Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble
Marilyn Johnson "Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble"
Harper | English | November 11, 2014 | ISBN: 0062127187 | 288 pages | azw, epub, lrf, mobi | 4,07 mb
Harper | English | November 11, 2014 | ISBN: 0062127187 | 288 pages | azw, epub, lrf, mobi | 4,07 mb
This compulsively readable book is robust in scope and mission. It passionately wants you to know and feel the lives and work of archaeologists. it takes you from the peat bogs of Ireland to the Pine Barrens of NJ to Machu Picchu in Peru. It is all 100% fascinating and written so addictively that you cannot stop. Johnson has gone all in for the people who unearth our collective history and she has the writing skill to make it all fun and profound.
One of the things I like the most about this book is that Johnson explores the impact of authors like Jean Auel, juxtaposing the popular writer with expert but lesser known field archaeologists. I also felt intimately schooled on a profession that pays poorly, has terrible working conditions yet is fiercely competitive. It feels like a ministry but also like a triathlon.
I'm about to read this book again for I cannot let it go. It is as good a non-fiction book as I have read in many years. I can't recommend this book highly enough and it was a privilege to read. Brava to Johnson.
No Other Mirrors, Please!