Streetlamps, neon signs – an ever-present glow that has changed the natural world and adversely affected our health; Paul Bogard illuminates the problems caused by a lack of darkness. We live awash in artificial light. But night's natural darkness has always been invaluable for our spiritual health and the health of the natural world, and every living creature suffers from its loss.
In The End of Night, Paul Bogard investigates what we mean when we talk about the different shades of darkness; what we've lost, what we still have, what we might regain. He travels from between the intensely lit cities, and the sites where real darkness still remains. Encountering scientists, physicians, activists and writers, Bogard discusses how our use of light at night is negatively affecting the natural world; how human physical, psychological, and spiritual health are significantly influenced by darkness or its lack; and how it's not a matter of using light at night or not, but rather when and where, how and how much.
A beautiful invocation of our constant companion, the night, which returns every day of our lives, The End of Night reminds us of the power and mystery of the dark.
Paul Bogard, PhD., is a widely published author of journalism, creative nonfiction, scholarship and is the editor of Let There Be Night: Testimony on Behalf of the Dark. He has also presented on darkness and light pollution at conferences, universities, nature centres, national parks, bookstores and churches. He studied Literature and Environment at the University of Nevada, and now teaches writing at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.