This is the most emotional science book I think I've ever read. Dr. Shukla talks about how he became interested in weather and climate because of his experiences growing up very poor in India, and I enjoyed how he spoke about his parents more than anything else. HIs father was so proud of him and never got to see how much he achieved.
From classes in a cow shed to his doctorate at MIT, Dr Shukla's journey is inspiring, but he continued to achieve more and more, working with scientists and even receiving an award from NASA for his outstanding contributions. His description of the conditions in his field are important and should not be ignored, and his explanation of the science behind climate change is clear and understandable.

A deeply moving scientific search that integrates a poignant memoir. This is unlike any other science related book I've read, as it adds a sense of humanity. Than you Dr. Shukla for sharing your story and knowledge. This was truly impactful.

Pre-Read notes

I misjudged this cover and title! I was even surprised to discover this book was nonfiction. But climate change is a subject of interest for me. So far so good!

Final Review:

Review summary and recommendations

Honestly, I hardly noticed when this book ended. It's because the text covers several different subjects and I didn't get a chance to really connect to any one of them. A big reason is because the text struggles to relate the subtopics to each other. Even transitions from one subject to another feel rocky.

A Billion Butterflies is about 4 things, really– climate science, butterflies, the author's personal and professional history, and the ins and outs of India's applied science industry. If any of these subjects interest you (I came for the science 🧪 and butterflies 🦋), you'll probably find something of interest here. But maybe not *much* of interest if you, like me, find the organization to distract from the point.

Reading Notes

Two things I loved:

1. Another word for expected weather is mean climate. The standard method to calculate mean climate at any point on Earth for any hour of the day is to take an average of all the weather data at that point for that hour for the previous thirty years. That is why you often read that climate is the average of weather. p88 This is the most accessible description of the concept of climate that I've ever encountered.

2. This book is definitely most interesting to me when Shukla examines the intersection of climate science and data science. He said that such a global gridded data set did not exist. What he meant was that the raw observations, taken from ships and weather stations scattered about randomly, had not been arranged into tidy rows of latitudes and longitudes, and that was the gridded data that computer models needed. p114

Three quibbles:

1. While there is a great deal of information here about climate, it's not always clear to me how the material supports or contributes to the book's overarching idea, or even what that idea is. History of climate science? Memoir of a climate scientist? Analysis of contemporary climate policy? Check to all these.

2. Because it's so formal and not organized well, it's a bit of a slog.

Notes

1. Many years later, Manabe received some blowback for not making a bigger deal about those results, but my friend insisted that he was a scientist, not an activist. Besides, Manabe’s model might have depicted a frightening future, but it didn’t offer insight on whether humans might be able to adapt or what kinds of policies should be enacted to reduce emissions. The other thing it didn’t provide was unequivocal confidence. p179 This raising an excellent question. *Do* scientist have a professional obligation to get public attention for significant findings? I don't think it's in any way enforceable, but I do think they have a professional ethical obligation to share findings that affect the health and safety of this whole world. Do you? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Rating: ☔🌤️🌪️.5 /5 climate events
Recommend? yes
Finished: Apr 24 '25
Format: accessible digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
📰 nonfiction
🧪 popular science books
📈 reading about data
☃️ climate science
🗣️ memoir

Thank you to the author Dr. Jagadish Shukla, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of A BILLION BUTTERFLIES. All views are mine.
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This book is not just about climate and meteorology. There is quite a bit about the Indian culture which I found intriguing.
I enjoyed the historical aspect as well as the scientific information shared by the author.
Perfect reading for those that are into checking the weather forecast throughout the day.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’m thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc.

I’m a lover of all kinds of weather and am very thankful to Dr. Shukla’s contribution to meteorology. This book gives you some insight as to what his life was like and the politics that can come when dealing with climate change.

