Povești despre două planete. Schimbări climatice și inegalitate într-o lume divizată

by John Freeman, Anca Dumitrescu (Translator), Elena Marcu (Translator)

În Povești despre două planete, John Freeman aduce laolaltă o parte dintre cei mai buni scriitori ai lumii pentru a ne ajuta să înțelegem felul în care criza de mediu și inegalitățile sociale din ce în ce mai accentuate lovesc unele dintre cele mai vulnerabile comunități. În ultimii ani una dintre temele majore recurente o constituie schimbările climatice care adâncesc inegalitatea, îngreunând și mai mult existența celor mai încercate persoane. Însă problemele încălzirii globale nu afectează doar populațiile sărace.

Cele 36 de voci pe care le regăsim în acest volum – printre care Edwidge Danticat din Haiti, Lauren Groff din SUA, Lina Mounzer din Liban, Sjón din Islanda, Mohammed Hanif din Pakistan, Mariana Enriquez din Argentina, Sayaka Murata din Japonia, Anuradha Roy din India, Mihnea Mihalache-Fiastru și Vlad Cătună din România – creează o imagine caleidoscopică a mutațiilor irevocabile pe care le suferă planeta.

Proiect sprijinit de UniCredit Bank.

Volum coordonat de John Freeman.

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, Climate Change, Science, Essays, Short Stories, Poetry

280 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2020

About the author

Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Freeman is an award-winning writer and book critic who has written for numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal. Freeman won the 2007 James Patterson Pageturner Award for his work as the president of the National Book Critics Circle, and was the editor of Granta from 2009 to 2013. He lives in New York City, where he teaches at NYU and edits a new literary biannual called Freeman's.

Reviews

[EveStar91 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The aptly named Tales of Two Planets is a diverse collection of short stories showcasing the effects of the climate crisis in different countries. Reading so many international authors truly gives the necessary perspective for us to accept and understand the planet's crisis embodied in different economic backgrounds.

Some of the stories really resonated with me and I don't mean just the ones from my country or countries I visited, but all the ones that show the slow deterioration of the environment and the lethargy that technological progress seems to induce in us towards this environmental deterioration - from the melting of icescapes to the disappearance of small fauna to the large scale packaged deliveries for convenience. As a person who always leaned on science, I found myself looking up research articles over the last few years about this crisis, but I now think we also need more stories like these to just resonate with more people! And maybe, just maybe lead them to accept the urgency we are facing.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[One star for the whole book and premise; one star for the brilliant writing; one star for the successful depiction of the world's crisis in so many ways; half to one star for the stories; half to one star for the characters - rounded up to five stars.]

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freeman continues to bear witness to the geography of inequality in this anthology, where he assembles some of the best writing under our polluted skies to assess what happens when disenfranchised people meet up with environmental stress. In “The Funniest Shit You Ever Heard” by Lebanese writer Lina Mounzer, the dark forces of greed and resource pilfering are laid bare in this story about real estate developers who overtax the sewer system in Beirut. It’s a metaphor, really, for what we do in our daily lives, like ignoring or obfuscating the logjam of less flashy concerns (like sewers) until they are too late to fix. “All that shit we tried to hide, forget, ignore is out now, flooding the streets for all to see,” she writes. Perhaps it’s not a metaphor at all. From Gaël Fayle’s fireflies of Burundi to Margaret Atwood’s Canadian climes in poetry form, Freeman shores up the “very modern problems” of calamities we have made ourselves and asks, how do we live with such harrowing forecasts as these?

[Celia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was published a few days ago and I hope it becomes a bestseller. What is the "tipping point" of our species, after which recovery is impossible? When does the "climate change" of yesterday move through the "climate crisis" of today and become the climate catastrophe? Really, the only sane thing to do is for every one of us to reassess our values and reorganize our lives to make the issues discussed in this book a priority. When I was in third grade I stood up in class and interrupted my teacher to deliver a 30 minute speech on how environmental issues are overlooked in our society. She told me that I was right, but that I had taken up too much class time. That day, I felt ashamed of my outspokenness. Today, I don't. I regret only that I lost sight of this focus, which I could have pursued in tandem with everything else in my life.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading. All of it.
All of you.
All of us.

