Telling Our Way to the Sea

"Hirsh never loses sight of the story....In his telling, science itself is a narrative--a living, breathing enterprise conducted by real, fallible people who are simply doing their best to understand the world." --The Wall Street Journal

"Fascinating...As they explore and make discoveries, [Hirsh's students] stand in for us readers, teaching as they learn." --The Seattle Times

"Hirsh's narrative of daily excursions blends seamlessly with wide-ranging and penetrating forays into biology, evolution, and the history of science....He writes with an illusion of effortlessness....Unforgettable." --OnEarth

"Incredible...What binds this book is Hirsh's infectious enthusiasm." --The Daily Beast

"I can't remember the last time I read a science book with such elegant writing, and Hirsh's travelogue has easygoing philosophical weight as well." --Smithsonian

"Beautifully descriptive prose and accessible science combine to create a fascinating look at a seemingly abundant ecosystem...This work is a rich exploration of the Sea of Cortez and its surroundings for readers interested in the ecology, history, and current inhabitants of the area, as well as fans of lyrically written natural history books and/or of evolutionary biology." --Library Journal

"A book as rich and intricate as the oceanic world it evokes, Telling Our Way to the Sea is hard to pigeonhole but easy to savor. Using the dramatic backdrop of the Sea of Cortez--fertile waters rimmed by brutal desert--Hirsh plumbs marine biology, evolutionary change, ecological memory, the history of science, and much more to explore the past and possible future of this fecund ecosystem. One of the most thoughtful books on nature, and our place in it, that I've read in years." --Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind and The First Frontier

"Aaron Hirsh thinks like a scientist and writes like a poet. Telling Our Way to the Sea is a captivating, deeply illuminating exploration of the sumptuous natural world we have, and of its origins in the many worlds we've lost. A moving and important and utterly beguiling book." --William Souder, author of On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson

"A person who is both a fine scientist and a brilliant writer is a rare phenomenon, but that describes Aaron Hirsh. In the first few pages of Telling Our Way to the Sea, you learn about the fascinating responses of Isostichopus fuscus to predators. After that, you won't be able to put the book down. A literary triumph." --Paul R. Erlich, Bing Professor of Population Studies, Stanford University