Author Talk and Book Signing: Jonathan White "Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean” with Schoodic Institute

Description

In “Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean,” writer, sailor and surfer Jonathan White takes readers across the globe to discover the science and spirit of ocean tides. “Tides” is the result of White’s twenty-year quest to better understand both the science behind tides and how they impact man-kind. Join White for an author talk and book signing with the Jesup Memorial Library and Schoodic Institute at the Jesup on Thursday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. There will be a reception beforehand at 6 p.m.
 
“Tides” combines adventure travel and scientific inquiry and looks into the mysterious paradox that keeps our planet’s waters in constant motion. In the Arctic, White goes under the ice with an Inuit elder to hunt for mussels in the dark cavities left behind at low tide; in China, he races the Silver Dragon, a twenty-five-foot tidal bore that crashes eighty miles up the Qiantang River; in France, he interviews the monks who live in the tide-wrapped monastery of Mont Saint-Michel; in Chile and Scotland, he investigates the growth of tidal power generation; and in Panama and Venice, he delves into how the threat of sea level rise is changing human culture.
 
The Wall Street Journal writes, “A wonderfully paced account…White offers clear explanations of how tides work and scientific giants such as Aristotle, Copernicus…and others helped us get where we are today.” The Bangor Daily News adds that “Tides” is “a fascinating work of literary nonfiction, rich with characters, stories and scenes from around the globe.”
 
White grew up diving, sailing and fishing on the beaches of Southern California, has logged more than one hundred thousand miles sailing on the Pacific and Atlantic, and has surfed all over the world. In the 1980s, he founded the Resource Institute. His first book, “Talking on the Water: Conversations about Nature and Creativity,” is a collection of interviews exploring our relationship with nature and features Gretel Ehrlich, David Brower, Ursula K. Le Guin, Gary Snyder, Peter Matthiessen and others. He has written for the Christian Science Monitor, The Sun, Orion, Surfer’s Journal and other publications. He holds an MFA in creative nonfiction and lives with his wife and son on a small island in Washington State.
 
Books will be on sale that night courtesy of Sherman’s Books. For more about White visit jonathanwhitewriter.com and for more information on the talk contact the Jesup at 207-288-4245 or mrice@jesuplibrary.org.