Spoiler alert: your destruction of rivers, lands, other animals, and other humans has also destroyed you.
But! The legacy of literature IS the ecology that saves us, or anything.

Just read the damn book, everybody.

[Kristina Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an anthology, there were some stories I liked in here and many that didn’t resonate with me. About 20% of them I had no idea why they were included in this collection outside of a brief mention of the climate. I struggled to get through this towards the end after reading a few of the more strange short stories (spoiler alert: the one with the woman in a cave who masturbated to a picture of Jesus threw me for a loop...) I did like the concept though of telling the stories about how climate effects people around the world, but I wish it was a bit more curated rather than throwing in some dystopian fictional accounts mixed with non-fiction which made me confused which ones were true and which ones were fiction.

[M]

„Povești despre două planete” coord. de John Freeman și apărută la Black Button Books e o carte de a cărei traducere mă bucur mult - e nevoie de mult mai multă discuție despre schimbările climatice în spațiul românesc, atât în general, cât și în literatură. Fiind proze scurte și eseuri, mi-a luat ceva să o termin, dar aș vrea să menționez câteva ce mi-au rămas în minte și o selecție cu trei must-read la final:

◽ Riachuelo / Mariana Enriquez - Despre râul Riachuelo, unul dintre cele mai poluate din America Latină. Textul vorbește atât despre oamenii ce trăiesc pe marginea lui, cât și despre inundațiile și efectele apariției abatoarelor în zonă. Ordonanțele de a muta abatoarele mai departe de râu n-au avut impact, iar râul a fost poluat atât de resturile animalelor după procesare, cât și de alți poluanți chimici apăriți în urma industrializării zonei.
◽ Supraviețuire / Sayaka Murata - O poveste scurtă, fictivă și distopică despre o lume în care oportunitățile vieții sunt calculate cât se poate de rece pe baza ratei de supraviețuire dată de clasa socială. De fapt, foarte apropiată lumii în care trăim.
◽ El lago / Eduardo Halfon - Experiențe personale de pe marginea lacului Amatitlan, Guatemala, poluat iremediabil de deversările de chimicale de la ferme și de apele menanjere.
◽Ploile / Ligaya Mishan - Despre inundațiile din Hawaii.
◽Fântâna / Eka Kurniawan - O poveste cutremurătoare de familie și iubire, într-un sat a cărui rezerve de apă sunt tot mai puține și mai îndepărtate.
◽Un mormon albastru printre emigranți de rând / Tishani Doshi - Un poem superb despre migrație și refugiu.
◽Hawaiki / Tayi Tibble - Un alt poem superb, selectez „Cred că trebuie să fie un pântec / din care se naște totul / și în care se întoarce totul.”
◽O lume bolnavă / Diego Enrique Osorno - Despre poporul indigen Raramuri și lipsa hranei din cauza dislocării de pe propriile pământuri și schimbărilor climatice.

Dintre toate, cele care m-au afectat cel mai tare sunt:

