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Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis
“Generation Dread is a vital and deeply compelling read.”—Adam McKay, award-winning writer, director, and producer (Vice, Succession, Don’t Look Up)
“Read this courageous book.”—Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything
“Wray shows finally that meaningful living is possible even in the face of that which threatens to extinguish life itself.”—Dr. Gabor Maté, author of When the Body Says No
When we’re faced with record-breaking temperatures, worsening wildfires, more severe storms, and other devastating effects of climate change, feelings of anxiety and despair are normal. In Generation Dread, Britt Wray reminds us that our distress is, at its heart, a sign of our connection to and love for the world. The first step toward becoming a steward of the planet is connecting with our climate emotions—seeing them as a sign of our humanity and empathy and learning how to live with them. Britt Wray, a scientist and expert on the psychological impacts of the climate crisis, brilliantly weaves together research, insight from climate-aware therapists, and personal experience, to illuminate how we can connect with others, find purpose, and thrive in a warming, climate-unsettled world.
“Read this courageous book.”—Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything
“Wray shows finally that meaningful living is possible even in the face of that which threatens to extinguish life itself.”—Dr. Gabor Maté, author of When the Body Says No
When we’re faced with record-breaking temperatures, worsening wildfires, more severe storms, and other devastating effects of climate change, feelings of anxiety and despair are normal. In Generation Dread, Britt Wray reminds us that our distress is, at its heart, a sign of our connection to and love for the world. The first step toward becoming a steward of the planet is connecting with our climate emotions—seeing them as a sign of our humanity and empathy and learning how to live with them. Britt Wray, a scientist and expert on the psychological impacts of the climate crisis, brilliantly weaves together research, insight from climate-aware therapists, and personal experience, to illuminate how we can connect with others, find purpose, and thrive in a warming, climate-unsettled world.
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First published May 5, 2022
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About the author
Britt Wray
5 books59 followersBritt Wray is an author and researcher working at the forefront of climate change and mental health.
Britt's latest book, Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis (Knopf 2022) seamlessly merges scientific knowledge with emotional insight to show how climate fears and anxieties are a sign of our humanity, and acknowledging, valuing, and learning to live with them is key to making it through present and future crises.
Britt is the author of the widely read Gen Dread newsletter about "staying sane in the climate crisis" (gendread.substack.com). She is also a Human and Planetary Health Fellow at Stanford University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Her first book - Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics and Risks of De-Extinction – is about a new scientific movement that aims to bring extinct species back to life, and is published by Greystone Books and the David Suzuki Institute. The New Yorker, Sunday Times, and Science News called it a "Best Book" of 2017. The foreword is written by George Church of Harvard University and MIT, who is using genome-editing techniques to create woolly mammoth traits in elephant cells in his lab.
Britt's work has been featured in international media, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Washington Post, The Guardian, TIME, and Globe and Mail. She is a TED speaker and presenter and producer of several radio programs, podcasts and TV shows that have aired on the BBC and CBC.
Learn more about Britt at brittwray.com and @gen_dread on Instagram or @brittwray on Twitter.
Britt's latest book, Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis (Knopf 2022) seamlessly merges scientific knowledge with emotional insight to show how climate fears and anxieties are a sign of our humanity, and acknowledging, valuing, and learning to live with them is key to making it through present and future crises.
Britt is the author of the widely read Gen Dread newsletter about "staying sane in the climate crisis" (gendread.substack.com). She is also a Human and Planetary Health Fellow at Stanford University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Her first book - Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics and Risks of De-Extinction – is about a new scientific movement that aims to bring extinct species back to life, and is published by Greystone Books and the David Suzuki Institute. The New Yorker, Sunday Times, and Science News called it a "Best Book" of 2017. The foreword is written by George Church of Harvard University and MIT, who is using genome-editing techniques to create woolly mammoth traits in elephant cells in his lab.
Britt's work has been featured in international media, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Washington Post, The Guardian, TIME, and Globe and Mail. She is a TED speaker and presenter and producer of several radio programs, podcasts and TV shows that have aired on the BBC and CBC.
Learn more about Britt at brittwray.com and @gen_dread on Instagram or @brittwray on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
November 4, 2022
This was not the book I thought I was picking up. I thought this would be an exploration of eco-anxiety and how to deal with it. There were a few interesting bits and pieces here and there – that activism is not a solution to the anxiety although it's certainly a good thing by it self, that people suffering from climate change dread are not generally people already suffering from other (irrational) types of anxiety, and the discussion of whether how to try and stay positive when the data doesn't show anything to be positive about. But those bits and pieces were buried in a horrible structure with most time spent reiterating how eco-anxiety feels. I think most people picking up this book already know what it feels like. It's clear the author is also suffering from it, but if I wanted to hear people's worst thoughts about the future I don't need to read a book that promises to talk about it on a meta-level.
