Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice is top-notch on the ground reporting on one more piece of the global environmental puzzle--a particularly tragic piece, and one that we should work hard to solve for so many profound reasons. Bill McKibben, author of Wandering Home Fire and Ice wonderfully captures the human face of the impact of traditional cooking fires and fuels on the lives of individuals, made vibrant in this environmental travelogue that encompasses and connects the lives of villagers in a remote Himalayan village, to scientists, political officials and policy makers stretching from New Delhi to startup dot.com companies to the negotiating chambers of the United Nations. Daniel Kammen, Professor of Energy, University of California, Berkeley To the unfolding drama of climate change Jonathan Mingle brings something new to worry about -- black carbon, the tiny particles from a billion cooking fires that absorb the sun's heat and are melting the great glaciers in the Himalayas which regulate the water flow in the mighty rivers that feed half of Asia. Mingle's marvelous and original book, Fire and Ice, is no gloomy tale but a story of intellectual, scientific and human adventure among the Zanskaris on the roof of the world, where Mingle unfolds the beautiful simplicity of the problem, and of what to do about it. Thomas Powers, author of The Killing of Crazy Horse and Heisenberg's War A searching, sobering, sometimes-scary look at an overlooked carrier of climate change If you weren't worried about climate change before, this is just the book to kindle your angst. A promising debut. Kirkus Fascinating readers who might not have given much thought about a remote Indian village will understand its contemporary relevance. Publishers Weekly An intriguing look at...the portrayal of the impact of carbon pollution on a small village and the worldwide ripples. Booklist A compelling case for how we can clear our skies. Mother Jones Fire and Ice is a lyrical tale about life in the coldest places at a time when the earth itself is warming. Author Jonathan Mingle takes the reader to a hearth in the high Himalaya, to join one community within one ancient culture as its citizens respond to climate change. The villagers' story, not to mention the soot from their cookstoves, resounds through the mountains and encircles the world. Dava Sobel, author of Longitude, Galileo s Daughter, and The Planets