Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlines

by Paul Fleischman, Various (Illustrator)

Paul Fleischman offers teens an environmental wake-up call and a tool kit for decoding the barrage of conflicting information confronting them.

We're living in an Ah-Ha moment. Take 250 years of human ingenuity. Add abundant fossil fuels. The result: a population and lifestyle never before seen. The downsides weren't visible for centuries, but now they are. Suddenly everything needs rethinking — suburbs, cars, fast food, cheap prices. It's a changed world. 

This book explains it. Not with isolated facts, but the principles driving attitudes and events, from vested interests to denial to big-country syndrome. Because money is as important as molecules in the environment, science is joined with politics, history, and psychology to provide the briefing needed to comprehend the 21st century. 

Extensive back matter, including a glossary, bibliography, and index, as well as numerous references to websites, provides further resources.

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, Science, Teen, Politics, Middle Grade, Social Issues

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 23, 2014

About the author

Paul Fleischman grew up in Santa Monica, California. The son of well-known children's novelist Sid Fleischman, Paul was in the unique position of having his famous father's books read out loud to him by the author as they were being written. This experience continued throughout his childhood.
Paul followed in his father's footsteps as an author of books for young readers, and in 1982 he released the book "Graven Images", which was awarded a Newbery Honor citation.
In 1988, Paul Fleischman came out with "Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices", an unusually unique collection of poetry from the perspective of insects. This book was awarded the 1989 John Newbery Medal. Factoring in Sid Fleischman's win of the John Newbery Medal in 1987 for his book "The Whipping Boy", Paul and Sid Fleischman became to this day the only father and son authors to both win the John Newbery Medal.

Reviews

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a title I would love to see high schools select as a "one book, one school" read so it can be discussed at length and hopefully spark some organized action. It's one of the most challenging, provocative, and cogently written books about the world's current and coming environmental crises. Fleischman avoids the platitudes and addresses the important matters like living in a culture obsessed with materialism, consumption-based economies, scientific denialism, corporate greed, and political impotence. I particularly love the section, "How to Weigh Information." It offers great advice to young people on how to recognize propaganda and sort through the bullshit in web sites, media reports, and opinion pieces. A book worthy of a wide audience and deep, thoughtful discussion.

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

When incoming high school freshmen bring their AP World History summer reading lists to the library, I hope to see this nonfiction title about climate change suggested at the very top. "History is happening right here and right now..." (p. 3) and "if we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are going" (Chinese proverb).

A crash course in critical thinking, students won't find a list of 10 easy things they can do to save the environment. Instead, they will learn global thinking, the vocabulary of the issues, and how to evaluate information. Opening with a hook that compares dead bees on the driveway to a Stephen King horror story, this short book grabs attention, chunks information, effectively uses black-and-white pictures on every two-page spread, and concludes with detailed source notes, bibliography, suggested resources, glossary, and index.