I recommend it for anyone who checks the weather forecast daily. 🙂

I thought this was going to read more like nonfiction vs. a memoir, but I was pleasantly surprised with the mix Dr. Shukla does for this novel. The mix of his upbringing and why he starts working in meteorology along with the science and facts was well done. You never stayed in one section too long before getting thrown back to the factual aspect or personal aspect for Shukla. The science parts are not too textbook either. Dr. Shukla makes the topics easy to digest and understand without a background in meteorology. The amount of work Dr. Shukla has done for meteorology is astounding and I learned so much more than I expected to.

All in all, as a meteorology geek, I absolutely loved this book. I think anyone interested in meteorology or climate would really enjoy this one.

A Billion Butterflies is a thoughtful, well-paced memoir that highlights both the personal and professional journey of Dr. Jagadish Shukla—one of the key figures behind modern weather forecasting. His story begins in a rural village in India with no electricity or formal schooling and follows his path to becoming an internationally respected climate scientist.

What stands out is how Shukla balances the science with his life story. He doesn’t overwhelm the reader with technical jargon, but still offers a clear look at how seasonal weather prediction evolved and why it matters. His role in advancing climate models and weather forecasting is significant, and the book does a good job of showing how those contributions impact the world today.

While some sections move a bit slowly, overall it’s a compelling read that blends memoir, science, and social impact. It’s not flashy, but it’s meaningful. A solid read for anyone interested in climate science, personal perseverance, or the quiet power of long-term dedication.

3.5 Stars

Many thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate And Chaos Theory by Jagadish Shukla.

Shukla immediately captured my attention and imagination as I read the prologue of his beautifully written story. It is hard to describe this book because it accomplishes so much: it is Shukla’s memoir. But it is also a history of weather forecasting, a glimpse into the culture of a part of India, an introduction and clarification of the forces driving climate change, a clear description of the process and challenges of scientific discovery—it is a masterpiece.
Throughout the book, Shukla willingly presents himself and shows readers his values and struggles. He shares his significant accomplishments, discusses his occasional errors, and does both with a humility and grateful acknowledgement of the opportunities that were given to him throughout his life. I have a new respect for and understanding of weather forecasting. Many thanks, Dr. Shukla.

The science of weather prediction has come far just in my lifetime. No more having to predict rain by the ache in my knee. Dr Jagadish Shukla's beginnings would leave you thinking he'd never be a leader in the science. With no science background and little resources, he has risen to be the #1 expert. Reading the challenges he faced and the results of his work is fascinating to anyone whose livelihood depends on the accurate prediction of the weather. I live in Oklahoma, one of the most weather impacted states in the US. This man has made a difference in so many lives, he really deserves more recognition.

A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory by Dr. Jagadish Shukla, is part history, part memoir, and climate science nonfiction. Shukla seamlessly weaves in the science and history of climate science and his life story, and the reader gets some information on Indian culture as well. The science is accessible for a layperson such as me, and provides engaging explanations for such concepts as “The Butterfly Effect.”

I had the opportunity to read the book and listen to the audiobook side by side. The narration by Shahjehan Khan, provides an seamless, flawless and engaging experience, making the science and history as consumable, as the life story, coming from modest means to becoming a highly respected activist and scientist.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and read the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Book Rating: 5 Stars
Audiobook Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Apr 22 2025

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#StMartinsPress
#ABillionButterflies
#DrJagadishShukla
#ShahjehanKhan
#YarisBookNook
#Biography
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#Nature
#Science
#ClimateScience
#netgalley

Meteorologist and climate scientist Dr. Jagadish Shukla was a climate-change skeptic for years. What led him to change his mind? He recalls this and his life in his autobiography, "A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory".

His interest in weather forecasting stemmed from a practical need. Growing up in a rural village in India, life depended on the weather. The monsoon rains had a great impact on everyone’s economic well-being. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to accurately forecast when the rains would hit, how long they would last and how wet they would be?