All in all, this reads like a draft that's been written very chaotically and then thrown together to quickly publish it, without spending the necessary time on the editing process and sometimes this reads like an essay collection. Considering the author writes a newsletter about the topic, I can't help but think a lot of it was arranged around already written sections that she tried to fit together.
The authors weird fixation on being white while POC people have been suffering more under climate change (and general wealth inequality) just came off really strange, like she was just trying to shoehorn it in without having real points to make. You'd read something like “POCs are going to suffer more from from climate change” once and think yes, very important point. But with every time she brings up the same point again and again in different words, I found myself thinking if there was something else she needed to say on the topic and not just get over her own complex. She claims most climate activists are white and middle class and that this is a bad thing and that we need a different approach (which would entail what exactly?), only then to portray POC activists who do important work. So how come they started doing activism? Maybe there would have been a chance to dive deeper into the topic, but she doesn't dare to take it. She only muses superficially. A complaint I had throughout the book.
The only logical structure of the book was the one I found most annoying, a very navel-gazey discussion about the author's struggle whether to have children or not. In the beginning of the book she explains her reasons for not wanting to bring children into the climate chaos-ridden world with her parents and her brother berating her and telling how sad it is she's missing out on the “best feeling ever”. Then in the last chapter, she's having a child because... something something hope something, but really “because I wanted to”. I completely understand people who have hope in the future and decide to have children. I don't understand people who write a whole book about their anxiety and their almost certainty how bad the world is going to look in 20 let alone 50 years of time and bow to pressure of family and surroundings (and if she didn't mean to imply that, why did she put the pressuring in her book in the first place?) and “my own personal feelings trump my future child's well-being”. What an infuriating section to read.
Overall: such an important topic and what a poor execution! This is neither a how-to-guide to when you're dealing with eco-anxiety yourself, nor is it a in-depth discussion of the phenomena itself. It's one woman's feelings about her own eco-anxiety with the loose attempt to connect it to other people's anxiety.
All in all, this reads like a draft that's been written very chaotically and then thrown together to quickly publish it, without spending the necessary time on the editing process and sometimes this reads like an essay collection. Considering the author writes a newsletter about the topic, I can't help but think a lot of it was arranged around already written sections that she tried to fit together.
The authors weird fixation on being white while POC people have been suffering more under climate change (and general wealth inequality) just came off really strange, like she was just trying to shoehorn it in without having real points to make. You'd read something like “POCs are going to suffer more from from climate change” once and think yes, very important point. But with every time she brings up the same point again and again in different words, I found myself thinking if there was something else she needed to say on the topic and not just get over her own complex. She claims most climate activists are white and middle class and that this is a bad thing and that we need a different approach (which would entail what exactly?), only then to portray POC activists who do important work. So how come they started doing activism? Maybe there would have been a chance to dive deeper into the topic, but she doesn't dare to take it. She only muses superficially. A complaint I had throughout the book.
The only logical structure of the book was the one I found most annoying, a very navel-gazey discussion about the author's struggle whether to have children or not. In the beginning of the book she explains her reasons for not wanting to bring children into the climate chaos-ridden world with her parents and her brother berating her and telling how sad it is she's missing out on the “best feeling ever”. Then in the last chapter, she's having a child because... something something hope something, but really “because I wanted to”. I completely understand people who have hope in the future and decide to have children. I don't understand people who write a whole book about their anxiety and their almost certainty how bad the world is going to look in 20 let alone 50 years of time and bow to pressure of family and surroundings (and if she didn't mean to imply that, why did she put the pressuring in her book in the first place?) and “my own personal feelings trump my future child's well-being”. What an infuriating section to read.
Overall: such an important topic and what a poor execution! This is neither a how-to-guide to when you're dealing with eco-anxiety yourself, nor is it a in-depth discussion of the phenomena itself. It's one woman's feelings about her own eco-anxiety with the loose attempt to connect it to other people's anxiety.
June 7, 2022
**144th Climate Book**
The book's real strength, and why I gave it four stars, is the acknowledgement of the value and role of the full range of human emotions in the face of the climate crisis. I've tried for years(/decades) to walk the line demanded of climate communicators: don't scare people! emphasize hope! inspire people! talk about the utopian future we can build! avoid moralizing! if you slip up and cause fear or shame in your audience you are directly responsible for our imminent collapse (not the fossil fuel companies, perish the thought)!
Do you know, the only way to do this is to lie? I don't like lying. I think our current situation is terrifying and that fear (and shame) are reasonable responses.
Britt Wray is very supportive of feeling the dark stuff and being willing to face it, and that is fully deserving of four stars on its own. Also she is a clear writer with a good style.
Much of the background information was repetitive for me (caveat: this is my 144th climate book; I wasn't expecting to learn much new about climate change itself, or the socioeconomic issues surrounding it). It all seemed reasonably accurate and a good summary to me.
