Human Nature by Kate Marvel

Does it seem lately that you are hearing frequently about extra high temperatures, heavy deluges, or strong storms?  How does that make you feel? In a new book called HUMAN NATURE author Kate Marvel devotes a chapter to each of nine emotions to explore both science and stories behind climate change. Marvel, a climate scientist and quoted in The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg, says that she wrote this book for three reasons: (1) to share some of the science behind climate change; (2) to explain how, with things changing so rapidly, it feels to do this science; and (3) to share the range of emotions she felt. Shifting between Greek myths and theoretical physics, Marvel looks at Wonder; Anger; Guilt; Fear; Grief; Surprise; Pride; Hope; and Love in a relatively accessible manner. She obviously cares. Her chapter on Hope acknowledges that we need to stop emitting the greenhouse gases that cause climate change by taking steps to “build renewable energy sources, transmission lines to carry that energy where needed, and batteries to store that energy, which would push aside fossil fuels. Stop heating and cooking with dirty fuels. Learn how to make cement and plastics and steel without spewing carbon dioxide. Replace gasoline cars with electric vehicles, public transportation, and walkable cities. Steward our land more wisely and eat fewer cows.” She admits that this will be difficult, but not impossible and that “renewables are already being deployed at rates forecasters never imagined.” The stories (e.g., transition from whale blubber to kerosene) are fascinating, emotion evoking, and clearly relevant today. Subtitled “Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet,” HUMAN NATURE was described in a Kirkus review as “A highly readable argument for tackling climate change that reckons with both cold hard facts and the human heart.” At least twenty-five percent of the book is devoted to Notes and an Index. 

The Nature of Our Cities by Nadina Galle

THE NATURE OF OUR CITIES by Nadina Galle is a book which educates by highlighting some very scary situations. For example, she notes that “in 2018, the European Union recorded 104,000 heat related deaths among older people, over one-third of the global total.” In fact, she encourages her son “not to think about this day as the hottest it's been in the last 100 years but as one of the cooler July days that he and his children would experience in the next 100 years.” Galle, a Dutch-Canadian ecological engineer, travels the world and describes actions being taken to help monitor water needs of trees in Groene Loper park in Maastricht, Netherlands, or measuring heat across neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon, plus many more locales and activities. Her emphasis, as the subtitle suggests, is on “Harnessing the Power of the Natural World to Survive a Changing Planet” as it faces threats from urban growth and climate change. She writes eloquently about current research and innovations, concluding that “tomorrow cities must rely on emerging technologies - and repurposed older ones - to build durable ecosystems,” but lacks the ability to synthesize and point to specific action steps for her readers. Notes make up a little over fifteen percent of this text, but unfortunately, a list of resources and relevant organizations (like MIT’s Senseable City Lab where she had a fellowship) or perhaps even commercial suppliers or government entities is missing. 

Stay Dead by April Henry

I have commented over the years on suspenseful young adult reads by April Henry like Eyes of the Forest or The Girl I Used to Be and STAY DEAD is another gripping mystery from this prolific, talented author. Sixteen-year-old Milan (great name, right?) has just been expelled from her third boarding school after the death of her Dad, Senator and environmentalist, Jack Mayhew. She and her Mom, Heather, who is now the serving Senator, are with staff aboard a private plane when it crashes. As the only survivor, Milan must rely on quick thinking and her past hiking experiences to beat the cold, the snow, and an animal predator as she struggles to get to Portland, Oregon and the only person her Mom told her to trust. That hazardous journey is exciting enough, but Henry treats readers to added perspective from Lenny, the woman hired to kill Milan and her parents, plus details from Jane, a dairy farmer dealing with the consequences of allowing fracking to occur on her farmland. The pace is quick – and Milan needs to draw on inner resources, remembering a favorite quote of her Mom’s from Amelia Earhart: “The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” In her acknowledgments, Henry sounds super curious and adventuresome herself; she says, “as a writer, I've done many things for research, but probably the most intense was a three-day course called Urban Escape and Evasion. The final day of class you are kidnapped; hooded, cuffed, and mouth duct-taped.… You must use all your newly learned skills to escape...” Wow – that is serious research! And her adrenaline-charged writing reflects it. Enjoy! 

Also wanted to note this quote... from another character who reflects on his departed wife: “She just got to heaven a little sooner than me, … she always liked to be early to things.”

Young Readers: The Sixth Extinction and The Uninhabitable Earth

THE SIXTH EXTINCTION (young readers adaptation) by Elizabeth Kolbert is scheduled to be available on February 6, 2024. No one would deny that this is an important topic of grave concern to young people and I am grateful for having seen a preview. I wish, however, that greater effort had been made to provide a version of this award-winning text that more clearly outlined key issues. Kolbert shares many relevant stories (e.g., the rhino ultrasound), but important messages may be lost in the still rather dense text.  In addition to line art images (no graphs or diagrams that I saw), there is a three page glossary and index, but, sadly, sources and further reading are not included. Booklist recommended THE SIXTH EXTINCTION for grades 5 thru 8 (seems young, given the language level) and gave it a starred review.

THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH by David Wallace-Wells is now available in an adaptation for Young Adults. It tells the story of “Life After Warming” and shares dire predictions regarding a range of topics including dying oceans, greenhouse gas, extreme weather events, and results like hunger and migration. However, the language is quite stilted (e.g., “like our sea-level myopia, it threatens to occlude our picture of what global warming means for us”) and there is even an entire section improbably named The Anthropic Principle (how many high school students can readily explain that idea?). Plus, graphics or images are totally missing. And, despite an array of statistics included in the text, there are no sources listed and no bibliography for further reading. Those additions and a much more conversational tone would have made this text more appealing and more inspirational for its intended young adult audience. Kirkus sums it up well: “Heavy going, both in content and prose style, but filled with critical content.” 

Fortunately, there are a variety of accessible texts on climate change and the environment geared to high school students.

To Dye For by Alden Wicker

A Next Big Idea Club selection for June, TO DYE FOR by Alden Wicker is definitely worth reading. Wicker, an award-winning journalist and sustainable-fashion expert, outlines “How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick.” She uses very relatable examples, including the new uniforms distributed to Alaskan Airline personnel and subsequent adverse reactions. Hives, rashes, breathing difficulties are just a few examples of how Wicker contends that clothes (and the many unregulated chemicals they carry) may make us sick. Later chapters address concerns like fertility issues and autoimmune disease. Fashion is a 2.5 trillion-dollar global industry so it has vast resources and that means increasing consumer knowledge and wariness is critical. Wicker describes conditions in factories abroad and offers an entire chapter with suggestions of how to protect yourself (more natural fabrics, less dry cleaning, etc.). Approximately twenty percent of the book contains a lengthy Glossary and detailed Notes. I agree with Booklist which gave TO DYE FOR a starred review and which also recommended the text for teens, saying that as a group they “are way ahead of the curve with sustainable fashion, and they will appreciate this smart investigation.” Our students will be engaged and further motivated after reading TO DYE FOR. Looking for a preview? The publisher’s website has an audio excerpt and amazon offers one to read. Even better: “meet” the author via Zoom on Tuesday, August 29 at 7:00pm (East Coast time) at an event sponsored by the Hudson Library and Historical Society.

Unraveling by Peggy Orenstein

I loved UNRAVELING by Peggy Orenstein. It is her story of “What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater,” but really it is filled with observations about coping with the pandemic and about the importance of being open and curious about new experiences.  I found this book to be a source of solace and I spun the reading over a few weeks, learning about shearing, dye making, and knitting. Those relatively ancient skills somehow reinforced the idea that modern day readers would also manage to cope and they could begin with some deep breaths and a slower pace. I thoroughly enjoyed turning to Orenstein’s antics at the end of each day and found her wordplay entertaining, too: “We hang by threads, we lose the thread, we pick up the thread, we thread through crowds … Textile analogies loom large in our lives.” It is clear she researched extensively and UNRAVELING includes a 3 page selected bibliography. Orenstein herself commented, “What I didn’t expect was all I’d discover about how clothing has shaped civilization, class, culture, power, or its pivotal role in our environmental future.” Readers, too, will learn much. Highly recommended.

Great Lakes Champions by John H. Hartig

GREAT LAKES CHAMPIONS by John H. Hartig uses the stories of fourteen activists to describe “Grassroots Efforts to Clean Up Polluted Watersheds.” Hartig is a recognized expert on conservation science, refuge manager for the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, and a member of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy board of directors. He begins by noting some astonishing statistics: the Great Lakes “represent one-fifth of the standing fresh water on the Earth’s surface” and cover “94,250 square miles, a combined surface area bigger than the United Kingdom and bigger than the state of Texas.” While each of the stories – from a champion for the St. Louis River to one for the St. Lawrence River – are unique and local, some common themes and ideas emerge. Hartig repeatedly stresses the importance of connection (often formed in childhood or adolescence) to the natural world. He reflects on the history of efforts and legislation (hard to believe that the first Earth Day was more than 50 years ago) and Hartig repeatedly cites the need for a coordinated approach, with creative efforts at fundraising and goal-setting. The prose is a bit dry (filled with facts and stats), but the desire to motivate is clear. His final chapter includes a call to action and provides models such as key questions to ensure science-based continuous improvement. An extensive bibliography and index are included. Interested readers should also see The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan (2017).