About the Author

Michael E. Mann is a member of the Penn State University faculty, holding joint positions in the Departments of Meteorology and Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI). He is also director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center (ESSC). He received his undergraduate degrees in physics and applied math from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.S. degree in physics from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in geology and geophysics from Yale University. He also received an outstanding publication award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and, in 2002, was named one of fifty leading visionaries in science and technology by Scientific American. He was awarded the 2012 Hans Oeschger Medal of the European Geosciences Union, and in the same year was inducted as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. With Lee Kump, he coauthored the book Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming, and is a cofounder and avid contributor to the award-winning science website, www.RealClimate.org. Along with other scientists who participated in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Prizes

Very few people have sounded more important alarms about our climate future, and very few people have paid a higher price for doing so. Michael Mann is a hero, and this book is a remarkable account of the science and politics of the defining issue of our time. -- Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

Table of Contents

Abbreviations and AcronymsPrologue: What Is the Hockey Stick?1. Born in a War2. Climate Science Comes of Age3. Signals in the Noise4. The Making of the Hockey Stick5. The Origins of Denial6. A Candle in the Dark7. In the Line of Fire8. Hockey Stick Goes to Washington9. When You Get Your Picture on the Cover of...10. Say it Ain't So (Smokey) Joe!11. A Tale of Two Reports12. Heads of the Hydra13. The Battle of the Bulge14. Climategate: The Real Story15. Fighting BackEpilogueGlossaryNotesSelected BibliographyAcknowledgmentsIndex

Reviews

Very few people have sounded more important alarms about our climate future, and very few people have paid a higher price for doing so. Michael Mann is a hero, and this book is a remarkable account of the science and politics of the defining issue of our time. -- Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet The brilliant and courageous climatologist Michael Mann knows what it's like to be viciously attacked by the well-funded deniers of scientific evidence and how critical it is to respond. In this gripping, personal, front-lines account of climate politics, Mann tells the "hockey stick" story, exposing the forces behind the denialist rhetoric, refuting the charges of disinformation campaigns, and eloquently conveying the importance of both doing great science and communicating its societal implications to a wider public. -- Paul R. Ehrlich, co-author of The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment and Humanity on a Tightrope Although not initially of his own choosing, Michael Mann has been the most important, resilient, and outspoken warrior in the climate battle--responding to threats and persecution with courage and resolve every step of the way. Anyone who cares about the climate issue must read his fascinating--and enraging--story. -- Chris Mooney, author of Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future In The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars, Michael Mann presents his conviction that climate change is real and potentially deadly, and defends his now famous "Hockey Stick Graph." A truly readable book on a topic that will remain evergreen. -- James Lovelock, author of A New Look at Life on Earth and The Revenge of Gaia A must read to appreciate the endless disinformation campaign by climate change deniers at the highest levels of government and corporate America...and the chilling, but serious implications of the crusade to discredit distinguished scientists like Michael Mann. -- Sherwood Boehlert, Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives 1983-2007, former chairman of the House Science Committee As one of the nation's leading climate researchers, no one has felt the brunt of the attacks from politicians and the fossil fuel industry more than Michael Mann. This is his personal account from the center of the maelstrom, documenting the lies and distortions about his work and his heroic efforts to stand up for scientific truth. -- Henry Waxman, Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, former chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee If you don't believe our climate is changing, read this book. Dr. Mann will change your mind. For us, it's a war of words. Preserve the Earth, and pass the ammunition. -- Bill Nye the Science Guy In this meticulous and engaging brief on climate change research and the political backlash to legitimate scientific work, Penn State professor Mann narrates the fight against misinformation from the inside. Publishers Weekly 1/20/2012 An important and disturbing account of the fossil-fuel industry's well-funded public-relations campaign to sow doubt about the validity of the science of climate change...This blistering indictment of corporate-funded chicanery demands a wide audience.Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 2/1/2012 And if you read just one book on climate change, make it Michael E. Mann's riveting expose of disinformation and denial... Irish Times 12/31/2011