Fossil History

As a woman raised in the 1950s, Henrietta Ballantine has always had to prove herself. Homeschooled to challenge her intellectually, Henrietta spent her childhood with a strict Russian tutor and an overbearing mother for whom she could do nothing right. It’s her science-driven father who finally manages to give Henrietta refuge within the Smithsonian’s glorious walls. There she learns a love of ancient things, of secrets hidden in the ground. Of fossils.

Fossil fuel has an ageless affinity with dinosaurs. To create oil, dinosaurs died. Now, in this riveting action thriller, the tables are turning! The perfect energy storm is sweeping over the United States, and the nation's Strategic Oil Supply is riding on empty. As the energy storm intensifies, the nation's access to Arab oil, once supplying over sixty percent of our fossil fuel, is being threatened causing citizens to panic for lack of gas at the pumps, stranding cars across the country and inciting riots.

Travel back to the late 1800s to learn more about the true adventures of Luella Agnes Owen, a female pioneer in the study of caves. Luella had to overcome many obstacles to reach her goal of becoming a scientist, but she succeeded. She became one of the world's leading authorities on caves at a time when such a career was unusual for a woman.