I just read Bill McKibben's latest book, Eaarth (New York: Times Books, 2010). How could I not? Barbara Kingsolver said that "nothing could be more important." Having just been roundly disappointed by James Lovelock's The Revenge of Gaia, I was expecting more from McKibben. Perhaps too much. But, after all, wasn't he behind 350.org? And wasn't he, unlike Lovelock, actually a writer?
I had borrowed both books from the library as part of a spate of reading I've done over the last few years. I'm looking for answers, and I suspect that I'm not alone. So many of us are way past the point of needing to be told that something is wrong, that climate change is real. We want someone to show us the way out of this mess. Especially after the excitement and inspiration of 350.org, followed by the dismal failure of Copenhagen, we want someone to tell us what to do.
McKibben does have a very important message in Eaarth. His message is that we are not talking about, as politicians aver, problems that our grandchildren will face, or even our children. We are talking about problems that we will face—are facing—right now.
". . . in rural communities there are still farms and small businesses that can be changed according to the will and the desire of individual people. . . . by the ancient rule of neighborliness, by the love of precious things, and by the wish to be at home." — Wendell Berry*
Showing posts with label Book reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book reviews. Show all posts
February 20, 2011
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