Inspiring further study, it offers this advice to researchers: "Take the salad bar approach: pick from lots of sources" (p. 144). Let this book be one of them.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: Just named SLJ Best Bks of 2014! This is one of the best books I have read on climate change! Maybe the best, in terms of comprehensiveness of the subject. For such a relatively tiny book, I can't figure out how Fleischman stuffed so much into it. This is a whopping 153 pages for the main text of the book. The back matter, which is remarkable in how extensive it is, goes to p. 190. I should point out right now that I read the ARC, so page numbers may be off a bit. The ARC looks a bit boring. I'm hoping that the final form will have photos in color as well as well chosen accents to the book. The ARC did put me off reading it for a while because it is all black and white. UPDATE: The photos are still all black and white but are much sharper and clearer which helps a fair amount. I'm disappointed they didn't have color photos in this book since I think it would have increased teen appeal. Unlike the contents of the book which addresses teens directly and shows them how to evaluate whether a source they are reading about whether in print or online, is a valid source and acknowledges how grey life can be. Ultimately that is the real theme of the book in many ways, and it is one many adults could use as well. However the environmental information in this book is superb! I've been reading about climate change for a while and I learnt things from this book, which often you wouldn't expect because it is "merely" a book for teenagers. That is one of the few fallacies Fleischman forgot to cover in this book but it definitely is true for this book. Most adults would be relieved to read such a primer on climate change because like the best of writing, Fleischman makes no assumptions about prior knowledge on a subject. Writers for adults can be lazy and assume that adults have basic knowledge and skip over basics leaving adults to mutter about the incompleteness of the book. I certainly have done so! Fleischman, knowing he was writing for teens covers all the basics and does an excellent job. The photos and captions add incredibly to the text itself. That is why I'm anxious to see what the final copy looks like. I really can't think of an aspect of climate change that Fleischman didn't cover. He talks about mental fallacies, such as normalcy bias, that makes it hard for people to accept climate change. He talks about technology and population increase. He talks abut the PR campaigns that the fossil fuel industry have used to foster doubt about climate change. He talks about how he became interested in the subject: he found first a few, then more and more dead bees on his driveway which makes it immediate to readers. He talks without using jargon, and he defines everything both in the text when using the new word and in a really extensive glossary. He doesn't just list books and articles in his bib. He probably has more websites listed than books, although I didn't count them, so I could be wrong on that. I love that he lists sites such as Snopes so readers can check out the truth of what they find. He explains how to judge a source to see if it is valid or not. Actually, teachers could use this in so many ways to teach kids how to THINK. That is really the true value of this book. It teaches teens how to think and evaluate for themselves, not just rely on some sources, even this book. It is a good thing I ordered copies for the library system before I really read this book. I'd have been unable to resist buying more copies and I think I likely got a good number for the interests of our community. I highly recommend this book to everyone! Adults, teens, kids with the ability to stick with a higher reading level than they may have routinely gotten. In short, I'd love to see pretty much everyone read this, to be honest!

[Prima Seadiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Free Library copy.
Four stars for content, one star for horrible layout and graphic design.
The frenetic design made me want to throw the book across the room. I think for many people, this is not an impediment. Today "bites" seem to be the way many like to receive information. I can see how this format may appeal to younger folks and engage them. The book is a starter survey of environmental issues with some good resources for looking further in depth them as well.

A lot of the content I was familiar with, some was new. Most of my adult life I have been involved with the food issues addressed as well as some of the how profit making interests have influenced so many of our buying choices (number one being constant consumption of disposable goods).
I liked the section "How to Weigh Information"on critical thinking, how to examine issues and ways to identify sources and vested interests behind the scene.

Whatever the book's flaws, I do think we need more "eyes wide open" about what is happening to the planet.
I wish I was more optimistic that reason,unselfishness and compassion will prevail
Hope I'm proven wrong.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: EYES WIDE OPEN: GOING BEHIND THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES by Paul Fleischman, Candlewick, September 2014, 208p., ISBN: 978-0-7636-7102-0

“Oh mercy, mercy me
Ah things ain’t what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land
How much more abuse from man can she stand?”
-- Marvin Gaye

“Who would guess that Citizens for Recycling First is a coal industry front group promoting the use of coal ash in industry? The Greening Earth Society sounds green, but it’s in favor of CO2 emissions.”

EYES WIDE OPEN is about the global environmental issues that -- if not dealt with substantively -- will make Planet Earth uninhabitable for humankind.

But even more importantly, EYES WIDE OPEN is a book about information literacy. It shows how the world really works in the 21st century, and it repeatedly reveals how people are often duped into opposing their own best interests.

One of the most important concepts presented by Paul Fleischman is the need to understand and recognize vested interests:

“If you owned an energy-drink factory, your desire to make a profit would give you a vested interest in opposing laws that would keep your product out of school vending machines. You’d no doubt belong to a trade group that would hire lobbyists to fight such laws. Your trade group would hire public relations (PR) firms to improve the public’s opinion of energy drinks through ads, articles, Facebook posts, tweets, and the ‘talking heads’ you see interviewed on TV news. The information dispersed might or might not be accurate. Its goal isn’t truth but promoting energy drinks.
“This distinction is crucial. Impartial investigators have nothing to gain from their particular findings. They test and revise them in a continuing quest for accuracy. This is the model science follows. Vested interests’ prime goal is preserving their power, not seeking truth. The evidence is all around you. When powerful people or institutions are accused of misconduct -- from army massacres and police brutality cases to clergy sex-abuse scandals and cyclist Lance Armstrong’s use of performance-enhancing drugs -- the first reaction is almost always to refute the charge, no matter how accurate. If the truth is a threat to power, money, or reputation, there’s a strong motive to cover it up.”