My one frustration is the treatment of government, but that's a pretty significant frustration. I've worked for many government agencies in my career, as well as the private sector, and I've volunteered and worked with non-profits, and humans are the same everywhere. People don't go into environmental careers in the government because they hate people and want to block progress and kill people. Yet that is the general tone here (to be fair Wray's book is not alone in this). Actions are focused on "internal activism" (i.e. therapy, which is a great thing to do, but not effective, and my own experience shows I think that you can do a lot of good work even if you feel like shit) and small group actions on a neighbourhood or household level.
Aiming activism at the policy/legislative work that would make the large-scale changes we need is not given the treatment it needs; instead, her view of this is pessimistic ("no one is coming to save us," etc.). Particularly after working in a government agency for 2 1/2 years of a pandemic where I saw my colleagues bust their asses and burn out responding to crises and doing their best to support people, it just pisses me off.
I recommend the book, but not on its own, and not for policy solutions. It's a solid guide to climate feelings, but for the "what to do" conversation, look elsewhere.
The book's real strength, and why I gave it four stars, is the acknowledgement of the value and role of the full range of human emotions in the face of the climate crisis. I've tried for years(/decades) to walk the line demanded of climate communicators: don't scare people! emphasize hope! inspire people! talk about the utopian future we can build! avoid moralizing! if you slip up and cause fear or shame in your audience you are directly responsible for our imminent collapse (not the fossil fuel companies, perish the thought)!
Do you know, the only way to do this is to lie? I don't like lying. I think our current situation is terrifying and that fear (and shame) are reasonable responses.
Britt Wray is very supportive of feeling the dark stuff and being willing to face it, and that is fully deserving of four stars on its own. Also she is a clear writer with a good style.
Much of the background information was repetitive for me (caveat: this is my 144th climate book; I wasn't expecting to learn much new about climate change itself, or the socioeconomic issues surrounding it). It all seemed reasonably accurate and a good summary to me.
My one frustration is the treatment of government, but that's a pretty significant frustration. I've worked for many government agencies in my career, as well as the private sector, and I've volunteered and worked with non-profits, and humans are the same everywhere. People don't go into environmental careers in the government because they hate people and want to block progress and kill people. Yet that is the general tone here (to be fair Wray's book is not alone in this). Actions are focused on "internal activism" (i.e. therapy, which is a great thing to do, but not effective, and my own experience shows I think that you can do a lot of good work even if you feel like shit) and small group actions on a neighbourhood or household level.
Aiming activism at the policy/legislative work that would make the large-scale changes we need is not given the treatment it needs; instead, her view of this is pessimistic ("no one is coming to save us," etc.). Particularly after working in a government agency for 2 1/2 years of a pandemic where I saw my colleagues bust their asses and burn out responding to crises and doing their best to support people, it just pisses me off.
I recommend the book, but not on its own, and not for policy solutions. It's a solid guide to climate feelings, but for the "what to do" conversation, look elsewhere.
Read
June 15, 2022This is a good book if you are looking for dozens of psychological and psychiatric terms to describe feeling anxious about the climate, or possibly if you are seeking to understand someone in your life who has expressed such anxious thoughts. As far as practical advice or any epiphanies for dealing with climate anxiety on your own, this book leaves much to be desired.
February 23, 2022
A book that I'm inevitably going to be coming back to over and over again over the next several years, and one that I'll be happy to revisit. I expect it won't be long until my life is dotted with post-its quoting passages as reminders of what to hold dear and how to fight for it.
July 21, 2022
I’ve worked in climate change communication, education, and interpretation for almost 20 years, and this book was, in my opinion, quite brutal in its presentation of various situations and facts. I struggled to get through it even though I am exceedingly familiar with 90% of its content. I was hoping for a good reference for students and friends who come to me for advice and information. This book is not that.
If you are not prepared for the stark slap in the face that is the harsh data and analysis of this book, this could upend any tenuous hold you have on your mental health as relates to climate anxiety and similar emotional states. I do not recommend this book for someone looking for solace or direction for action in the climate sphere. There are other books and articles that do it much better and more in tune with the appropriate psychological nuances.
If you are not prepared for the stark slap in the face that is the harsh data and analysis of this book, this could upend any tenuous hold you have on your mental health as relates to climate anxiety and similar emotional states. I do not recommend this book for someone looking for solace or direction for action in the climate sphere. There are other books and articles that do it much better and more in tune with the appropriate psychological nuances.
May 8, 2022
This is such an important book for anyone who cares about climate breakdown (which should be everyone). Britt Wray draws on the wisdom of a variety of people who study the intersections of psychology and climate change, and details many strategies that people can use to cope with their climate emotions and use them to fuel action rather than become overwhelmed. She thoughtfully analyzes power and privilege when it comes to dealing with the effects of the climate crisis, including the ways that it was created by capitalism, white supremacy, and colonialism, and interviews a wide variety of people about how we can do the internal work necessary to fuel our external activism. Highly recommended!