◽Povestitorii planetei Pământ / Sulaiman Addonia - ”Starea planetei noastre e inscripționată pe trupurile refugiaților”. Așa începe eseul lui Addonia, care povestește despre cum refugiații deja conțin istoria și schimbările planetei înăuntrul lor, în poveștile și experiențele lor de viață. Scrie din experiență personală, și explică propriul parcurs de apropiere de aceste lupte, venind dintr-o zonă în care obișnuia să prioritizeze luptele pentru refugiați în fața celor climatice. Scrie despre discuțiile cu prietena lui, activistă de mediu din vest, din clasa de mijloc, și despre falia dintre ei doi. Scrie despre cum, gândindu-se la casă, realizează legăturile dintre distrugerea recoltelor și suferința propiei familii, și mai ales, despre cum, creând o școală de scriere creativă pentru refugiați, face spațiu pentru ca aceste povești să fie spuse.
◽Cel mai amuzant rahat pe care l-ai auzit vreodată / Lina Mounzer - Despre sistemul șubred de canalizare din Beirut și implicațiile privaților, corporaților și turismului în a-l face și mai falimentar.
◽Bruno / Aminatta Forna - Despre Bruno, un cimpanzeu legendar, sanctuarul în care a trăit în Sierra Leone și viața lui și a colegilor săi, până la evadare. O poveste despre schimbare, despre căutarea independenței, despre război și despre simboluri. Impresionantă într-un fel ce nu pot reda într-o mini-recenzie.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

DU MÅ LESE DENNE.

Det jeg likte aller best med denne boka er at det er en samling med ulike bidrag fra 36 forfattere som forteller/beskriver/deler perspektiv og historier fra hele verden. Alle fortellingene er regarding to klimakrisa, men det er i svært ulik grad denne koblingen er mer eller mindre direkte i alle bidragene. En annen detalj som gjorde at jeg likte helheten godt, er hvordan de ulike historiene er flettet sammen gjennom felles og overlappende tematikk (for eksempel vann, regn, luft osv). Det bidro til en god flyt på tross av de 36 inndelingene.

Jeg har vegret meg for å lese denne boka lenge fordi jeg har vært redd for hva den kom til å vekke av følelser i meg. MEN - jeg opplevde tvert imot at den ga meg flere perspektiver og satte ord på følelser og historier fra helheten av denne krisa som ellers er så kompleks, noe som viste seg å være akkurat det jeg følte jeg trengte. På tross av alvoret som preger tematikken, ga boka meg større forståelse og dermed en større følelse av trygghet i meg selv. Jeg sitter igjen med inntrykket av å ha reist rundt i hele verden og møtt mennesker og hørt historier fra deres liv (som alle er så forskjellig fra hverandre!) og jeg elsker det.

[Max Kelly]

DNF @ 24%. Never ended up teaching it so motivation was very low. Maybe I’ll come back to it. Maybe not.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

** Books 85 - 2021 **

This books to accomplish Tsundoku Books Challenge 2021

3,3 of 5 stars!

I am curious about this books since there was Makassar Writers Festival 2021 and also two my favorite author between Sayaka Murata and Eka Kurniawan wrote their short fiction about climate change.

These books consist of short collections, essay and also poets that comes from 36 authors in different country. They really speaking out loud their worry about environment and also climate change that more than we have to think about :')

My favorite is Survival by Sayaka Murata and also The well by Eka Kurniawan! It is so well-written and i just love it their pieces as always! <3

Thankyou Google Playstore!

[Leif · Rating 4 out of 5]

What are interludes between crisis events? They are moments for contemplation - for recollection, and for storytelling. Here, Freeman collects voices from across the world at the moment between events generated by climate change. Much is valuable here, in particular for the illustrative dialogue between the politics of equitable development and lifestyle matching and the politics of environmental action that combats climate change. Some pieces are better than others, and some of the poetry is best glossed over than pursued, but on the whole this is a valuable collection of voices.

[Dedi Setiadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My personal favorite:

N64 35.378, W16 44.691 by Andri Snær Magnason
A chilling journey to explore her grand-parents “legacy”.

“The glacier vanishes slowly, like a silent spring. It just melts, retreats slowly, calmly.”
😢

Survival by Sayaka Murata
A thought-provoking black mirror-ish dystopian fiction.

The Funniest Shit You Ever Heard by Lina Mounzer
It’s provocative and hilarious (?)

And of course!
The Well by Eka Kurniawan
Nuff said. It’s what you expect from Eka Kurniawan!