In a past era, students were expected to memorize a limited body of information and regurgitate it during tests. But today, the forever-growing wealth of information makes it essential for students to learn how to efficiently search for, retrieve, and evaluate the information they need to answer questions and solve problems. EYES WIDE OPEN provides a common sense framework for understanding why we regularly encounter so much misinformation.

EYES WIDE OPEN is an apt title for this indispensable book. Issues of worldwide population growth, of increases in production of and consumption of stuff, of the race to exploit fossil fuels, of the need to produce larger and larger amounts of food, and the climate changes that result from all these other global issues don’t cause us to react in the same way that the 9/11 attacks did. Most of us are ignorant of the planet- and people-damaging processes through which our stuff and energy and food are produced. We can go on forever blind to what’s really going on, unless we begin to pay attention.

Throughout EYES WIDE OPEN, Paul Fleischman refers to dozens of other books and information resources, each of which will further enlighten readers about these environmental and information issues. One could readily build a comprehensive course of study around these references.

“‘History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.’”
-- Abba Eban (1915-2002), as quoted in EYES WIDE OPEN

Barring some nick-of-time miracle cure, our generation and the ones that follow are eventually going to be forced by Mother Nature to wise up and make some hard choices. Those who read EYES WIDE OPEN will have taken a giant step toward understanding these issues and the necessity for action.

Richie Partington, MLIS
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[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, I thought it made some good points and brought a little clarity and succinctness to a very often discussed but seldom consolidated topic.

However, despite mentioning a few of the opposing viewpoints and sources for opposing viewpoints, the author seems to have picked his side and didn't stray far from it. He discounted the legitimate scientists and scientific research that disagree with the environmental frenzy and global warming by using phrases like 'most legitimate scientists believe in global warming' and 'many of the studies that refute global warming are paid for by special interest groups.'

Please be aware, these are not exact quotes from the book. The point is by couching the phrases in "many" and "most" the author gave the impression the pool of reputable scientists conducting legitimate research with findings very different than that predicted or expected by the rest of the scientific community could be ignored or written off.

An inordinate amount of time, in my opinion, was spent on the need to find greener energy sources. I would have liked to see more pages devoted to conservation of resources and water conservation. It was there, but not that much. Remember your audience. Aimed a young adult market, the one thing most of them can start working on right now is reducing their own imprint on the environment. If you're going to discredit recycling as requiring a lot of energy and therefore being less effective, perhaps espouse the "reduce" and "reuse" parts of the 3 R's.

Kudos though on the coverage of the international initiative or lack of initiative to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses and decrease carbon build-up in the atmosphere. Also, excellent coverage of the tension between the developing countries and the already established post-industrial age countries like the U.S. and the different needs and desires of both in terms of standard of living and energy consumption.

However, there are a few statements that caused me to read and reread passages, because...well, quite frankly there seemed to be a few weird conclusions and cause-and-effect relationships I've never seen substantiated. For example on page 124: "Rwanda possessed exhausted land, stripped forests, and Africa's densest population attempting to survive on ever-smaller and steeper plots. These conditions led to the genocide of 800,000 people in 1994."

I'd like to find a source for that. I suppose Hitler, Mao, Stalin, etc., were also dealing with environmental issues. How about the French revolution? The Civil War? While economic factors always contribute to a war, and the environment can certainly play a factor in the economic conditions of a country, how many of these conditions can concretely be blamed on human action or inaction--especially those environmental issues occurring pre-industrial revolution? The inclusion of this "fact" in the book has me questioning what other overly-simplified rationalizations, or hypotheses-expressed-as-fact may occur in the book.

Nevertheless, I thought this was a good book with lots of good information in it. It is very readable, and should appeal to its teen audience. I sincerely wish the author had suggested possible courses of action for its audience members to take, rather than just telling them to seek out additional information.

Note: I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Annie Oosterwyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly(I think, definitely) the best book I've read this year. This is a terrific overview of current environmental issues, in easy and interesting language. The presentation is not overwhelming, with just enough design space around the text. Captions and bullet points in the margin offer online and text connections to great resources and I spent my whole day moving back and forth between the book and various videos and websites.
The focus of the book is to be a conscious and wary consumer of information. Fleischman would make a great librarian!
I can't rave enough.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely awesome!!! Read it whatever your age!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very well researched, poorly written.

