Literature Appetizer
Ben Kusserow
A Northern Appalachian's Journey

Recently I just finished Appalachia North by Matthew Ferrence. In it, he recounts the complex relationship he still has with the land as a Northern Appalachian. Typically when I finish a book I write a Literature Appetizer to get people a taste of what they will find. Since his book is such a personal journey, I would not do it justice by recounting his life.

Many of his experiences reflect my own experience growing up in Western PA. So instead of condensing his journey, I thought I would condense mine.

The Hero’s Journey is a common literary structure where the hero of the story departs home to do a great act, and then returns victorious. My Northern Appalachian Journey is a bit different, but has a similar structure of three parts; Living in Water, Succeeding by Leaving, and The Mountains are Calling.

A Northern Appalachian's Journey

Salinity: what's really in the water?

Salinity: what's really in the water?

When I first started to live on Thompson Island I often said that I "didn't emotionally understand the ocean." I could explain how the moon's gravitational pull makes the water move around the globe, but when I would stand on the shore I would think "how do I know the ocean is going to keep going down or coming up?" It may sound silly for those with tons of ocean experience, but it felt like someone who had never seen the sun rise and set.

To get to know the ocean a little better, I try to spend a part of each day just listening to it. My view is often like the picture below with such a great sight of the City on the Hill (well, technically three but who's counting). Besides the tides, one of the biggest differences of living in the harbor vs Diablo Lake in Washington is the smell of salt.

But what really is salinity? How does it work?

Literature Appetizer: Urban Forests by Jill Jonnes

Literature Appetizer: Urban Forests by Jill Jonnes

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, I lay in a hammock as the clouds drift by over the island. As I finish my book, I look up at the two amazing trees supporting me. Not only are they holding my weight above the ground, but are also giving me fresh oxygen to breathe. They reduce the erosion of the island where I work. Even deeper, they challenge my mind and my being to think in new and creative ways. They stand as testaments to time and wisdom.

Plastisphere: The Newest Biome

Plastisphere: The Newest Biome

On my many walks along the beach of Thompson Island in the Boston Harbor, I feel both separate and connected to the population on the mainland. Our boat only travels to the island a few times a day and since I can't walk across water, going into the city is not part of a daily ritual. On the other hand, we share the same water. In just a short time the water from the mainland will travel past me on the island and out to sea. Along with that water will be an unwanted gift: trash.

I could easily pick up a full garbage ball full of trash every time I walk on the beach. While it is depressing to see and live in trash every day, I read an article many years ago that gave me hope about life on this planet: Life in the "Plastisphere."

Cyanide and Mercury: The Chemistry of S-Town

Cyanide and Mercury: The Chemistry of S-Town

I have experienced only two forms of great podcasts. The first is the consistent great content that spends more time with you than your close friends. The podcast is there for you, week after week, providing you with great content.

The second form of great podcasts is fleeting, but powerful. These tend to be either flops in the water, or huge cult classics. Because there is no consistent updates, the original content has to be so great to keep people talking about it even after all of the episodes have aired. S-Town one of the best examples of this I have ever seen.

With the powerhouse names of "This American Life" and "Serial" behind it, I knew S-Town was going to be good. But it wasn't until I finished it that I realized the true depth of its greatness.

Literature Appetizer: The Chemistry of Alchemy by Cobb, Fetterolf, and Goldwhite

Literature Appetizer: The Chemistry of Alchemy by Cobb, Fetterolf, and Goldwhite

My sense of wonder with chemistry didn't start in the classroom, or with the help of a teacher. It all started because I was bored.

I'm roaming around my 7th grade school library, bored out of my mind. I was supposed to pick a new book to read, but since I hated reading I was haphazardly taking books off and skimming them to find an easy read. When I opened one of those books, I saw a strange and wonderful picture full of strange symbols and images. I saw my first alchemical image.

Literature Appetizer: Living in Denial by Kari Marie Norgaard

Literature Appetizer: Living in Denial by Kari Marie Norgaard

Fact: Our average global temperature is increasing at a very rapid rate.

Fact: This trend started to happen around the industrial revolution.

Fact: Therefore, humans have played a serious role in our global climate change.

We can argue over specific numbers and details, but you can't argue with the facts above. Even though they have been given a lot of air time, 'climate skeptics' are generally seen as misinformed at best and malicious toward truth at worst. Even though America has the highest percentage of climate skeptics per capita, Kari Marie Norgaard identifies a even larger threat: climate deniers.

The Chemistry of Popcorn

The Chemistry of Popcorn

About a month ago my roommate, Tyler, and I were going to sit down and watch a movie. Since she was getting the movie ready, it was my task to get snacks from the store. What do you have to have during movies? Popcorn!

Except that we don't have a microwave...I had lived my entire life either on movie popcorn, made with fancy machines, or the microwavable bags. So in the store when I saw a bag of unpoped popcorn, I thought "I'm great in the kitchen, how hard could making popcorn be?"