Foundations of the Earth

Starred review from June 1, 2014

In the biblical Book of Job, God confronts Job from a whirlwind with a host of questions about the nature of creation and its incomprehensible mysteries. God's purpose is to put Job in his place: Who is Job to question God? But in this engaging and illuminating primer on environmental science, world ecosystems scholar Shugart (environmental sciences, Univ. of Virginia; How the Earthquake Bird Got Its Name and Other Tales of an Unbalanced Nature) demonstrates that science knows quite a lot about the questions God asked Job--questions pertaining to the birth of the universe, the taming of wild beasts, the course of the stars and heavenly bodies, the bounds of the seas, the powers of the winds, the dynamics of seasons and weather, and more. Using Job 38 as a framing device, Shugart brings readers face-to-face with the environmental consequences of human interference in nature and lightly touches on prospects for mitigating the damage we have caused. VERDICT Drawing from astronomy, botany, zoology, meteorology, and ecology, the author deftly introduces general readers to the present state of knowledge while making a case for informed scientific and ethical engagement with a changing climate.--Steve Young, McHenry Cty. Coll., Crystal Lake, IL

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