[Dr. T Loves Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, this is a great book for exposing YA readers (middle- to high-school) to the world of facts and research. I highly recommend it if for no other reason than that.

The following are responses from a class for which I read this book:

Dr. A: You brought up the various types of pieces Fleischman has created, as well as the issue of the design of this particular book. While I found Eyes Wide Open to be interesting in its visual business, it's definitely going to cause some YA readers to have fits as they try to navigate it. It actually felt more like a web site with the links exploded than a book; in fact, I think it would work a lot better as an interactive piece than as a static text.

One reason is that it would allow readers to roll over or click through to find definitions or examples, rather than having them splashed across a page or stuck in a margin.

Another reason is that making the piece digital would allow the author to embed videos and links, rather than simply referencing them and hoping the audience will go track them down.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, by making this a static text, Fleischman has given up the ability to keep the information updated, outside of publishing revised editions. There were several points while reading this book that I found myself going, "Wait, that's not true - that decision was overturned/that issue was decided a while ago", or "But what about ___ from last year?" I am not a super-informed environmentalist, but I found myself wanting to see an updated version of this work that would include follow-ups on some of the points raised, particularly regarding the rise in the use of solar and window energy, and the relatively rapid spread of electric vehicles. If this was a digital property, though, the information could not only be amended quickly and easily, to keep YA readers up to date with the latest developments in these important issues, but it would also allow for expansion on particular topics, and the introduction of new topics as they come up.

Nevertheless, this is an interesting, engaging, and important YA book. It is very accessible, and to my mind, it provides an excellent introduction to both environmental issues and information literacy.

Sarah - I like your Smore, particularly the image you chose for the background - juxtaposing a mountain with a city nicely captures the content of this book!

I also agree that the section on gauging the reliability of sources that is included at the end (in addition to those same elements being woven throughout the work) is noteworthy; I plan to specifically share those last few pages with my students to help them think about the nonfiction sources of information they consult.

Later this year, my 8th grade students will embark on an action research project in which they must identify a problem that affects one of the communities to which they belong, create a plan for attempting to fix or reduce that problem, and then carry out that plan and report back on their results. I wish I had access to a range of books like Eyes Wide Open that covered a variety of issues, like economic disparity, ocean dumping, animal shelters, and the other perennial favorite topics that students gravitate towards, because EWO does such a fine job of, as you said, talking with, rather than down to, its audience.

I must admit that there were places where I felt EWO was a bit preachy, and it was clear that Fleischman was advancing his own personal opinions; but he did so by marshaling facts to his cause, and providing his sources so that readers could follow up on his claims and decide for themselves how much they could take his ideas at face value. He even provided some links to opposition sources so readers could do their own comparing and contrasting, and ultimately deciding. I suppose this is an answer to the first part of your second discussion question. As to the second part, I would say that facts are facts; in and of themselves, they are not political. It's what people try to do with those facts that makes them political. To that end, I think the claim that there needs to be "fair and balanced coverage" of issues is ridiculous, and in itself is a political ploy. To say that we need to cover both sides of the climate change debate is to say, "While we have informed and settled science from professionals in the area on the 'Yes, it's happening' side, we need to give equal time and weight to the nonscientific side that 'has a hunch' that climate change is not really happening." Anyone who does this is picking a side, and it's not the scientifically proven one.


“These smug pilots have lost touch with regular passengers like us. Who thinks I should fly the plane?”
The New Yorker, December 27, 2016

I think comedian Patton Oswalt summed up this issue rather nicely:

[Cailin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ideas are there and they’re great, but some of it’s just a little too outdated.

[Erikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic resource for teens! A little dated, unfortunately, but it has a companion website that is updated frequently. Not only does it introduce climate news, but that takes a backseat to teaching kids how to read news actively rather than passively. How to judge what they're told, gauge truth from fiction, and come to their own conclusions. Yes, it's based in the microcosm of climate, but the information on how to properly judge news stories is universal. I am going to use this in the research class I teach at my library.

