Rain by Cynthia Barnett Summary

Rain: A Natural and Cultural History explores humanity’s relationship with rain across four billion years, blending science, history, and culture. Cynthia Barnett examines rain’s role in shaping civilizations, from ancient rain dances to modern climate change, while weaving in quirky details like Thomas Jefferson’s weather diaries and the link between rainy skies and grunge music.

This book is ideal for readers interested in environmental history, climate science, or cultural anthropology. Nature enthusiasts, history buffs, and fans of interdisciplinary narratives will appreciate its blend of meteorological insights, storytelling, and analysis of humanity’s attempts to control rain.

Yes—Barnett’s award-winning narrative combines rigorous research with engaging prose, offering fresh perspectives on a universal natural phenomenon. Kirkus Reviews praises its urgency, humor, and relevance to climate discourse, making it a compelling read for curious minds.

The book argues that human activities have disrupted rainfall cycles, intensifying storms and droughts. Barnett ties historical examples like deforestation and river engineering to modern climate crises, emphasizing rain’s unifying role in global environmental challenges.

Barnett explores India’s monsoon-based mitti attar perfume, Scottish inventor Charles Macintosh’s waterproof coat, and 14th-century European witch hunts sparked by Little Ice Age rains. These stories reveal rain’s profound influence on art, innovation, and societal fears.

Jefferson emerges as an obsessive rain tracker, meticulously documenting weather data decades before modern forecasting. His journals reflect Enlightenment-era curiosity and the early American quest to master nature.

Barnett explains that raindrops are not tear-shaped but resemble parachutes—rounded at the top and tapered downward. This detail underscores the book’s knack for transforming mundane facts into captivating revelations.

Yes—it covers “animal rains” (fish/frogs falling from skies), biblical-scale floods, and 19th-century rainmaking scams. These tales highlight humanity’s fraught attempts to control precipitation, blending humor with cautionary themes.

She critiques short-sighted efforts like Mississippi River levees and urban stormwater systems, arguing they exacerbate ecological vulnerabilities. The book urges humility, framing climate change as the latest chapter in this fraught dynamic.

Barnett links rain to Morrissey’s melancholic lyrics, Kurt Cobain’s Seattle grunge ethos, and J.M.W. Turner’s stormy landscapes. While reviewers note this section could be deeper, it creatively ties weather to cultural moods.

Unlike niche scientific texts, Rain interweaves vivid anecdotes with global analysis, resembling Mark Kurlansky’s Salt or Diane Ackerman’s The Human Age. Its interdisciplinary approach makes complex climatology accessible to general readers.

Some reviewers note the arts chapter feels abbreviated compared to stronger historical/scientific sections. However, most praise its originality and urgency, with Kirkus calling it “a meditation” on humanity’s climate hubris.