August 2, 2022
Standing out among the myriad of books on climate crisis, Generation Dread offers a refreshing approach towards accepting climate anxiety and turning dread into constructive action.
In many ways, Generation Dread was just what I needed at the exact right time. (I've consumed way too much negative info on climate change in the weeks prior to reading this book.) While most works on climate change mention a need to act, Generation Dread is the first book I've read that actually put this call-to-action into a realistic perspective – in such a way that it might actually mean something to the individual reader and change them.
Generation Dread did the impossible and actually gave me a sliver of hope for the future. Especially impressive is its entire internal discourse on having children (or not) in the age of climate crisis. It made me reconsider stances that have been deeply ingrained in my mind for a long time.
Lots of the insights and advices are rather metaphysical, which makes it feel like a self-help book at times. But in the end, maybe this is just what we need, facing this insurmountable-seeming challenge. Generation Dread's cautious optimism as well as its affirmation of the value of every single person contributing to a better future make it a book every anxious Millennial or Zoomer should read.
In many ways, Generation Dread was just what I needed at the exact right time. (I've consumed way too much negative info on climate change in the weeks prior to reading this book.) While most works on climate change mention a need to act, Generation Dread is the first book I've read that actually put this call-to-action into a realistic perspective – in such a way that it might actually mean something to the individual reader and change them.
Generation Dread did the impossible and actually gave me a sliver of hope for the future. Especially impressive is its entire internal discourse on having children (or not) in the age of climate crisis. It made me reconsider stances that have been deeply ingrained in my mind for a long time.
Lots of the insights and advices are rather metaphysical, which makes it feel like a self-help book at times. But in the end, maybe this is just what we need, facing this insurmountable-seeming challenge. Generation Dread's cautious optimism as well as its affirmation of the value of every single person contributing to a better future make it a book every anxious Millennial or Zoomer should read.
December 17, 2022
In therapy my therapist will ask "what did you get out of today's session?" And sometimes I don't really learn anything new and mostly I just hear things I already felt were true but from the mouth of a mental health professional and that just makes me feel really validated.
And that's how this book made me feel
And that's how this book made me feel
October 30, 2022
How does one evaluate such a book, let alone recommend it to someone else? Which begs the larger question: what draws someone to such a book (since it's a far cry from entertainment and, frankly, it's a relatively heavy topic.)? The answers are all intertwined and lead to two different points:
On the one hand, if you think (and, of course, read) a lot about climate change, you probably know all about the Hickman (and colleagues) study: "Climate anxiety in children and young people...": , see, generally, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/la... - which means you're almost certainly already familiar with all (or many) of the issues/concepts in Wray's book, in which case she performs a valuable service pulling them together (and, of course, adding a wealth of important context). And, yes, Hickman (and her research) are featured throughout.
On the other hand, the book isn't for everyone, and if the preceding paragraph didn't describe you, I'm in no position to indicate whether this would be a good place to start (or not).
Did reading the book ease my mind or make me feel better? No, not necessarily.
Did it help recalibrate my place or balance on the spectrum on the oft-polarized scale of doomers-to-hopers? Nah
Is it likely to inform, and do I expect it to improve (at least somewhat) my approach in pitching climate change related policies in my teaching/speaking? Maybe, if not, more likely than not.
It's a very good book, and I'm glad I read it. I have a disproportionate number of pages dog-eared, so I'm not truly done with it yet.
Part of me is curious to hear others' reactions to the afterword, which I didn't find (terribly) surprising (or, um, ... what's the right word? uplifting). I also expect I'm not the author's target demographic, but, what do I know? In large part, I applaud the author's (intellectual and moral) modesty in concluding that: There is no way to wrap this up in a bow [and there's n]o clever conclusion to adequately reflect the messy complexity...."
On the one hand, if you think (and, of course, read) a lot about climate change, you probably know all about the Hickman (and colleagues) study: "Climate anxiety in children and young people...": , see, generally, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/la... - which means you're almost certainly already familiar with all (or many) of the issues/concepts in Wray's book, in which case she performs a valuable service pulling them together (and, of course, adding a wealth of important context). And, yes, Hickman (and her research) are featured throughout.
On the other hand, the book isn't for everyone, and if the preceding paragraph didn't describe you, I'm in no position to indicate whether this would be a good place to start (or not).
Did reading the book ease my mind or make me feel better? No, not necessarily.
Did it help recalibrate my place or balance on the spectrum on the oft-polarized scale of doomers-to-hopers? Nah
Is it likely to inform, and do I expect it to improve (at least somewhat) my approach in pitching climate change related policies in my teaching/speaking? Maybe, if not, more likely than not.
