Switzerland and American Michael Palmieri. Comparing and contrasting the two, Hoffman compellingly explains what drove them to seek a life of daring exploration.

NonfictionBiography

Three women in their father’s shadow

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

Much has been written about Thomas Jefferson, his family and his illegitimate daughter, Harriet Hemings. But historian Catherine Kerrison eloquently manages to shed new light on the Founding Father and his relationships with three of his very different children in her new book, Jefferson’s Daughters.

Jefferson married a young widow, Martha Wayles Skelton, in 1772, and eventually had six children with her, although only two would reach adulthood—Martha and Maria. But these girls had half-siblings mothered by Sally Hemings, a slave who was their lady’s maid and companion.

Each daughter took a different path. Jefferson brought Martha, the apple of his eye, along with him while serving as ambassador in Paris, where she thrived and received a top-notch education. Maria was a beautiful and feisty young woman who strove to break away from her father’s control, exhibiting an “emotional maturity that has been entirely overlooked” by scholars. And although she was born into slavery, Harriet was able to leave Monticello and escape slavery at the age of 21, passing as a white woman and obtaining the “privileges of white womanhood,” bearing and raising her children in freedom. However, this meant giving up her family name and being separated from her mother and younger brothers, who remained in slavery.

Jefferson’s character has been the subject of much scrutiny, particularly after DNA testing documented a connection between Sally’s youngest child, Eston, and the Jefferson male line in 1998. Although Jefferson promoted individual liberty, he contradicted this endorsement by owning slaves. Kerrison writes about this contradiction with thoroughness and candor, piecing together massive amounts of research, including letters, journal entries, financial accounts and commentary from family descendants. In meticulous detail, her knowledgeable yet conversational style makes Jefferson’s Daughters a thought-provoking nonfiction narrative that reads like a novel.

Much has been written about Thomas Jefferson, his family and his illegitimate daughter, Harriet Hemings. But historian Catherine Kerrison eloquently manages to shed new light on the Founding Father and his relationships with three of his very different children in her new book, Jefferson’s Daughters.

Nonfiction

What it means to be warmblooded

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

Chances are most of us don’t give much thought to what it means to be a mammal. In science class we learn that mammals are warmblooded and give birth to live young. But it is much more complicated than that, as writer and former neurobiologist Liam Drew explains in his fascinating debut, I, Mammal.

As a scientist, Drew had a good working knowledge of mammals and their evolution. But becoming a father changed his perspective. The natural human processes of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding piqued his curiosity regarding the specific traits that make us mammals. As he notes, “For twenty years, I’d studied biology; finally, I understood that I was biology.”

Each chapter is devoted to a specific aspect of mammalian biology, such as X and Y chromosomes, the reproductive process and the calories we need to support our warmblooded lifestyle (up to 20 times more than our coldblooded cousins). He explains how mammals are divided into three groups: the monotremes, marsupials and placental animals. Some of the facts are mind-boggling: Placental animals (yes, that includes us) make up the overwhelming majority of the three types, with 5,080 species to be exact, 2,277 of which are rodents.

Although mammals share many commonalities, there are vast differences, too, demonstrating the delicate balance between survival and extinction. Drew explains these in detail, such as the painstaking, dangerous journey marsupial infants must take to reach their mother’s mammary glands. It is amazing just how long it took scientists to understand many mammalian functions and how many theories are still being debated. Drew discusses these various hypotheses, often pointing out those he feels carry the most weight.

Skillfully weaving scientific fact with beautiful prose and humor, I, Mammal is a compelling narrative for anyone who wants to discover more about what makes us tick.

Chances are most of us don’t give much thought to what it means to be a mammal. In science class we learn that mammals are warmblooded and give birth to live young. But it is much more complicated than that, as writer and former neurobiologist Liam Drew explains in his fascinating debut, I, Mammal.

NonfictionNature

Behind their eyes

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

Who doesn’t like to imagine that animals have humanlike qualities? In his new book, The Inner Life of Animals, author Peter Wohlleben (The Hidden Life of Trees) postulates that animals of all shapes and sizes do indeed share many of the same characteristics as humans, such as love, grief, empathy, courage and gratitude.

The book is laid out as a series of short chapters, each focusing on a different emotional state and how it relates to animals. Using research studies and his own experiences as the manager of a woodland area in Germany, Wohlleben carefully lays out his opinions and reasoning of his belief that animals are similar to people in the way they interact with their surroundings. For animal lovers, his fascinating, enjoyable prose serves as affirmation that their furry friends are complex beings.

