The Whispers of Rock

Anjana Khatwa writes science in poetry. She bridges worlds with her words. I'll never touch rocks in the same way again * Dan Snow * With head, heart and soul, Anjana Khatwa nudges us towards a better understanding of and respect for rocks * Tracy Chevalier * Deftly joining the lithic and the lyrical, Anjana Khatwa reveals the surprising stories that lie beneath our feet. The Whispers of Rock gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, heart of stone * David Farrier, author of Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils * The Whispers of Rock tells of how Earth's geological foundations are intertwined with the history of both our ancient planet and the world's peoples. As we plunder ever more mineral resources from the land, Anjana Khatwa's eloquent prose moves us to reflect on our complex relationship with the rocks that surround us - and that, at the most fundamental level, support all of our lives * Jan Zalasiewicz, author of The Planet in a Pebble * Khatwa can hear the stories of the stones, and what they reveal about how the material of the Earth and its movements have shaped our human world. The Whispers of Rock is sheer poetry in places, at times deeply personal, and an absolute delight to read! * Professor Lewis Dartnell, bestselling author of Origins: How the Earth shaped Human History * Anjana Khatwa has a poet's heart and a scholar's eye. Perfectly balancing science and folklore, The Whispers of Rock takes us on a journey across landscapes both big and small, while listening to global stories of hope and history. If you simply put your ear to the ground, the rocks speak for themselves * Natasha Carthew, author of Undercurrent: A Cornish Memoir of Poverty, Nature and Resilience * Khatwa braids geologic and human histories into a heartfelt and compelling story of land, identity and the sentience of stone * Clive Oppenheimer, volcanologist and filmmaker * A beautiful and deeply moving book, full of good science but not afraid of the mythic and the stories that can grow out from the rocks around us * Robin Ince, comedian and author of Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal: My Adventures in Neurodiversity * By blending science and spirituality, modern analyses with indigenous knowledge and adding her own very personal narrative, Anjana Khatwa illuminates deeper understanding of the fabric of our planet and our place on it. At a time when our relationship with the natural world feels ever more complex, The Whispers of Rock invites us to listen to rocks and the tales they tell rather than consider them another domain to be conquered * Tamsin Mather, author of Adventures in Volcanoland and Professor of Earth Sciences at Oxford * Suffused with warmth and wisdom, Khatwa brings a deeply personal perspective to the history of our planet. You will never look at a rock in the same way again * Dr Tori Herridge, Evolutionary Biologist at the University of Sheffield * In this eloquent, energising work, Anjana Khatwa speaks the language of stone beautifully. The Whispers of Rock provides an urgent counterpoint to the extractive, exploitative stories of stone we too often hear * Wyl Menmuir, author of The Heart of the Woods * Beautifully written and is a joy to read * Ruth Allen, author of Weathering *