It's a very good book, and I'm glad I read it. I have a disproportionate number of pages dog-eared, so I'm not truly done with it yet.
Part of me is curious to hear others' reactions to the afterword, which I didn't find (terribly) surprising (or, um, ... what's the right word? uplifting). I also expect I'm not the author's target demographic, but, what do I know? In large part, I applaud the author's (intellectual and moral) modesty in concluding that: There is no way to wrap this up in a bow [and there's n]o clever conclusion to adequately reflect the messy complexity...."
August 4, 2024
This book had some potential, but seemed lost in poor editing and mismarketing. While it’s easy to read, it actually says very little, with lots of repetition and very little diving beneath the service. You can say minorities will suffer more due to climate change, but if you’re not going to meaningfully delve into the topic, then there’s not bonus points for the amount of times you bring it up. Dismantling systems of oppression requires a deeper understanding of them, unfortunately something this book did not deliver on.
July 26, 2022
Quite poorly written, argued, and organized for an author with an advanced degree in science communication. A haphazard mix of memoir, literature review, and interviews. Despite the author's frequent discussion of her "research," she never presented any original findings, and it felt as though book contributed nothing new to the climate movement. I was left wondering why the publisher felt it was necessary to uplift Wray's perspective, and, most importantly, why she herself did too.
February 27, 2025
Did not find purpose
October 27, 2022
Important Ideas Best Left for an Article
This was a frustrating, insightful, and sometimes dull read all at the same time. The idea of exploring climate anxiety is a good one and, from the simple point of view of understanding how psychologists conceive of the topic, this book does the best job of any out there. The beginning of the book does most of this heavy lifting. But the overall narrative is one that belabours points that were made earlier in the book in ways that aren’t helpful. While Britt Wray offers a broad take on important topics like dealing with climate change, I feel the recommended actions are ones that mostly don’t help us much. We’re dealing with a massive problem that requires massive action and while that might involve grieving, knowing that doesn’t do a lot to make me feel better. We’re left with a book that begins with the author questioning the decision to have a child (and reflecting upon the moment that decision triggered a massive change in her thinking) and ending up not really knowing what kind of answer is worthwhile. If this were a detailed article in The Walrus, The Atlantic or some other journal or magazine it could have captured what we needed without so much overlap, which didn’t make for enjoyable reading.
This was a frustrating, insightful, and sometimes dull read all at the same time. The idea of exploring climate anxiety is a good one and, from the simple point of view of understanding how psychologists conceive of the topic, this book does the best job of any out there. The beginning of the book does most of this heavy lifting. But the overall narrative is one that belabours points that were made earlier in the book in ways that aren’t helpful. While Britt Wray offers a broad take on important topics like dealing with climate change, I feel the recommended actions are ones that mostly don’t help us much. We’re dealing with a massive problem that requires massive action and while that might involve grieving, knowing that doesn’t do a lot to make me feel better. We’re left with a book that begins with the author questioning the decision to have a child (and reflecting upon the moment that decision triggered a massive change in her thinking) and ending up not really knowing what kind of answer is worthwhile. If this were a detailed article in The Walrus, The Atlantic or some other journal or magazine it could have captured what we needed without so much overlap, which didn’t make for enjoyable reading.
October 14, 2022
One of the best books I’ve ever read. If you are suffering from eco-anxiety/eco-depression/climate trauma, I urge you to read this book. I have found so much solace in it. I’ve never nodded and agreed with the writing in a book so much. An incredible and important read. Thank you Britt Wray for writing it.
December 2, 2023
Really good material here. A lot felt like a refresher to me after uni sustainability material and climate discussions in zen groups, but it felt really validating to read so many perspectives on the ethicality of raising children--- something I've been tossing around since I learned about climate change.
September 16, 2025
little anxiety-ridden-high-school-climate-activist ellie would have truly benefitted from this read
October 14, 2024
Merci à tous les écopsychologues d'offrir de si belles réflexions
October 21, 2022
A meaningful read about how to cope with climate anxiety. Wray provides a nuanced examination of the climate crisis with thoughts on how to build resilience at the individual and community level.
February 24, 2023
The author dives into (clumsily, and with a lot of editing needed) the various disasters that the world faces. She summarizes people suffering around the world, and how it will only get worse. She states that people should connect, be climate advocates, but seems to be brutally naive when push comes to shove.
After reading this book, I felt solidified in it being absolutely unethical to bring a child into this world. And then, the author does just that, announcing her pregnancy and the “beauty” of the human experience. The entire book seems like an essay written to attempt to convince herself that everything will be just fine, and she definitely totally made the right choice to have a child in a world that is spinning towards disaster.
Ultimately, it left a sour taste in my mouth, and few coping skills for existential climate anxiety.