[Renata · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great follow up to This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. A really smart and comprehensive look at various issues related to climate change, and I was impressed by how deep it went for a short-ish YA nonfiction book. Definitely not afraid to call bullshit on climate change deniers :') Like Naomi Klein's adult NF book, Fleishman nails the very thin area between "seriously things are so fucked up we gotta fix it YESTERDAY" and "well we're already fucked so just give up now." It's dire, but not without hope.

Also, the format is great--lots of short sidebars with extra info and suggestions of YouTube videos to watch or websites to visit. Great backmatter, including a separate appendix for how to analyze media objectiveness.

SO IMPORTANT. Great for school research assignments or for concerned young citizens. Or honestly for concerned adults who don't have the time/attention span to read This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, although again, I do 1000% recommend This Changes Everything.

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book takes a closer look at the both the human forces driving climate change and environmental degradation and those gathering momentum to try to remediate these issues. It outlines the roles of corporations, government leaders and regular people in causing environmental problems and attempting (or failing to attempt) to solve them.

Its scope is large, tackling everything from coal pollution and fracking to climate denial and corporate lobbying. But it is concisely written and filled with graphics, lists and ironic old ads and news clips, which bring humor, perspective and history into the mix.

I'd recommend this book for anyone looking to get their arms around the basic environmental issues of our time, from middle schoolers through adults.

Teachers would do well to include it in environmental or civics classes. I could be valuable also in modern history, journalism or sociology courses as well.

(Disclosure: I interviewed Paul Fleischman and reviewed his book on my website, GreenRightNow.com.)

[MacK · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paul Fleischmann offers an unflinchingly opinionated account of the environmental disaster facing our country today (and in the future). Unfortunately he chooses to make his argument in a book so crammed with overly-busy, distractingly-kinetic design elements it's hard to follow what he's talking about. It's as if the editors and designers wanted to make the stakes so real that even kids with shorter attention spans would get that it was a big deal, but in doing so it cuts down on the amount of Fleischmann's writing that you might actually want to read. Ultimately, the book comes across as pushy, aggressive and demanding, I know the next generation wants to clean up our society, but I don't think they want to be yelled at in the process.

[amy]

A very important (and timely) book (I'm actually a few years late to the game), but critical thinking never goes out of style. I agree with the reviews that mention it being overly-busy and kinetic to the point of distraction, but I avoided that problem by reading only the body of the text first, then going back and reading the side bars as a sort of review. One said it was "unflinchingly opinionated," but it did mention some sources of dissent regarding climate change (like skepticalscience.com and Freeman Dyson). It might appear to be lopsided, but that is only because there is so much evidence pointing in one direction.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

First line: Everybody lives inside his or her own movie.

Things to look up: Edward Burtynsky, the Toaster Project, what happened at the Three Gorges Dam in China, open secrets.org and

Something to think about: When our standard of living is threatened by scaricity and side effects, you'd think we'd cut back. Instead, the common response is to maintain it at any cost.p. 97

The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second-best time is now. Chinese proverb p.49

[Gabriela · Rating 4 out of 5]

okie lol I never finished this one. I actually did enjoy this and the relatively easily understandable information it presented. I got it at my school library's "blind date with a book" and had to get it because it was described with words like "eco-friendly" and "tree hugger" which I obviously very strongly resonate with. It was good though and made me more aware of my personal environmental impact within those first few pages

[Anne Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required reading for everyone on the face of the earth.

[Sona · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a very readable book and appealed properly to its teen audience. It has easy and interesting language filled with age-appropriate metaphors and allusions. The language was casual and read like someone talking to a group of kids.

Despite having enjoyed the style of the book, the actual content was strongly opinionated to the point of verging on radicalism. The first few chapters had correctly informed students that causes of environmental damages were related to a society obsessed with materialism and capitalism as well as scientific denial. It ties in psychological behaviors and biological factors to come to this conclusion. However, as one reads further and further, it begins to overreach and bring in far-fetched, incoherent ideas to add pages to the end of the book. They blame politicians for purposefully ignoring global warming due to their need to appeal to their constituents. They reason humans' craving to explore outer space as an effect of human tendency to destroy all the land they live on, and move onto the next place- completely ignoring the fact that space research may be to understand our own planet and solar system further.