Studying in the United States provided such as culture shock to him. I found this story as fascinating as his journey as a climate scientist. However, this book is more than an autobiography. Shukla explains the history of weather forecasting, and his own discoveries. I found this too detailed for my taste, but still informative. He learned to make seasonal predictions based on ocean and land-boundary conditions. If they could predict an El Niño, then they could save lives and livelihoods just like predicting monsoons.

He shares to the reader how he eventually became a climate change believer. Through his research, he realized how devastating climate change could be. This is from many sources, such as massive deforestation, and carbon dioxide pumped into the air. He was demonized by many, which is a warning on how far reaching the influence of the fossil-fuel industry is.

True to its title, "A Billion Butterflies" introduces readers to Chaos Theory and the Butterfly Effect—concepts that underscore the interconnectedness of global weather patterns and small environmental changes. Though the depth of these concepts may appeal to a niche audience, the general message should appeal to all of us.

(This review will be posted on UnderratedReads on April 22, 2025)

I will admit that I am a big meteorology nerd but embarrassingly was not familiar with Jagadish Shukla. This was a fascinating book about his work as a scientist and professor after starting from a small village in India wondering why some years the monsoon rains did not arrive. What if there was a way to predict the arrival of these rains which were so important for the lives of the villagers?

This book traces his path from India to the United States and across several universities where he studied and modeled meteorology that we use today in weather prediction (including an answer to the monsoon question). The author makes the concepts easy to understand in this book so you don't have to be a scientist to pick up this book. I hope that more people get to know this man's story.

A Billion Butterflies by Dr. Jagadish Shukla is an amazing true story of the man behind modern weather prediction.
This memoir was so interesting and very well informed.
I was very surprised at how much I actually enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for my honest review

3.5

I went into this book completely blind and was pleasantly surprised. I was able to follow along and understand despite me knowing nothing about weather, Very interesting read! I would of like a little more personal stories to go along with the scientific facts.

I expected this to be about meteorological science and its humble beginnings, but I did not expect the memoir in it or the shift to environmental science. I really enjoyed this. It was surprising in many good ways. I had no idea where weather predictions first sstarted, or why. I just always knew them as existing. Learning about the why, which is so personal to the author, gives so much more to the story rather than just science. I didn’t get lost, bored, or confused along the way. It was explained in laymen’s terms I could relate to and follow.

I very much enjoyed reading this account by Dr. Jagadish Shukla of his life and life's work in the field of meteorology and climatology. His life is as interesting as his work in advancing the science of weather and climate prediction.

If you’ve ever been intrigued by weather prediction, the history of climatology, or climate change read this book. It is an amazing deep dive into these topics from the perspective of a man who was part of it all. Dr. Shukla tells his life’s involvement in climate science with amazing attention to detail to the most important projects, even if he wasn’t involved in them. This gives a very complete picture of climate science though it’s being told through the perspective of one man.

Its clear in his writing that he’s been explaining these topics for a lifetime. This book is succinct and easy to understand even with a very cursory background in climatology. I honestly had trouble putting this down which is not something I can typically say about a nonfiction book.

Most of the details on the rise of weather prediction were completely new to me and I enjoyed learning about it. The end of the book also involves discussions of climate change and the way corporations in America did (and still continue to) persecute scientists for sharing their climate related findings.

Overall this is an important and interesting read from a man that got to see and be a part of massive change in climate science.

This book is not something I would typically choose. I’m glad I did though. It’s very interesting and provides a wonderful look at how a young boy from India became a climate scientist. I am not a science-y person at all but this was written in such a way that it kept my interest and helped me learn a few things. I think weather is fascinating while also being scary so if you’re also like me in that regard, you might enjoy this book.

Thank you to Dr. Shulka and the publisher for a chance to read this book!

Informative and important.
I hope more people read these book. We, humans need to care about our climate and environment.

Interesting and timely, and I was pleasantly surprised at how thoroughly this book connected to my everyday life. (A family member grabbed it first based on the gorgeous cover and I had to pry it out of their hands to get my chance to read it!)