Synopses & Reviews
Mars was once similar to
Earth, but today there are no rivers, no lakes, no oceans. Coated in red
dust, the terrain is bewilderingly empty. And yet multiple spacecraft
are circling Mars, sweeping over Terra Sabaea, Syrtis Major, the dunes
of Elysium, and Mare Sirenum — on the brink, perhaps, of a staggering
find, one that would inspire humankind as much as any discovery in the
history of modern science.
In this beautifully observed, deeply personal book, Georgetown
scientist Sarah Stewart Johnson tells the story of how she and other
researchers have scoured Mars for signs of life, transforming the planet
from a distant point of light into a world of its own.
Johnson's fascination with Mars began as a child in Kentucky,
turning over rocks with her father and looking at planets in the night
sky. She now conducts fieldwork in some of Earth's most hostile
environments, such as the Dry Valleys of Antarctica and the salt flats
of Western Australia, developing methods for detecting life on other
worlds. Here, with poetic precision, she interlaces her own personal
journey — as a female scientist and a mother — with tales of other
seekers, from Percival Lowell, who was convinced that a utopian society
existed on Mars, to Audouin Dollfus, who tried to carry out astronomical
observations from a stratospheric balloon. In the process, she shows
how the story of Mars is also a story about Earth: This other world has
been our mirror, our foil, a telltale reflection of our own anxieties
and yearnings.
Empathetic and evocative,
The Sirens of Mars offers an unlikely natural history of a place
where no human has ever set foot, while providing a vivid portrait of
our quest to defy our isolation in the cosmos.
Review
"An enthusiastic and lyrical chronicle of the scientific quest to uncover Mars's secrets."
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"Johnson tells the story of
humans' long-distance love affair with Mars...and as her immersive
book proves, it's a passion both frustrating and infinitely rewarding."
The Washington Post
Review
"A vivid, poetic account."
Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Sarah Stewart Johnson
interweaves her own coming-of-age story as a planetary scientist with a
vivid history of the exploration of Mars in this celebration of human
curiosity, passion, and perseverance." Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams
About the Author
Sarah Stewart Johnson
is an assistant professor of planetary science at Georgetown
University. A former Rhodes Scholar and White House Fellow, she received
her PhD from MIT and has worked on NASA's
Spirit, Opportunity, and
Curiosity rovers. She is also a visiting scientist with the Planetary Environments Lab at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.