However, those who are scientifically minded might be a little more skeptical, since it is commonly thought that animal behavior is instinctive. Wohlleben anticipates this, raising the argument that it is difficult to prove that all humans experience things in the exact same way. Since we share comparable genetic code with animals, he theorizes that they also have varying degrees of sensations, but it is difficult for them to communicate how they are feeling.

Wohlleben raises other interesting connections, resulting in a narrative that is both entertaining and provocative. For example, he points out that emotions are linked to the unconscious part of the brain. Since “every species of animal experiences unconscious brain activity, and because this activity directs how the animal interacts with the world, every animal must also have emotions.” Wohlleben’s insightful observations will hopefully help build a better understanding of animals and their emotional world.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our Q&A with Peter Wohlleben.

This article was originally published in the November 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Who doesn’t like to imagine that animals have humanlike qualities? In his new book, The Inner Life of Animals, author Peter Wohlleben (The Hidden Life of Trees) postulates that animals of all shapes and sizes do indeed share many of the same characteristics as humans, such as love, grief, empathy, courage and gratitude.

NonfictionNature

An elegy for a way of life

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

When perusing the endless variety of foods lining the shelves of grocery stores, it’s easy to forget where it all comes from. This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm by Ted Genoways offers insight into the farming process, which has experienced significant changes over the years.

Genoways follows Nebraska farmer Rick Hammond and his family over the course of a year, providing an in-depth look at the obstacles farmers face today, including climate change, dwindling underground water supplies, oil and gas pipeline encroachment, market price fluctuations and the always unpredictable weather. There are also successes, such as President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline in 2015—but the challenges seem to outweigh the triumphs.

A Nebraska native, Genoways tells the story with genuine honesty and historical awareness, explaining how the “American farm underwent a period of unmatched innovation in the early twentieth century” with the introduction of gas-powered tractors and harvesting combines. But big corporations have now taken over, forcing cross-pollination “to produce robust seed corn” and promoting pesticide-heavy crops, which are more resistant and have higher yields.

Genoways delivers a close-up look at what farmers face today and their efforts to accomplish their goals.

 

This article was originally published in the October 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

When perusing the endless variety of foods lining the shelves of grocery stores, it’s easy to forget where it all comes from. This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm by Ted Genoways offers insight into the farming process, which has experienced significant changes over the years.

Nonfiction

Shaky foundations

Review by Becky Libourel Diamond

Unless they reside on the West Coast, many Americans may assume they are immune to the shaking and damage wreaked by a destructive earthquake. Well, earthquakes are actually more ubiquitous than people think. Kathryn Miles (Superstorm: Nine Days Inside Hurricane Sandy) explains why in her fascinating new book, Quakeland: On the Road to America’s Next Devastating Earthquake.

Earthquakes are one of the most mysterious and unpredictable of all natural disasters. As a scientific discipline, seismology is not only relatively new but also very frustrating, since seismologists “often can’t see what they are supposed to be studying.” And unlike disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes, earthquakes don’t appear to be limited to a certain geography or climate.

In vivid detail, Miles covers every facet of U.S. earthquakes, including what triggers them, the art of earthquake forecasting and damage rings. She traveled around the country to visit various sites that play a part in predicting earthquakes, their causes and readiness preparation. She discusses the status of America’s infrastructure and the likelihood of it withstanding a major seismic event—which is not good, considering the U.S. has averaged a grade “D” for the past 20 years.

Using statistics, definitions, real life accounts and expert interviews, Miles examines the “earthquakes that have already defined America and the ones that are still coming.” She discusses the numerous faults mapped by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), as well as the thousands still unidentified. Each represents a potential earthquake, yet scientists remain in the dark about if and when they will rupture. She raises some provocative points, such as the public health disruption and emotional stress caused by a major earthquake, and human activities like mining and fracking that can cause earthquakes to occur.

Quakeland is a mesmerizing, eye-opening read—not only for those interested in science but for anyone who wants to be better informed about these enigmatic phenomena.

Unless they reside on the West Coast, many Americans may assume they are immune to the shaking and damage wreaked by a destructive earthquake. Well, earthquakes are actually more ubiquitous than people think. Kathryn Miles (Superstorm: Nine Days Inside Hurricane Sandy) explains why in her fascinating new book, Quakeland: On the Road to America’s Next Devastating Earthquake.

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