After reading this book, I felt solidified in it being absolutely unethical to bring a child into this world. And then, the author does just that, announcing her pregnancy and the “beauty” of the human experience. The entire book seems like an essay written to attempt to convince herself that everything will be just fine, and she definitely totally made the right choice to have a child in a world that is spinning towards disaster.
Ultimately, it left a sour taste in my mouth, and few coping skills for existential climate anxiety.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2022
I've read 26 books so far this year, and this was by far the most impactful for me.
It is at once impassioned and considered, heartbreaking and inspiring. As someone who works full-time on climate, Wray put so many thoughts I've been having over the last few years into words, named many of the things I've been puzzling over, and gave answers to questions that have kept me up at night. Whether it's how to talk to kids about climate change, figuring out how to cope with the crisis emotionally, or trying to figure out ways to build more resilient communities around climate, this book is an excellent guide.
I just put it down and am already sure I will reread this book multiple times over the coming years. I am so grateful it exists.
It is at once impassioned and considered, heartbreaking and inspiring. As someone who works full-time on climate, Wray put so many thoughts I've been having over the last few years into words, named many of the things I've been puzzling over, and gave answers to questions that have kept me up at night. Whether it's how to talk to kids about climate change, figuring out how to cope with the crisis emotionally, or trying to figure out ways to build more resilient communities around climate, this book is an excellent guide.
I just put it down and am already sure I will reread this book multiple times over the coming years. I am so grateful it exists.
January 2, 2023
I think everyone who cares about the planet needs to read this book. I had never read such a comprehensive work on the emotional side of climate change. I left feeling like I have a whole toolbox to choose from now to help me sit with dark emotions, channel grief into action, balance hope and fear, and connect with others. I really want to have a book club about this one!
November 29, 2023
This book is packed with interesting information and interviews with experts and activists. I wish there had been more attention paid to giving straight up, step by step advice. Instead, it's a lot of anecdotes, and it's often unclear what lesson is supposed to be drawn. Still, anyone who has ever felt panic over the impending climate crisis will probably find some of the content useful.
December 24, 2022
To see this review and many more, please see: https://abookblog4you.blogspot.com/20...
*Spoilers warning!*
4/5 stars
This book was both difficult to read, but a necessary read at that.
Britt Wray is a researcher who works at the intersection between climate change and mental health. She tackles the very big elephant in the room of climate change, but also that elephant's less-noticed twin, mental health.
As someone who has survived a once-in-a-generation pandemic and is witnessing an ongoing climate crisis, Wray gave words to the complicated feelings of existential dread, anxiety, depression, and grief I had (have) watching all this unfold: eco-anxiety. (Although there are many alternative clinical names for "eco-anxiety," for clarity, I will stick with "eco-anxiety.")
In 2020 more than ever, I mourned the loss of "normal" life due to COVID-19 and what appeared to be a future of never-ending disasters. Of course, being in a somewhat socioeconomically privileged class has blinded me to the everyday suffering already happening for poor and marginalized communities around the world. So far, I have been insulated. I acutely recognize that and feel guilty about that every day.
Generation Dread gives you permission to face your deepest, darkest fears and guilt regarding climate change, as it is intimately tied with humanity's well-documented fear of death and mortality. However, Wray also pairs this with the understanding that allowing these emotions to take over (usually due to suppression or the not-addressing of emotions) will not help all of us coming together collectively to find solutions wherever we can.
She makes the argument that our survival of the constant uncertainty that the climate crisis brings now (and into the future) comes from first doing "internal activism," which essentially is working to acknowledge your complicated emotions surrounding climate change, allow yourself to feel them, and then harnessing them to power "external activism." External activism being the marching, attending legislative meetings to advocate for climate adaptation and mitigation. (What we think of when we think of the word "activism.")
Admittedly, I hadn't known much about internal activism before this book, but it makes sense. It is similar to what I have learned in therapy to deal with anxiety and depression, to stop catastrophizing thought spirals that will leave me emotionally burnt-out and with little capacity for the emotional/mental resilience already needed for everyday life.
To learn that emotions aren't inherently bad, but actually adaptive, and that each emotion is trying to teach you something, showing you your most cherished personal values and pointing to injustices that need addressing in the world.
No surprise here that we both need to prepare ourselves to be resilient in the face of repeated disasters while also rebuilding frayed community ties. After all, we can't do this alone.
That's the primary takeaway for me on this one. No one can do it alone and no one should take the world on their shoulders. Finding a better future for all of us in the climate crisis will require that we all shoulder that weight, instead of a solitary Atlas. No one is coming to save us. We have to save ourselves.
Happy reading!
--BookOwl
*Spoilers warning!*
4/5 stars
This book was both difficult to read, but a necessary read at that.
Britt Wray is a researcher who works at the intersection between climate change and mental health. She tackles the very big elephant in the room of climate change, but also that elephant's less-noticed twin, mental health.
