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This Crazy Time: Living Our Environmental Challenge
Passionate, profound and funny, Berman is inspiring people from all walks of life to get off the sidelines and fight the good fight--and win. This unique book--part manifesto from a leader, part humorous activist memoir from a soccer mom--offers a wryly honest, behind-the-scenes, ultimately uplifting look at the state of the planet. For almost 20 years, Tzeporah Berman has been one of our most influential environmentalists. A founder of ForestEthics and PowerUp Canada, she was instrumental in shaping the tactics and concerns of the modern environmental movement.
In her early 20s she faced nearly one thousand criminal charges and 6 years in prison for her role organizing blockades in Canada's rainforest. She later transformed her tactics and sat down with CEOs and political leaders to reshape their policies and practices. In her new role at Greenpeace International she is fighting the problem of our climate change. This Crazy Time is an impassioned plea for a better world.
In her early 20s she faced nearly one thousand criminal charges and 6 years in prison for her role organizing blockades in Canada's rainforest. She later transformed her tactics and sat down with CEOs and political leaders to reshape their policies and practices. In her new role at Greenpeace International she is fighting the problem of our climate change. This Crazy Time is an impassioned plea for a better world.
- GenresEnvironment
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 16, 2025
"This Crazy Time" documents the rollercoaster ride that is Tzeporah Berman’s life. As a Canadian environmental activist, she has been from blockade to boardroom, and she takes us along on this journey in the form of an incredible book that I would describe as 'eye-opening' and 'empowering.' Berman’s involvement in environmental issues started in the early 90s with the famous Clayoquot Sound blockades: a large movement to stop logging old-growth forests in British Columbia. She had no prior experience with blockading, or any environmental issues, for that matter, but jumped in headfirst and poured her heart and soul into the movement. After this event sparked her interest in climate change, she went on to organize and participate in many different protests, speak out at conferences, co-found and work with environmental organizations, start a family and do everything in her power to make her personal life as sustainable as possible.
"This Crazy Time" informs readers of the climate issues that may go unseen around the world and highlights the lack of effort from the Canadian government to do our part in making this world more sustainable. Until reading this book, I genuinely believed that Canada was a lot greener than most countries in the world, in part because of our beautiful forests and ecosystems, and in part because British Columbia has implemented certain eco-friendly systems which draw attention away from the fact that we still have a long way to go. I learned that Canada is not as environmentally responsible as many Canadian citizens believe it is. In 2011, “German Watch (a [non-governmental/not-for-profit organization] dedicated to observing and analyzing European political, economic and environmental policies) released its annual Climate Performance Index, ranking fifty-seven countries on their climate laws, policies and performance. Canada ranked fifty-sixth out of fifty-seven, topping only Saudi Arabia.” This quote from the book left me feeling surprised, disappointed and eager to bring Canada up in the ranking.
One aspect of "This Crazy Time" that I particularly enjoyed was that, unlike some books, Berman did not spend her time scaring us with unfortunate statistics, and instead put an emphasis on the ways that we can contribute and get involved. It was all very inspiring and made it so that there was not one dull moment throughout the book. "This Crazy Time" truly proves how an ordinary citizen can become an extraordinarily influential and inspiring role model.
Ultimately, I would recommend Berman’s book to anyone and everyone. You don’t have to be an environmentalist, a Canadian or a non-fiction lover to fall in love with this story. Tzeporah Berman, through "This Crazy Time," implies that there are ways to get involved, and that the world desperately needs us to get involved. So, get out there and participate in protests, raise awareness and talk to politicians. The future of the world, and of future generations, is in our hands.
"This Crazy Time" informs readers of the climate issues that may go unseen around the world and highlights the lack of effort from the Canadian government to do our part in making this world more sustainable. Until reading this book, I genuinely believed that Canada was a lot greener than most countries in the world, in part because of our beautiful forests and ecosystems, and in part because British Columbia has implemented certain eco-friendly systems which draw attention away from the fact that we still have a long way to go. I learned that Canada is not as environmentally responsible as many Canadian citizens believe it is. In 2011, “German Watch (a [non-governmental/not-for-profit organization] dedicated to observing and analyzing European political, economic and environmental policies) released its annual Climate Performance Index, ranking fifty-seven countries on their climate laws, policies and performance. Canada ranked fifty-sixth out of fifty-seven, topping only Saudi Arabia.” This quote from the book left me feeling surprised, disappointed and eager to bring Canada up in the ranking.
One aspect of "This Crazy Time" that I particularly enjoyed was that, unlike some books, Berman did not spend her time scaring us with unfortunate statistics, and instead put an emphasis on the ways that we can contribute and get involved. It was all very inspiring and made it so that there was not one dull moment throughout the book. "This Crazy Time" truly proves how an ordinary citizen can become an extraordinarily influential and inspiring role model.
Ultimately, I would recommend Berman’s book to anyone and everyone. You don’t have to be an environmentalist, a Canadian or a non-fiction lover to fall in love with this story. Tzeporah Berman, through "This Crazy Time," implies that there are ways to get involved, and that the world desperately needs us to get involved. So, get out there and participate in protests, raise awareness and talk to politicians. The future of the world, and of future generations, is in our hands.
