“Hineline’s wonderful new book advocates the addition of a new kind of individual action to supplement our political struggle [against climate change]—one that’s both pragmatic and emotionally resonant. . . . Lyrical . . . . Puckish . . . . After reading this book, I’m on it.”

Rebecca Onion | Slate

“Doing Hineline's homework is a great way to ensure future generations will know what Earth was like in the early 21st century. Ground Truth is sure to please fans of Bernd Heinrich and Bill McKibben.” 

Shelf Awareness

"In this beautifully written and almost poetic book, the author asks us to consider observing the range of plant life, noting how our local trees, shrubs, and flowers pass through the seasons. What is his objective? He wants his readers to begin to record the impact climate change has on the biological life of the planet. . . . Intensely personal and leavened by many stories from his own life, Hineline’s volume is about as far as one can get from a traditional book about science. But his passionate advocacy of close observation and measurement of the natural world by ordinary citizens has a profound appeal."

 

The Quarterly Review of Biology

“An alternative to the many books that paint dire scenarios, this book appeals to readers with an interest, but not a strong background, in the science related to climate change. . . . Recommended.” 

CHOICE

“The practice of phenology is another tool for comprehending the climate crisis, and Ground Truth is a good read for teachers, parents, and practitioners in settings from junior high schools to kitchen tables to community organizations and national networks of citizen science.”

Krista Hiser | H-Net

“An expertly crafted and enjoyable personal journey that transforms the complicated topics of phenology and climate change. The book engages everyone with something accessible, tangible, and actionable. I highly recommend it.”

Mark D. Schwartz, editor of Phenology: An Integrative Environmental Science

“Ground Truth is an eloquent primer, plea, and playbook, inviting us to ‘get our eye in,’ and learn to truly see the world around us underfoot, overhead, and everywhere in between.  It is a unique DIY manual for becoming attuned to the rhythms of the natural world, for reading the signs of changing climate before our eyes, at home, and in our communities. In learning, with this book, how to take the pulse of our planet, we better appreciate that we, too, are part of Earth's living, breathing web of life, and how our actions affect its vital signs.”

James T. Costa, author of Darwin’s Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory

“Ground Truth is a necessary book, a guide to positive action in a time of paralyzing fear and negativity. Hineline illuminates phenology and climate change in a way that invites all of us to become engaged in the critical work of observing and documenting the changes happening now in nature nearby, to be part of a global community working together to gather data on a world changing in ways that we cannot imagine, but can learn from.”

Susan J. Tweit

"This book takes one on a surprising, introspective journey by engaging readers with direct questions about their experience with nature and the seasons. . . . The book is a very enjoyable read. The author makes important scientific concepts accessible to nonscientists without oversimplifying them while avoiding a textbook feel. . . . Overall, I would recommend the book to anyone who is eager to learn to appreciate and be more engaged with nature and possibly to contribute to climate-change mitigation by providing potentially important data for research purposes in the future."

Conservation Biology

"Featuring detailed guidance for keeping records of the plants, invertebrates, amphibians, birds, and mammals in your neighborhood, this book also ponders the value of everyday observations, probes the connections between seasons and climate change, and traces the history of phenology—the study and timing of natural events—and the uses to which it can be put. An expansive yet accessible book, Ground Truth invites readers to help lay the groundwork for a better understanding of the nature of change itself."

Book Authority