Walker, Gabrielle

views updated

Walker, Gabrielle

PERSONAL:

Education: Cambridge University, Ph.D.

ADDRESSES:

Home—London, England; France. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Academic and radio host. Taught at Cambridge University and Princeton University; BBC Radio 4, London, England, host of Planet Earth under Threat.

WRITINGS:

Snowball Earth: The Story of the Great Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know It, Crown (New York, NY), 2003.

An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2007.

(With Sir David King) The Hot Topic: What We Can Do about Global Warming, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2008.

Consultant and features editor to New Scientist. Climate change editor to Nature. Contributor to numerous periodicals, including Prospect, Nature, Science, New Scientist, Economist, Natural History, Discover, and the New York Times.

SIDELIGHTS:

Gabrielle Walker is an academic and radio host. Having received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Cambridge University, Walker went on to lecture at Cambridge and Princeton universities and also hosted an ecological-centric radio show for BBC Radio 4. She has contributed articles to a number of periodicals and journals.

Walker published her first book, Snowball Earth: The Story of the Great Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know It, in 2003. She shares the findings of the Harvard geologist Paul Hoffman and his belief that the entire planet, from pole to pole, was covered in a dense layer of ice around 600 million years ago. The book also suggests that it was this extreme ice age and its subsequent demise that gave rise to complex life forms that became the ancestors of life on the planet today.

Jon Turney, writing in the London Guardian, found the book full of "convincing arguments." Turney added that Snowball Earth allows "the reader to get right inside contemporary scientific debates, and leave a vivid impression of science as a work in progress." Denise Hamilton, writing in Library Journal, called the account "thrilling." Hamilton remarked that "this is science writing at its best, a thoroughly engaging work that advances some serious ideas." A contributor to Science News wrote that Walker succeeds in "clearly explaining both the science and academic politics involved in this debate." A contributor to Publishers Weekly thought that both scientists and general readers would be aided by reading this book in "gaining greater insight" into the early history of our planet. The same contributor concluded that "Walker has written an important, provocative book that is a joy to read."

In 2007 Walker published her second book, An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere. In it she reveals the scientific studies about air and what exactly it is, ranging from Galileo's experiments to modern studies of the ozone layer.

Simon Singh, writing in the London Telegraph, called the facts found in Walker's book "extraordinary." Singh noted that "Walker explains how scientific ideas emerge and how speculation, theory, experiment, and observation have led to the overwhelming modern consensus on global warming. If you are not interested in reading 321 pages about the atmosphere in general but you are interested in the global warming debate, then I would recommend taking a peek at chapter three about carbon dioxide. Those who still think man-made global warming is a conspiracy would benefit from reading it." Mark Mortimer, writing on the Universe Today Web site, commented that "combining a famous scientist's personal characteristics, together with an explanation of their discoveries, brings these great individuals back from the halls of the renown and into the common theatre of life. Gabrielle Walker's book … does just this in rekindling many great discoveries. As well, she includes details of the special characteristics of our atmosphere to remind us of the debt we owe these people in their investigation of the unseen air." Abram Bergen, writing on the Blog Critics Web site, concluded that "An Ocean of Air is a wonderful journey behind the science of air through a series of biographical narratives. This is a book for scientists and non-scientists alike. A useful book in a time when we finally are beginning to realize that we are all a part of nature, that our actions have consequences for the planet. This is a book to be read and re-read."

Turney, reviewing this book in the London Independent, found that the collection of popular science "leads to a series of excellent stories, well told," adding that they are also "well chosen to build Walker's overall theme of air awareness. You leave the book with a deeper appreciation of the stuff's life-giving qualities. Breathe deep, and enjoy." In a Los AngelesTimes review, M.G. Lord found that Walker "writes like a poet. With a few deft strokes, she brings wacky characters to life." Lord also observed that An Ocean of Air "sounds a warning, but not one that is shrill or grating. Walker's book should absorb and delight anyone who breathes." Writing in the New York Times Book Review, William Grimes found that a "sense of wonder, transmitted down through the ages through generations of scientists, animates Ms. Walker's high-spirited narrative and speeds it along like a fresh-blowing westerly. It may be science lite, but out of thin air, Ms. Walker conjures marvelous shapes and forms."

Writing with Sir David King, Walker published The Hot Topic: What We Can Do about Global Warming, in 2008. The book makes the case that the Earth is warmer than it has ever been within the last 1,000 years and has the highest amount of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere in over 650,000 years. The authors fault humans for these levels and outline the consequences for our actions, ranging from intense tropical storms to severe droughts throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Mike Hulme, reviewing the book in the London Independent, wrote that "Walker and King's stated goal to ‘tell the facts’ and not to find a disaster around every climate corner is laudable." Hulme praised their scientific backgrounds, but that as a weakness of the book, noting: "We definitely need this perspective, but it's hardly the whole story." Hulme did concede, though, that "Walker offers the clever journalistic touches which keep the story light and agile." A contributor to Kirkus Reviews described the book as "an incisive look at global warming," calling it "practical, detailed, and authoritative—essential reading."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Scientist, September 1, 2003, Chris J. Poulsen, review of Snowball Earth: The Story of the Great Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know It, p. 472; September 1, 2007, Greg Ross, review of An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere, p. 462.

Booklist, January 1, 2003, Gilbert Taylor, review of Snowball Earth, p. 822; July 1, 2007, Gilbert Taylor, review of An Ocean of Air, p. 16.

Canadian Geographic, September, 2003, review of Snowball Earth, p. 101.

Discover, June, 2003, Maia Weinstock, review of Snowball Earth, p. 78; August, 2007, review of An Ocean of Air, p. 69.

Geoscience Canada, September, 2004, E.R. Ward Neale, review of Snowball Earth, p. 141.

Guardian (London, England), May 24, 2003, Jon Turney, review of Snowball Earth.

Independent (London, England), May 22, 2007, Jon Turney, review of An Ocean of Air; January 18, 2008, Mike Hulme, review of The Hot Topic: What We Can Do about Global Warming.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2002, review of Snowball Earth, p. 1837; June 1, 2007, review of An Ocean of Air; January 15, 2008, review of The Hot Topic.

Library Journal, January, 2003, Denise Hamilton, review of Snowball Earth, p. 150; July 1, 2007, Denise Dayton, review of An Ocean of Air, p. 116.

Los Angeles Times, August 12, 2007, M.G. Lord, review of An Ocean of Air.

Midwest Book Review, October, 2007, review of An Ocean of Air.

Nature, April 24, 2003, Euan Nisbet, review of Snowball Earth, p. 812; June 21, 2007, Raymond T. Pierrehumbert, review of An Ocean of Air, p. 911.

New Statesman, April 30, 2007, Tom de Castella, review of An Ocean of Air, p. 57.

New York Times Book Review, August 3, 2007, William Grimes, review of An Ocean of Air.

Publishers Weekly, January 20, 2003, review of Snowball Earth, p. 69; May 7, 2007, review of An Ocean of Air, p. 49.

Science News, July 26, 2003, review of Snowball Earth, p. 63; August 11, 2007, review of An Ocean of Air, p. 95.

SciTech Book News, June, 2003, review of Snowball Earth, p. 66; December, 2007, review of An Ocean of Air.

Telegraph (London, England), April 26, 2007, Simon Singh, review of An Ocean of Air.

Times Higher Education Supplement, April 30, 2004, Michael Whitfield, review of Snowball Earth, p. 26.

Times Literary Supplement, August 22, 2003, Alycia L. Rode, review of Snowball Earth, p. 24.