Ph: A Novel

When marine biologist Ray Berringer and his student crew embark on an oceanographic cruise in the Gulf of Alaska, the waters are troubled in more ways than one. Ray's co-leader, a famed chemist, is abandoning ship just as the ocean's pH is becoming a major concern. Something at their university is corrosive, and it's going to take more than science to correct. Powerful bonds are forged among offbeat characters studying the effects of ocean acidification on pteropods, a tiny, keystone species, in this cutting-edge CliFi novel. (Includes author Q&A and reading group discussion questions.)

About the Author :
Nancy Lord writes from her home base in Homer, Alaska. Her work is informed by a deep connection to the landscape and culture of the place she calls home. As a commercial salmon fisherman for twenty-five years (now retired) and later as a naturalist and historian on adventure cruise ships, she takes a particular interest in coastal Alaska and the sustainability of its resources and communities. She served as the Alaska Writer Laureate from 2008-10 and is the author of nine books of nonfiction, short fiction, and memoir. pH is her first novel.

Review :
"Nancy Lord is an entrancing naturalist writer and a captivating storyteller whose factual knowledge of her beloved Alaska is impeccable. So fascinating to see how she weaves a fictional tale to remind us of the ecological and cultural issues we face on this planet." --Jean-Michel Cousteau, Founder and President, Ocean Futures Society "Sometimes it takes fiction, more than facts, to hear the hard truth. In Nancy Lord's pH, a cli-fi (climate fiction) novel about climate change and its evil cousin, ocean acidification, we met likeable and quirky characters dedicated to science and art while trapped in a system seduced by money. I learned a lot from this daring novel. And I laughed. Not a bad way to spend one's time: buried in creativity, learning and laughing." --Kim Heacox, author of Jimmy Bluefeather and John Muir and the Ice That Started a Fire "Very few novelists remember that we live on an ocean planet, and none, as far as I know, have tracked the emerging science of ocean acidification, a threat of almost unparalleled dimension. That Nancy Lord does all that and still provides a superb story is testament to her great powers as a writer!" --Bill McKibben, author Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet "Widely respected and beloved Alaskan essayist Nancy Lord has written a dazzling novel, filled with wry, sly humor, wondrous science, and intriguing characters -- all driven by some of the most significant questions of our time. How can scientists defend the truth in a university corrupted by petrochemical profiteers? How can the lovely, life-sustaining creatures of the seas survive the corporate plunder of the planet? And this -- how can a book this important be such a joy to read?" -- Kathleen Dean Moore, author of Great Tide Rising and Piano Tide Praise for Beluga Days: "With skillful writing and respect for all her subjects, Lord presents some of the agonizing scientific and cultural dilemmas of saving these animals." --Publishers Weekly Praise for Early Warming: "Lord summons facts, art, literature, philosophy, science, legend, memory, hearsay and pure emotional and aesthetic response in the service of a deeper idea of Alaska. . . . [A] wholly worthwhile journey." --Newsday Praise for Early Warming: "Though [Lord] deftly weaves pertinent scientific and political information throughout, her account's power stems from her on-site observations, lyrical descriptions of the land and sea, and sensitive interviews of local officials and natives whose insight and experience humanize an otherwise vast and arcane subject . . . An eloquent and important dispatch." --Kirkus Reviews