Rain: A Natual and Cultural History

The weather plays into our lives in countless ways. If we say it's raining cats and dogs (United States), shoemakers' apprentices (Denmark), old women and walking sticks (Wales), or husbands (Spain), rain conjures up some of the strangest and most vivid descriptions. Covering these idiomatic expressions, the economic significance of rain in India and around the world, the influence of rain on writers and artists, and more, Barnett (Blue Revolution) explores every facet of the substance. A seamless blending of personal narrative with scientific and cultural explanations makes the book both informative and entertaining. Fans of Mary Roach will recognize a similar ease of style and interjection of wit into what could easily become a boring topic. Barnett succeeds in producing a text that is accessible to every reader, from the environmental scientist to the parent choosing whether their child needs to wear a raincoat that day and everyone in between.