One of the most appalling aspects of the book is its openly political bias. They explicitly state, "It's tough to solve environmental issues- when government is seen by many as a villain". The entire book fails to address how private corporations can actually HELP the situation by reducing emissions or developing technology. Instead, they outright say technology is not the solution and that individuals are ignorant, businesses are self-serving, and only the government has the ability to make change.

While there is some truth in these statements, the book is over-simplified and uses the entire list of high school logical fallacies to support its arguments. The basis of the book is an appeal to ignorance filled with strawman arguments under the facade of counterarguments (as illustrated in the space research or private corporation arguments). It is also replete with hasty generalizations- "Government good, people bad, private companies bad".

The stereotyping, over-reaching arguments for causes of environmental issues, and exaggeration make this an inaccurate portrayal of environmental problems that I would not take the time to read unless looking to be humored by its right-winged nature.

[Nitroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a school project in my AP Chemistry class. Initially, I expected it to be another boring book about the need to save the environment, which everyone knows. Of course we realize that global warming and CO2 levels are rising alarmingly, but this novel alerted me to a part of the industry I had never known about. Fleischman effectively describes the numerous factors in our society contributing to climate change, especially the existence of vested interests. Yet Fleischman doesn't stop there. He explains factors such as normalcy bias, which isn't a common term for all of us who aren't taking AP Psychology, and how they play a key role in our decisions we make every day. Why aren't we doing more to stop climate change? Because we don't see the changes it's impacting on our lives – nothing's changed for us. Unfortunately, it's not something you can see and avoid, which has led to a positive feedback loop in which we exacerbate the problem. Additionally, he relates vested interests to the fossil fuel industry, who has donated money to all the right places and created doubt about climate change in hopes of extending their bottom line. Yet Fleischman does not merely create an interesting novel through his subject matter, but through the way in which he writes the novel. It's written with everyday language that a teenager or adult could easily comprehend. He doesn't use specific jargon or slang that only scientists would understand, but uses common words to appeal to a larger audience in hopes of getting his idea across. And finally, Fleischman introduces the idea of reading critically. As a high school student, I'm used to hearing those words. But Flesichman helps elucidate the idea even more clearly by providing a context in which to do so. When reading about climate change, it is important to think about the source of the news you're reading. To think about the vested interests and biases that may influence the writing. And to pick and choose news articles with together can combine to create the full story, rather than reading one and getting merely a piece. Overall, this book was very enjoyable as it made me aware of many influences politically on the persistence of climate change.

[Adidev M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book was quite eye-opening in certain aspects. This book made it very easy to read through the use of images and statistics. The vocabulary was well used, with definitions given on the side of the pages, so that the reader did not constantly have to search up meaning, terms, or events. Infographics were used to help the author explain his point of view and to constantly engage the viewers. There were multiple mini-stories throughout the book to give some knowledge regarding what the author was trying to explain. Unfortunately, the things listed above were the highlights of this book.

I did not believe that the book was well structured for its specific genre. The first two topics(Noticing and Perception) were good in explaining what the world is going through, and how humans are affecting the environment. The two chapters made sure to not give much of an opinion, but rather stick to the facts. The opinions soon came out in the 3rd topic all the way to the 5th topic(Defense Mechanism, Attitudes, Eyes Abroad, and Ahead). The author blames politicians and capitalists for the demise of the planets. He fails to consider that every human must do their part to keep the environment stable and advocate for reforms for a better climate. Instead, the author takes shots at all the politicians, blaming them for having an agenda that deals with economics rather than climate change. The author does not realize that economics is a higher priority, due to the human tendency to look at the present rather than the future. There were interesting facts throughout the book that I did not know about, but the content was questionable at best. The book made sure to introduce the detrimental effects of pollution, resource usage, etc. but failed to give a plan of action. Had the author focused on giving a proposed plan on trying to fix the situation, the book would have gained a bigger purpose.

