However, the tragedy of having Amazon encourage reader reviews is that you court the opinion of folks who are often frustrated writers, and who---because they don't have to sign their name---will say amazingly stupid and uninformed things. In re-reading DeBlieu's "Wind" once again, I am astounded that anyone as fully ... as the reader who gave it only one star [and very rudely called it a 'yawn'] could actually be taken seriously. This sort of uncivilized and uninformed behavior must originate with the dot com flame geeks, nasty little people who don't have the courage to sign their names to such 'critiques.'


Tremendous Breadth Of Coverage   February 27, 2001
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

When you first start reading this book, you're not quite sure how Ms DeBlieu is going to develop the topic. She uses a lot of local (Cape Hatteras) analogies and personal accounts, and there's this feeling in the back of your mind, "hmm, is this going to be just another nature book, about sand dunes and sailing ships?" But pretty soon, you're hooked. I've not read better descriptions of the major wind systems, or of the origins of hurricanes. And as she begins to dig into the effects of wind on civilization, you'll find this impossible to put down. The final chapter of wind power is especially remarkable. No, it's not just another nature book, not at all.


Great stuff   July 9, 2000
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Think about it. If someone asked you to write a non-fiction (but also not totally scientific) book about the wind, how much could you write? A few paragraphs? A few pages?

Jan DeBlieu has written nearly 300 pages not only about the wind, but also its effects. Her inspiration came from living on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and watching the wind blast this land, break the trees, scatter the wildlife and discourage the people.

In the book, DeBlieu discusses many facets to the wind and its effects: mythology of the wind, the effect of the wind on history (due to prevailing winds, Europeans had sailed to Brazil long before they set foot in western Africa), as well as trees, birds, sand, ocean currents and man himself. Man's attempts to confront the wind (such as skyscrapers whose windows are blown out in strong winds) and to use the wind (such as windmills for energy) are also discussed.

But the facts presented in this book are only half the story. This is not a scientific book written in dry language. If that were so, this book would not be particularly interesting to a casual reader. But, as the blurb on the back cover states, "Jan DeBlieu brings a poet's voice and a scientist's eye" to her study of the wind. And that is what makes the book so interesting. DeBlieu takes scientific descriptions and transforms them into sentences where you think "I wish I could write like that". For example:

"Just as it has shaped the history of mankind, the seasonal paths of animals, and the spread of vegetation, wind chisels the crust of the earth. It whistles around mountains and through passes, eroding rock as it gains speed. Bit by bit it skims the tops off plowed fields. It scatters ash from volcanic explosions and so creates some of the richest soil on earth."

If you enjoy learning about the world around you, but are put off by the scientific language, you will find this book to be - I can't avoid it - a breath of fresh air.


a treat for the senses and the mind   February 27, 1999
 2 out of 4 found this review helpful

This is a wonderfully written book bringing together history, anthropology, religion and science.