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January 24, 2023Tzeporah Berman’s book, This Crazy Time, chronicles her journey as an environmental activist. It begins with her travelling across the country to participate in the Clayoquot Sound protests. She climbs the ranks of organization in this protest and ends up with a job at Greenpeace. Then, as she becomes more experienced, she advances to boycotts and boardrooms. Here she learns how to connect with people and work together to find solutions. Then she creates her own organization, ForestEthics. She travels around the world attending summits, protests, and meetings. She does all this while raising a family. Eventually, she returns to Greenpeace, where she aims to tackle more than just forest protection. This Crazy Time brings readers along through Berman’s work, and shares insights into the life of an environmental activist.
This book is powerful, insightful, and inspiring.
I learned that many First Nations communities are pro industrial logging, as they rely on the jobs to lift their communities out of poverty. This shows that every issue is multi-faceted, and there is no clear “right answer” when trying to prevent these damaging logging practices.
I liked how accessible the language in this book was. Berman was exploring some complicated issues, but she explained it in a clear, understandable way. This book led me to become more interested in environmental activism, and better understand the implications of this line of work.
The information in this book is inspiring, and it shows a path forward as we deal with the environmental challenges of this generation. Not only does Berman’s work help the environment, it also helps the climate, as all things on earth are connected. Forests are incredibly vital to our planet’s health, and they need protection.
This book is perfect for people who care about the environment, want to become a better leader, and want to make a big change in this world.
A quote from the book: “Why does the marbled murrelet matter? Why should we care about the plight of the polar bears? Why should we pass environmental laws that will limit industry or cost jobs? We need to because the science of ecology tells us that affecting one component reverberates throughout the chain. We need to take a more pragmatic approach because if we continue to operate industry in a way that is simply unsustainable, jobs will dry up along with disappearing fish, forests and oil.”
This book is powerful, insightful, and inspiring.
I learned that many First Nations communities are pro industrial logging, as they rely on the jobs to lift their communities out of poverty. This shows that every issue is multi-faceted, and there is no clear “right answer” when trying to prevent these damaging logging practices.
I liked how accessible the language in this book was. Berman was exploring some complicated issues, but she explained it in a clear, understandable way. This book led me to become more interested in environmental activism, and better understand the implications of this line of work.
The information in this book is inspiring, and it shows a path forward as we deal with the environmental challenges of this generation. Not only does Berman’s work help the environment, it also helps the climate, as all things on earth are connected. Forests are incredibly vital to our planet’s health, and they need protection.
This book is perfect for people who care about the environment, want to become a better leader, and want to make a big change in this world.
A quote from the book: “Why does the marbled murrelet matter? Why should we care about the plight of the polar bears? Why should we pass environmental laws that will limit industry or cost jobs? We need to because the science of ecology tells us that affecting one component reverberates throughout the chain. We need to take a more pragmatic approach because if we continue to operate industry in a way that is simply unsustainable, jobs will dry up along with disappearing fish, forests and oil.”
July 6, 2019
I decided to read This Crazy Time after author Tzeporah Berman received death threats following a news conference where she was denounced as "an enemy of the oilsands." The news conference was hosted by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. I had met her briefly and recently in Vancouver and found it shocking that she had to endure this kind of treatment. I wanted to know more about her.
As a young woman she helped lead the largest civil disobedience campaign in Canadian history. The 1993 blockade of clear-cut logging roads in the rainforest of Clayoquot Sound in British Columbia drew more than 10,000 supporters over four months.
Her journey through that and many milestone environmental campaigns in subsequent decades is chronicled in This Crazy Time. It's an enjoyable and educational history and personal memoir that I highly recommend.
As a young woman she helped lead the largest civil disobedience campaign in Canadian history. The 1993 blockade of clear-cut logging roads in the rainforest of Clayoquot Sound in British Columbia drew more than 10,000 supporters over four months.
Her journey through that and many milestone environmental campaigns in subsequent decades is chronicled in This Crazy Time. It's an enjoyable and educational history and personal memoir that I highly recommend.
January 2, 2019
This is an excellent book, both on the history of some of the environmental issues, protests and participants in Canada, as well as a perspective on some of the larger environmental groups such as Greenpeace. It is couched in an autobiography of Berman, which follows her initial interest in the forest protection protests of the late 80’s, early 90’s, through to publication. It is an excellent read, with some excellent points about priorities and how those of us not tempted to chain ourselves to a tree, might be able actual find practical avenues to participate.
June 6, 2015
A really good, and important read. Nicely gives history on some major environmental movements in Canada along with her personal history as an activist. The struggle to protect Canada's rainforests from clearcut logging is powerful to read. The ending struggles to offer hope (on the topic of climate change, so fair enough - there's not much hope to be had considering the complete clusterf*ck that is the Canadian government), but that is a mild critique.
I strongly recommend this book to everyone as a good and entertaining way to get educated on a lot of environmental issues.
I strongly recommend this book to everyone as a good and entertaining way to get educated on a lot of environmental issues.
December 30, 2013
An interesting personal account of what fighting for environmental awareness is like and the obstacles, problems and issues faced - and occasionally the insights and victories gained. Worth reading for everyone - especially those not concerned with the current state of the environment.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews