The New York Times Book Review - John Glassie
…[a] lively survey of archaeology and the people who practice it…Human history is a broad topic…and there are archaeologists all around the world studying the remnants of virtually every era. But [Johnson] chases down a colorful sampling and produces a series of enlightening glimpses into the profession…Johnson writes entertainingly, employing many quirky tidbits gleaned from the likably eccentric intellects she meets.
From the Publisher
As she did in her previous books about librarians and obituary writers, Johnson finds that the line between inspirationally nutty and actually crazy is measured in the joy of the work.” — Entertainment Weekly
“An engrossing examination of how archaeologists re-create much of human history, piece by painstaking piece.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A lively love letter to archaeologists...Many archaeologists credit Indiana Jones with sparking their passion, and Johnson may well inspire a new generation to take up this calling.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“World travel, drinking, lust in the dust-our lives are all in ruins, indeed, and Johnson reveals why we wouldn’t want it any other way.” — Sarah Parcak, National Geographic Society Fellow and author of Satellite Remote Sensing for Archaeology
“The great pleasure with which I read this book took me back to when I was eight years old and wanted to be an archaeologist. Marilyn Johnson does a wonderful job uncovering the delight in this tough, important, and exhilarating profession.” — Ian Frazier, author of Great Plains, Travels in Siberia, and Humor Me: An Anthology of Funny Contemporary Writing
“Johnson’s contribution to this genre is unmatched...wonderful and engaging work peels back the superficial glamour surrounding archaeology and archaeologists...Without glitz, the author has created a very enjoyable work that will be appreciated by experts in the field and casual readers alike.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Lives in Ruins is…delectable.” — Salon
“Johnson writes in a charming and thoughtful manner, weaving in her personal observations, insightful quotes from her subjects and a wide-eyed fascination with her subjects.” — Seattle Times
“Johnson writes entertainingly, employing many quirky tidbits gleaned from the likably eccentric intellects she meets.” — New York Times Book Review
Sarah Parcak
World travel, drinking, lust in the dust-our lives are all in ruins, indeed, and Johnson reveals why we wouldn’t want it any other way.
New York Times Book Review
Johnson writes entertainingly, employing many quirky tidbits gleaned from the likably eccentric intellects she meets.
Ian Frazier
The great pleasure with which I read this book took me back to when I was eight years old and wanted to be an archaeologist. Marilyn Johnson does a wonderful job uncovering the delight in this tough, important, and exhilarating profession.
Salon
Lives in Ruins is…delectable.
Entertainment Weekly
As she did in her previous books about librarians and obituary writers, Johnson finds that the line between inspirationally nutty and actually crazy is measured in the joy of the work.
Seattle Times
Johnson writes in a charming and thoughtful manner, weaving in her personal observations, insightful quotes from her subjects and a wide-eyed fascination with her subjects.
From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY
"Many archaeologists credit Indiana Jones with sparking their passion, and Johnson may well inspire a new generation to take up this calling." —Publishers Weekly starred review
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2014-10-07
Science reporter Johnson (This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All, 2010, etc.) explores the work of archaeologists.In her latest endeavor, the author, who makes a habit of looking into atypical subjects and then writing about them with brio and dash, takes on the discipline of archaeology, which is on a bit of a hot streak, thanks to technological advances, war, commercial development, violent weather and warming temperatures, all doing their parts to reveal our past. On her journeys, Johnson attended a field-training school—on St. Eustatius in the Caribbean—where she received a glimmering of how backbreaking, tedious work can be imbued with high suspense. Throughout, she demonstrates a learned hand in her minibiographies of various practitioners of the discipline—e.g., Joan Connelly of New York University, who told the author, "Good archaeology fills in the blanks of history. It tells the losers' story. It teases out the history that falls between the cracks." Much like Mary Roach, another sharp writer who often tackles a single topic, Johnson casts her net widely, from the Caribbean to Stony Brook and Fishkill, New York, to the Pine Barrens of New Jersey to Agios Georgios, a small village in Greece. However, she's also mesmerized by the smaller-scale elements: gorgeous blue beads from the wreck of an old galleon, the never-ending steam of lectures and conferences ("The audience at an archaeology lecture is ancient. I watched them stream in, drawn to slides of artifacts and talk of ruins: snowy-haired, with canes and sensible shoes. They listened with hunger") and the pure, magical allure of the lost: "significant sites that are so humble in appearance, or buried, or otherwise hidden." An engrossing examination of how archaeologists re-create much of human history, piece by painstaking piece.
