From the Boston Globe.
Waterworld: How the ocean made us who we are
by Deborah Cramer
"The ocean has shaped human history in deep and surprising ways. In a cave off the coast of South Africa, a pile of mussel, whelk, and giant periwinkle shells attests to the beginning of our romance with the sea — the remains of the earliest recorded human seafood meal, 167,000 years ago. Since then, the sea has provided trade routes and fueled empires. But the ocean’s importance to our story is greater still: With its powerful effect on the planet’s climate, the sea influenced human evolution in the forests of Africa, and today continues to touch us wherever we dwell, whether in mountains, deserts, or cities. World Oceans Day, June 8, gives us a chance to consider the ways the ocean has transformed who we are and how we live. ..."
Click here for the rest of the story and to view the graphics by Javier Zarracina.
"Deborah Cramer has given us an eloquent life history of the ocean, natural and human, and rightly challenges us to exercise better stewardship of the sea of the sea and leave a legacy of healthy oceans for our children." -- Michael Sutton, Vice President and Director, Center for the Future of the Oceans
"Authoritatively researched, clearly written, and beautifully illustrated, this book is best of its class." --EO Wilson
"Deborah Cramer's achievement in creating this classic study of the world's seas is destined for lasting importance. Her book is a hymn to something that is both beautiful and fragile, a fervent prayer that we recognize it as such, and an eloquent plea for all humankind to cherish it." -- Simon Winchester author of Krakatoa and The Professor and the Madman
"Rachel Carson wrote the ocean's biography for the 20th century, and Deborah Cramer, with the same passion and meticulous research, has written it for the21st. This book is a remarkable achievement." -- Linda Lear author of Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature
"This irresistible invitation to explore the ocean that gave birth to life itself, together with the imperative to know the living ocean and treat it with respect, should be in every home." -- Thomas E. Lovejoy, President, The Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
"With poetic grace and deep scientific savvy, Deborah Cramer eloquently conveys the sweeping history of the Earth from fiery origin through the explosion of life in the sea to the present era of profound human impact. Whether you seek information or inspiration, this volume is a must." --Sylvia Earle, oceanographer, deep sea explorer, and ocean activist
"This elegant, lovingly written book immerses readers in the symbiosis between humanity and the sea. Deborah Cramer's sweeping work introduces us to the ancestral ocean, on which human influence has now grown profound, and charges us to rejuvenate our essential partnership with its wondrous rhythms and life-giving waters." -- Paul Epstein, Center for Global Health and the Environment, Harvard Medical School
