Rain
A Natural and Cultural
History
Cynthia Barnett
This
fascinating book is full of wonderful details, such as how the first
rain coat came to be know as the Mackintosh. It covers tales of how
ancient civilizations dealt with rain. And it covers interesting
accounts of weird and wacky rains, like frog rain and dirt rain. Some
facts may even surprise, for instance, many think of Seattle
Washington as a very rainy city but according to Barnett it only gets
about seven thunderstorms a year. But the clouds that descend upon
the city, blanket it about 230 days a year giving one the impression
that it is a wet city. On the flip side, Mobile Alabama, which I
personally associate with warm and very sunny weather, is the wettest
city in the United States, receiving around 65 inches of rain per
year.
The
book is about more than weather statistics. It looks at the role
rain has played throughout civilization and how different societies
have dealt with it. And there are some interesting facts about our
modern day society as well. Facts about the first weather forecaster
and how we came to have a television channel devoted entirely to
weather. Personally, I found that this book made me think a lot about
an element that many of us take for granted. Especially since we have
easy access to data which tells us what to expect on a daily basis.
And like me, it will probably make you want to run out and buy a rain
gauge for the backyard so you can find out exactly what is going on
with the rain in your area.
In
short this is a well written book, with witty chapter titles and
interesting and informative content on a topic that many of us take
for granted. I will definitely stop to appreciate the next rain
storm that passes my way.
Thanks
to Blogging for Books for allowing me the read the book in exchange
for an honest review.
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