Books

NPR host’s Aha! moments

By DEIRDRE FULTON | September 24, 2007

"Environmentally yours: Two new takes on global warming." By Deirdre Fulton.

The recent glut of “green is the new black” hype begs the question: have enviro books begun to suffer from the effects of overkill?

If they have, Ira Flatow’s new Present at the Future: From Evolution to Nanotechnology, Candid and Controversial Conversations on Science and Nature (Collins, 368 pages, $24.95) works hard to revitalize people’s wonder in the natural world. Flatow, a familiar name and voice for National Public Radio listeners of his “Science Friday” spot on Talk of the Nation, has spent much of his career unraveling the mysteries of science. His writing is just as digestible as his voice.

In fact, reading Present at the Future is a lot like listening to NPR. Flatow provides bite-size, informative explorations of relevant topics, such as the vulnerability of our coastal cities, the “nuclear option” for energy production, and wind power, as well as non-environmental topics, such as dark matter, addiction, and creationism. He brings you up to speed for dinner-party conversation — and at his best inspires deeper digging.

Related: T and sympathy, Watering down, Adventures in composting, More

Topics: Books , Politics, National Public Radio Inc., Domestic Policy, More

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ARTICLES BY DEIRDRE FULTON

REVIEW: THE WHOLE WORLD WAITING | May 29, 2012
They thought America was a glittering land of wealth and fame . . . they were wrong. Fifteen immigrant and refugee teenagers tell their stories of coming to New England and share their perspectives in The Whole World Waiting , a compilation of documentary vignettes lushly shot by David Meiklejohn at locations in and around Portland, Maine.

A NEW DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES IMMIGRANT YOUTH AND THEIR PLACE IN MAINE AND AMERICA | May 23, 2012
"Back in the Congo, we heard rumors that America is paradise — where everything is perfect, money flows like water, you can eat as much as you want, whenever you want, you can get anything," says Emmanuel Muya, one of 15 immigrant high school students featured in a new documentary, The Whole World Waiting , which will premiere at SPACE Gallery on Thursday.

THE POTENTIAL OF TEDXDIRIGO | May 23, 2012
There were several impressive, stick-in-your-mind talks at the TEDxDirigo: Engage conference, held last Saturday at the University of Southern Maine.

THE SECRET WORLD OF USM’S BLADE SOCIETY | May 16, 2012
It's a Tuesday night at the University of Southern Maine gym and Rob Tupper is leading a small group of fencing students through an exercise that looks like a cross between a line dance and an army drill.

REVIVING THE ELECTRIC CAR | May 16, 2012
Electric cars — ones that are completely rechargeable and use no gasoline — are now available in Maine, in addition to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and traditional hybrids, both of which boast higher fuel-efficiency than conventional cars.