As someone who has survived a once-in-a-generation pandemic and is witnessing an ongoing climate crisis, Wray gave words to the complicated feelings of existential dread, anxiety, depression, and grief I had (have) watching all this unfold: eco-anxiety. (Although there are many alternative clinical names for "eco-anxiety," for clarity, I will stick with "eco-anxiety.")
"Coping with eco-anxiety is an ongoing process; we toggle between distress over difficult information and states of resilience."
In 2020 more than ever, I mourned the loss of "normal" life due to COVID-19 and what appeared to be a future of never-ending disasters. Of course, being in a somewhat socioeconomically privileged class has blinded me to the everyday suffering already happening for poor and marginalized communities around the world. So far, I have been insulated. I acutely recognize that and feel guilty about that every day.
Generation Dread gives you permission to face your deepest, darkest fears and guilt regarding climate change, as it is intimately tied with humanity's well-documented fear of death and mortality. However, Wray also pairs this with the understanding that allowing these emotions to take over (usually due to suppression or the not-addressing of emotions) will not help all of us coming together collectively to find solutions wherever we can.
She makes the argument that our survival of the constant uncertainty that the climate crisis brings now (and into the future) comes from first doing "internal activism," which essentially is working to acknowledge your complicated emotions surrounding climate change, allow yourself to feel them, and then harnessing them to power "external activism." External activism being the marching, attending legislative meetings to advocate for climate adaptation and mitigation. (What we think of when we think of the word "activism.")
"Activism on its own is not the antidote to despair; acknowledging your feelings and connecting with others who share them, alongside taking action, is...The aim is not to get past climate trauma, but to learn to live with it while working to reduce its harms, because it is ongoing cultural trauma."
Admittedly, I hadn't known much about internal activism before this book, but it makes sense. It is similar to what I have learned in therapy to deal with anxiety and depression, to stop catastrophizing thought spirals that will leave me emotionally burnt-out and with little capacity for the emotional/mental resilience already needed for everyday life.
To learn that emotions aren't inherently bad, but actually adaptive, and that each emotion is trying to teach you something, showing you your most cherished personal values and pointing to injustices that need addressing in the world.
No surprise here that we both need to prepare ourselves to be resilient in the face of repeated disasters while also rebuilding frayed community ties. After all, we can't do this alone.
That's the primary takeaway for me on this one. No one can do it alone and no one should take the world on their shoulders. Finding a better future for all of us in the climate crisis will require that we all shoulder that weight, instead of a solitary Atlas. No one is coming to save us. We have to save ourselves.
Happy reading!
--BookOwl
September 2, 2022
I expected to enjoy this book and get more out of it than I actually did. The parts that stuck with me the most were the open and frank statements that the author made about climate change. Many of those really resonated with me, right from the first paragraph of the Introduction:
"The emotional journey that comes with facing up to the environmental crisis can be very intense, disturbing, and extremely painful. You'll know this if you have ever cried upon reading that a species you love is going extinct. Or anticipated that you'll soon lose a coastline you call home to the sea. ... It is stressful to live in fear of dangerous climate tipping points that, once surpassed, will unleash cascades of self-reinforcing environmental change ... that cannot be stopped or reversed. It is infuriating to learn that this was predicted and preventable but that a handful of powerful figures with entrenched interests knowingly and continuously sacrifice the future and people's well-being for profit."
I wanted to highlight large sections of this book, just because it was so validating to see someone put my own thoughts down on paper. From explaining eco-anxiety (and affirming that it's a "normal reaction to the injustices being inflicted upon the planet and its living creatures"), to looking at why people don't like to talk about climate change, to exploring perspectives of people who do or don't want to have children in the middle of the climate crisis, Wray covered a lot of topics that I've been thinking about for a long time myself.
Unfortunately, the part of the book that was lacking was the "finding purpose" part. Although Wray explicitly states her book isn't meant to be a guide, I was hoping she'd provide some more concrete advice for how to cope with the emotional effects of climate change. I just found a lot of that material to be too theoretical and psychological for me, and I ended up finishing several chapters without remembering what I'd just read.
I think that there are plenty of important messages and takeaways contained within this book's pages, but I wish they'd been phrased more clearly and concisely. There is a bullet list of key points at the end of each chapter, but for me that wasn't quite enough.
One thing that did stay with me was Wray's comment on how journalism and the media need to be re-framing the crisis. Instead of solely commenting on all the doom-and-gloom scenarios on the horizon, it could be immensely beneficial to look at the positives that could go along with decarbonization: "the conversation has been stuck for far too long on the environmentally harmful foods, flights, and rampant consumerism that emit so much carbon. Rather than focus on the new clean energy jobs, breathable air, and more resilient communities that a transition will create, we portray the work to be done as a giant civilizational sacrifice."