The author’s opinions outweigh the solutions and facts. The book is outdated, so a lot of the projections seen in the book is not completely accurate. With the combination of severe opinions and old statistics, the book is not worth reading.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The radius of the Earth is 3,959 miles long; it takes the Earth 24 hours to make one full rotation and 365 days to orbit the sun. Scientists approximate that the Earth is 4.54 billion years old. Now what if I told you that all of that is ending. I recently read the book Eyes Wide Open, Going Behind the Environmental Headlines by Paul Fleischman. This book is about how humans are harming the Earth and endangering ourselves. It gives facts, numbers, and background about factors that are damaging the Earth and provides methods of saving the Earth in the “Defense Mechanisms’ chapter and in the “fixes’ excerpt on page 136. This book is written to open the readers eyes (hence the title) to the events that are destroying the Earth. Publishers Weekly says, “Few readers will look at the world the same way after finishing this book.”
The book begins by informing the reader about everyday things people do such as drive, use plastic water bottles, leave the light on, etc. Then is goes on to tell the effects of every person in the world doing those things every day, and the immense effect is has on our environment. When I first picked up the book, I simply flipped through the pages. Immediately, I recognized all the pictures and diagrams and was curious to how they were relevant to the subject. As I started to read it, I began to comprehend the message of the book better because of the illustrations. (Don’t believe me? See page 26.)
Although this book is easy to understand, it is poorly written. Fleischman makes many concrete statements about concrete ideas, but his thoughts are not organized well throughout the book. Some may find this book too straight forward and the thoughts are too pushy and opinionated, but it shows expression. While reading the book you can tell that Fleischman feels very passionate about this topic and he is not afraid to speak his truth although some readers will not agree with him. If you enjoy non-fiction books and learning about environmental issues this book is definitely for you. It touches on every aspect of environmental damages and solutions. If you are all about recycling and going green, it is a must read. Even if you are not into environmental matters, you may find this book fascinating and have your eyes opened as I did. My favorite part of this text is the “Noticing” chapter. It began by pointing out how little humans know about what is and what is not harming the environment. While reading my mind was blown, the amount of things I did not know was shocking.
I would not recommend it to people who do not enjoy books with complicated ideas or opposite views from your own. I do recommend this book to anyone who has even a remote interest in the environment or climate change. Reading this book was an eye opening experience. I hope as you read your eyes will be opened as well.

[MargaretPUP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top 5 Reasons to Read Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlines by Paul Fleischman

Eyes Wide open opens your eyes to the underlying problems going on in the world Here are five reasons why you should definitely read it:

1. Educational: The author educates you on many underlying world problems that are very unknown to the world and educates you on ways you can fix them not only this but it offers many different link books and videos so you can learn more about a issue your interested in.

2. Variety of information: This books explores many different topics of world wide problems like pollution, political issues, materialism and gives detailed explanations on how these issues can affect us in the future.

3. Descriptive: Not only does this book explores many different issues but it also gives you detailed descriptions on how the problem started what caused it and different ways we can try to resolve the problem.

4.Futuristic: This book gives many different insights on how our actions in the present can come back and affect us in the future like for example the use fossil fuels which can affect the climate by a lot and many different other issues.

5. Speaks the truth: This book does not sugar coats things and completely speaks up on issues that are often brushed up and caused by humans it also gives many different perspective on these issues and how the same issue can seem very different to people all around the world.

Eyes wide open by Paul Fleischman is not like any other environmental book you've read. Its a educational journey that teaches you the truth of human society and the ways we are ruining the earth . If you want to learn the real truth of these environmental issues then this is the book for you!

[Nolan T · Rating 4 out of 5]

¨Eyes wide open going behind the environmental headlines¨ is a book written by Paul Fleischman that explains to you the future downsides of our world. The book goes into depth about all the bad things that we humans are doing as of right now and shows how harmful they could be in the future. I was in the library looking for a book when this one caught my eye. I like to read about stuff we humans are doing and see what the outcomes are like the cause and effect.

This book is a tool to help young adults find solutions to their new life problems. He goes on to talk about how rare fossil fuels are and their side effects of them. He also talks about climate change and how the ice caps are melting a lot decade after decade. He also talks about how we all need to rethink some stuff like suburbs, cars, fast food, and cheap prices.

I think the author really summed up the end of the book well. He goes on to explain to the audience that they need to think for themselves. He also talks about the future problems we should look out for. Paul also talks about how you need to find your own information and not just believe other people. My favorite quote is actually on the back of the novel it says¨ A powerful account of where we can, which is in a tough place, and what we can do to fix it, which is a lot¨.

