Rating: 
Summary: Thorough research and engaging writing.
Review: Although the writer is stimulated by the winds of the outer banks, her handling of the subject is quite universal, and appeals to those of us who live on the Great Lakes, which have severe and fascinating wind patterns. Ms DeBlieu is a deft writer and has done meticulous research. This book ranks with Longitude by Dava Sobel, McPhee and Ian Fleming.
Rating: 
Summary: The Doldrums
Review: Did I miss something? I read every word, and found it all a big yawn. The writing is grammatically correct, but without any rhythm, not a single crescendo, completely devoid of climax. Rachel Carson? Please. I couldn't find a single hook in the anecdotes, not a compelling story within. Time after time, the stories and examples fell completely flat. Organizationally, the writer skipped around paragraph to paragraph without carrying any thought through a full chapter. The science was minimal at best, and just plain questionable at times. How did such a good premise turn out so dull? And what really got me was that I love the Outer Banks. Do yourself a favor; a textbook on wind will be more compelling.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine blend of journalism and art
Review: I found this book to be at once eloquent, informed and wonderfully appealing---both to naturalists as well as to those who simply want to know how our earth works. 'Wind' works on every level.However, the tragedy of having Amazon encourage reader reviews is that you court the opinion of folks who are often frustrated writers, and who---because they don't have to sign their name---will say amazingly stupid and uninformed things. In re-reading DeBlieu's "Wind" once again, I am astounded that anyone as fully ... as the reader who gave it only one star [and very rudely called it a 'yawn'] could actually be taken seriously. This sort of uncivilized and uninformed behavior must originate with the dot com flame geeks, nasty little people who don't have the courage to sign their names to such 'critiques.'
Rating:
Summary: science meets the sensual
Review: I kayak on Lake Superior, where the wind often whips up some steep waves. My kayaking pals know that my knowledge of nature is usually confined to realizing that birds have wings, that rain falls from the sky and leaves are green. This summer, after reading Wind, I was able to wow them with my detailed knowledge of how the winds are formed and why, so often, they seem to be blowing in our faces when we're out on the water. This is a dose of science for the science-phobic, a nicely constructed and beautifully written examination of how people have related to the wind over the millenia, and how it affects us today. A bonus feature: Deblieu's writing about the wind has a sensual nature that makes this much more than another nature book.
Rating:
Summary: Science meets the senses
Review: I start any books about the sciences with apprehension. My non-work reading generally begins and ends with fiction. But after a couple summers spent kayaking on wind-blown Lake Superior, I was eager to know more about the forces that were tossing me about. I picked up "Wind" and found it a perfect match for my interest. DeBlieu manages to explain how the winds are created and evoke their sensual nature at the same time. To my non-scientific eye, that's an amazing feat.
Rating:
Summary: Nature writing the way I like it best.
Review: Imagine combining John McPhee and Annie Dillard, with a little of Rachel Carson thrown in for the marine connection and you'll get some notion of this most pleasant book. It combines warm and engaging prose, personal experiences (of both author and others), interesting characters, and fascinating facts. I can't think of much that would be better to read while lying on a beach, feeling the breeze, and awaiting the next hurricane.
Rating:
Summary: a treat for the senses and the mind
Review: Jan DeBlieu's Wind: How the Flow of Air has Shaped Life, Myth, and the Land is a wonderful combination of scientific discussion and personal essay. Ms. DeBlieu approaches her subject from numerous angles, from the affects of wind on history to its role in energy production and her own moods. Living on North Carolina's Outer Banks, Ms. DeBlieu regularly returns to her own, coastal and windy environment, to provide a highly personal perspective on her subject. I learned a great deal from this lucid work, but must confess that what I enjoyed most was DeBlieu's personal observations and writerly voice. She is a fine companion to spend the afternoon with on the breezy hill in Northern New York where I live.mar
Rating:
Summary: marvelous mix of good science and personal essay
Review: Jan DeBlieu's Wind: How the Flow of Air has Shaped Life, Myth, and the Land is a wonderful combination of scientific discussion and personal essay. Ms. DeBlieu approaches her subject from numerous angles, from the affects of wind on history to its role in energy production and her own moods. Living on North Carolina's Outer Banks, Ms. DeBlieu regularly returns to her own, coastal and windy environment, to provide a highly personal perspective on her subject. I learned a great deal from this lucid work, but must confess that what I enjoyed most was DeBlieu's personal observations and writerly voice. She is a fine companion to spend the afternoon with on the breezy hill in Northern New York where I live.mar
Rating:
Summary: Great stuff
Review: Think about it. If someone asked you to write a non-fiction (but also not totally scientific) book about the wind, how much could you write? A few paragraphs? A few pages? Jan DeBlieu has written nearly 300 pages not only about the wind, but also its effects. Her inspiration came from living on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and watching the wind blast this land, break the trees, scatter the wildlife and discourage the people. In the book, DeBlieu discusses many facets to the wind and its effects: mythology of the wind, the effect of the wind on history (due to prevailing winds, Europeans had sailed to Brazil long before they set foot in western Africa), as well as trees, birds, sand, ocean currents and man himself. Man's attempts to confront the wind (such as skyscrapers whose windows are blown out in strong winds) and to use the wind (such as windmills for energy) are also discussed. But the facts presented in this book are only half the story. This is not a scientific book written in dry language. If that were so, this book would not be particularly interesting to a casual reader. But, as the blurb on the back cover states, "Jan DeBlieu brings a poet's voice and a scientist's eye" to her study of the wind. And that is what makes the book so interesting. DeBlieu takes scientific descriptions and transforms them into sentences where you think "I wish I could write like that". For example: "Just as it has shaped the history of mankind, the seasonal paths of animals, and the spread of vegetation, wind chisels the crust of the earth. It whistles around mountains and through passes, eroding rock as it gains speed. Bit by bit it skims the tops off plowed fields. It scatters ash from volcanic explosions and so creates some of the richest soil on earth." If you enjoy learning about the world around you, but are put off by the scientific language, you will find this book to be - I can't avoid it - a breath of fresh air.
Rating:
Summary: Great stuff
Review: Think about it. If someone asked you to write a non-fiction (but also not totally scientific) book about the wind, how much could you write? A few paragraphs? A few pages? Jan DeBlieu has written nearly 300 pages not only about the wind, but also its effects. Her inspiration came from living on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and watching the wind blast this land, break the trees, scatter the wildlife and discourage the people. In the book, DeBlieu discusses many facets to the wind and its effects: mythology of the wind, the effect of the wind on history (due to prevailing winds, Europeans had sailed to Brazil long before they set foot in western Africa), as well as trees, birds, sand, ocean currents and man himself. Man's attempts to confront the wind (such as skyscrapers whose windows are blown out in strong winds) and to use the wind (such as windmills for energy) are also discussed. But the facts presented in this book are only half the story. This is not a scientific book written in dry language. If that were so, this book would not be particularly interesting to a casual reader. But, as the blurb on the back cover states, "Jan DeBlieu brings a poet's voice and a scientist's eye" to her study of the wind. And that is what makes the book so interesting. DeBlieu takes scientific descriptions and transforms them into sentences where you think "I wish I could write like that". For example: "Just as it has shaped the history of mankind, the seasonal paths of animals, and the spread of vegetation, wind chisels the crust of the earth. It whistles around mountains and through passes, eroding rock as it gains speed. Bit by bit it skims the tops off plowed fields. It scatters ash from volcanic explosions and so creates some of the richest soil on earth." If you enjoy learning about the world around you, but are put off by the scientific language, you will find this book to be - I can't avoid it - a breath of fresh air.
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