It's time to change that narrative. And I might have to give this book another read-through to learn more about how we can do that.
"The emotional journey that comes with facing up to the environmental crisis can be very intense, disturbing, and extremely painful. You'll know this if you have ever cried upon reading that a species you love is going extinct. Or anticipated that you'll soon lose a coastline you call home to the sea. ... It is stressful to live in fear of dangerous climate tipping points that, once surpassed, will unleash cascades of self-reinforcing environmental change ... that cannot be stopped or reversed. It is infuriating to learn that this was predicted and preventable but that a handful of powerful figures with entrenched interests knowingly and continuously sacrifice the future and people's well-being for profit."
I wanted to highlight large sections of this book, just because it was so validating to see someone put my own thoughts down on paper. From explaining eco-anxiety (and affirming that it's a "normal reaction to the injustices being inflicted upon the planet and its living creatures"), to looking at why people don't like to talk about climate change, to exploring perspectives of people who do or don't want to have children in the middle of the climate crisis, Wray covered a lot of topics that I've been thinking about for a long time myself.
Unfortunately, the part of the book that was lacking was the "finding purpose" part. Although Wray explicitly states her book isn't meant to be a guide, I was hoping she'd provide some more concrete advice for how to cope with the emotional effects of climate change. I just found a lot of that material to be too theoretical and psychological for me, and I ended up finishing several chapters without remembering what I'd just read.
I think that there are plenty of important messages and takeaways contained within this book's pages, but I wish they'd been phrased more clearly and concisely. There is a bullet list of key points at the end of each chapter, but for me that wasn't quite enough.
One thing that did stay with me was Wray's comment on how journalism and the media need to be re-framing the crisis. Instead of solely commenting on all the doom-and-gloom scenarios on the horizon, it could be immensely beneficial to look at the positives that could go along with decarbonization: "the conversation has been stuck for far too long on the environmentally harmful foods, flights, and rampant consumerism that emit so much carbon. Rather than focus on the new clean energy jobs, breathable air, and more resilient communities that a transition will create, we portray the work to be done as a giant civilizational sacrifice."
It's time to change that narrative. And I might have to give this book another read-through to learn more about how we can do that.
July 5, 2023
While I found it reassuring that there is a significant group of people my age (and older and younger...) that are concerned about the climate crisis, I didn't feel that this book gave much in the way of 'finding purpose' or even feeling better about it. It mostly seemed that the message was that we have to learn to live with it and do our best. Which is great, sure, but I didn't really need a book to tell me that.
It was also very centered around having children and the debate of whether or not it is practical or even ethical to bring a child into this world, which was just personally boring to me as I have zero interest in doing that to begin with.
Overall it was a good read, not great, and I didn't leave feeling like I got much out of the book.
It was also very centered around having children and the debate of whether or not it is practical or even ethical to bring a child into this world, which was just personally boring to me as I have zero interest in doing that to begin with.
Overall it was a good read, not great, and I didn't leave feeling like I got much out of the book.
November 11, 2022
This book offered one important new concept for me, and that is internal activism. I won't go so far as to say that I enjoyed this book, but I will say that there are a few things mentioned here that I can use as tools to handle some of my own emotions surrounding Eco anxiety, and strategies to communicate with other people. Whether they grieve or don't believe. I resonated with the author's struggle over the morality of having children of her own. For a long time, I didn't want to have a child because it felt damning... conversations with friends and what was discussed in this book have made me reconsider.
June 18, 2024
This book took me ages, partially because it’s dense, partially because it’s not particularly well structured and lacked a coherent flow to bring the reader along. It is a good and helpful read about the power accessible once one embraces the full range of emotions relating to the climate crisis: grief, dread, hope, and so on. I admit to limiting my intake on this topic because it all feels very overwhelming and grim, but she calls out that denial and deflection as rightly unhelpful (and dishonest) and I felt somewhat more coherently engaged with the potential good and the bad of the future after reading this.
October 2, 2022
This book has so many helpful strategies for coping with eco-anxiety; frameworks for thinking more healthily about the climate crisis, the stakes, and how to find meaning; context for putting our moment in the long-view; and strategies for better communication. It's elegantly put together, but mostly it's incredibly useful. It feels like a must-read handbook.
June 17, 2025
i felt like this book seemed like it was going to provide me with the tools to deal with anxiety about the future bc of climate change but honestly it was more like yeah everybody has these feelings here’s some therapy speak to help u understand it more and ur feelings are valid ❤️
so like not a bad book really but also not that helpful imo
so like not a bad book really but also not that helpful imo
August 25, 2022
So this book has really helped me work through some of my eco-anxiety. Am I all better yet? No. But do I have more hope for the future? Yes. Now I just have to figure out how to act on some things to help make some changes. I think everyone should read this book.
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