I think people who like to learn about our earth and how to take care of it will like to read this book. This book is a great way of learning about our earth and understanding it. I personally do like this book. I think it is a great way of getting our future generations to learn about our wonderful amazing planet.

[Dhara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was a great introduction to some of the issues our world currently faces. It covers each aspect of our daily lives and how our actions have caused and contribute to environmental problems. I particularly enjoyed this book because it details some of the inherent and developed psychological complexes and motivators people have to live the way that they do, and how people think contributes to the current state of the world today. It helped me consider a lot of my own lifestyle choices and even describes ways that people can reform their habits and live more environmentally friendly lives. This section was my favorite because it had a lot of guidelines that I will be following in order to make sure that I am doing everything I can to not be the problem. It covers topics like advertising and consumer choices and really scrutinizes each part of our daily lives, most of which we do not even realize are as important as they are to the environment. I did think that some of the solutions described are impractical because they would be hard to implement since they involve changing the structure of our society and since there are many people who don't even believe in climate change or who are aware of the environmental problems our world faces but choose to ignore them because they simply don't care enough.

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the perfect YA nonfiction book on environmentalism and environmental justice.  Breaking everything down bit by bit, Fleischman introduces topics such as critical information literacy, environmental racism, and carbon footprints.  By using his hometown as a starting point, he offers various ways in which to view how our society has changed both locally and internationally.  Why have there been international conferences in both Paris and Kyoto?  What's the United States' involvement in these?  What are we doing?  What are they doing?

He offers a lot of questions and answers them, too.  With dynamic page layouts and resources, this book offers a lot both in terms of information and design, but in its own personal ethics, too (it was made on recycled paper)!  

With the use of his own writing, newspaper headlines, resources, photographs, and a glossary, he successfully makes his purpose clear: to be able to assess headlines we must first be able to assess our own communities as well as ourselves, and be able to perform appropriate research.

Definitely a must-read in regards to YA nonfiction!

Review cross-listed here!

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I appreciated most about this book was the wealth of resources it draws from and points readers toward. So many of the topics discussed have a tag in the margin saying "learn more at this website" or "search for similar headlines in your local papers" or "this documentary will give a specific view on the issue". It gives a good view of the basic reasons why climate change is concerning and why it can be hard for people to want to tackle the issue, for political, pecuniary, and psychological reasons. I love the breadth of the topic covered. I wish it did more to encourage or suggest easy ways to get involved and make changes, but the argument that it does make is a really important step to helping people be educated on the issue and care more about how they do contribute (both to problems and solutions!).
The book is geared toward teens, and it would easily be appropriate reading for any middle school or high school class. It's a simple read that's a great introduction to some of the big players and systems involved in our current environmental issues.

I would recommend it to everyone who's invested in living on this planet.

[Maggie]

I think that the central idea for each chapter is a little different but all lead to the same conclusion. in chapter one it talk about a group of different things that all relate to each other and are polluting our earth, but then the also give ways to help and stop these problems and the next couple of chapters talk about the same thing just with a different group of things and different solutions to these other unique problems. And it just keeps going on and list people who are trying to help with these
environmental problems. So that makes me think that this book will help you understand that our world is in danger and needs your help to fix it.

I think that the author needs to add things to make this book better like in the table of contents put different chapters that have problems base on a certain thing together and for the individuals chapters put a subheading that describes what that main chapter is all about so an example is like you want to help with problems that involved the ocean look for the heading about the ocean then the subheading about a certain problem you are instered in.

[Gemini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really have to give credit to this graphic designer, what a wonderful job. I really like how this book is laid out w/ the various graphics, sidebar, pics, quotes & other tidbits that make it unique. Kudos to the author as well for a super great read. There is so much information about what makes a headline what it is & how it gets to be mainstream. not only is there a timeline of historic events throughout the book but also the people who were there trying to take a stand to make things right. This book addresses many different issues & vantage points about the climate crisis & the way they do it just makes sense for everyone to understand what is happening. Whether population booms, capitalism, oil expansion, etc. so much is being brought up that one may not even be aware of. Knowing what countries have been doing to make things worse or realizing what cap & trade is about or how wars exacerbate the problems for millions of people, the climate deniers just can't open their eyes or brains. Then there's the list of resources in the back that will also give you a slew of info to check out so one can learn even more. I can't help but recommend this book to everyone.