Snowball Earth: A Review of the Book by Gabrielle Walker

Walker's treatment of the theory and its proponents is not completely biased. Her skilled writing shows the arrogant and egotistical side of Paul Hoffman and the personality conflicts that all too often arise between strong willed people. The reader can feel the passion each of the players feel for their side of the debate. Walker does an excellent job of putting the reader in her shoes so you feel you are walking the hills of Namibia to see Paul Hoffman's field sites, or are scouring the rocks of Australia with Jim Gehling in search for rare Ediacarian fossils. In the end though Walker's skilled writing and easy-to-read style are not enough. Unless you are already a firm believer in the Snowball Earth theory the reader is left feeling incomplete. The time, effort, and attention to detail Walker gives to Hoffman, Kirschvink and the other proponents of the Snowball Earth theory are not given to those who oppose the theory. The alternate models, such as the 'Slushball Earth', are skimmed over, and in general the reader is left with the impression that the Snowball Earth is the only plausible explanation because that's how Walker presents it. In a way the reader feels patronized, that we are not capable of deciding for ourselves the merits of the theory based on the evidence from all sides of the debate.

Snowball Earth: The Story of the Great Global Catastrophe that Spawned Life as We Know It, written by Gabrielle Walker. 269 pages, un-illustrated, bibliography and index, published by Crown Publishing, a division of Random House.

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