[Kylie Vacala]

Great compilations of stories from around the world that put into perspective the complexity of the climate crisis through eyes of people and communities. Each addition is so different but come to together to reiterate similar themes of inequality and how deeply rooted the effects of our environment impacts the people who live in them and vice versa. Moving and terrifying all at once.

[molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-some of the stories in this book were really shitty and had no depth at all. Cheers to Atwood, Danticat, and the international authors that truly gave me some perspective.

[Dana Kanafina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finishing this as the fires in LA are continuing is a crazy experience

[Kamila Kunda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A month after reading “Tales of Two Planets”, a collection of 36 texts on climate crisis (change sounds neutral, or even positive, but in this day and age we are talking about a crisis) and inequality edited by John Freeman, my opinion about this book is less positive than it initially was. Probably due to connections, Freeman was able to engage world known authors to contribute - sadly many delivered mediocre essays, stories or poems (especially poems are very weak) with no point whatsoever.

The book lacks structure and the best part of it is Freeman’s introduction. He asks brilliant questions about how we should talk about climate, what moral issues climate crisis poses, how we see ourselves (as individuals, each fighting for oneself, as citizens of a nation or citizens of the whole world) and what obligations we have towards those living on the other side of the globe. The problem is that very few authors challenge these issues in their texts and attempt to move the conversation further or even engage in it. Sulaiman Addonia wrote a very good essay on his own growing understanding regarding his lifestyle choices made in Belgium (e.g. eating meat) affecting those living in his home countries Ethiopia and Eritrea. Eka Kurniawan’s wonderful allegorical short story talks in microscale about the politics regarding water and climate migration in Indonesia - certainly we’ll see this happening on a larger scale in the next decades. Thoughtful essay on air pollution in Bangkok by Pitchaya Sudbanthad addresses the problem of urban development, so pressing in many parts of the world.

I wish there was some clearer message emerging from reading “Two Planets”. We already know the world is in a terrible state. We know we all need to do something. We need to focus on possible solutions, on a macroscale. What I found lacking was a stronger voice appealing to governments, lobbyists and industrialists to tackle the crisis, next to discussing implications of various strategies, instead of focusing on simply describing problems in several countries or cities. This book is a nice introduction to the discussion on climate crisis but nothing more.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required reading for everyone.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read. A kaleidoscopic look at climate change throughout the world through a very human lens. I loved how all encompassing this was not only in the places it looked at, but the styles of writing. Poems, short stories, essays, journalistic pieces, even photography. Highly recommend.

[Eric Bottorff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generally not a big fan of anthologies, but this is so thoughtfully constructed, with an excellent selection. And collectively the effect is to really show, not just tell, the inequities and realities created and reinforced by climate change and global capitalism.

[Scott Gilman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The science and politics of climate change are well known to any of us who have been paying attention to such things over the last few decades (and aren’t conspiracy theorists or shills for the fossil fuel industry). Or to any one who has bothered to look out the window and seen the worst ice storm in a century or a once-a-century flood / wildfire / rainstorm / hurricane / blizzard / heat wave two years in a row.

What we don’t see nearly enough are the stories of how individuals are being impacted, especially across the globe, by a climate becoming less predictable, less stable and more extreme. And what we really don’t see enough of, especially in the well-to-do northern hemisphere, are stories of how those in the global south who are confronting climate change right now, not as some looming threat.

But what stands out from “Tales of Two Planets: Stories of Climate Change and Inequality in a Divided World”, edited by John Freeman, isn’t the heat, the cold, the lack of water, the scarcity of food, the worry over crops, the inability to find work, as powerful and harrowing as all those are. It’s instead how so much of the problems we’re facing in terms of the effects of climate change are being made worse and compounded by human activity and development. Set aside for a moment that climate change itself if fueled, literally, by human activity, namely, extraction and burning of fossil fuels.

But everything from paved roads to paved waterfront property to endless building and infrastructure has closed off the ways the land around us can naturally handle a growing population and more strenuous weather and climate conditions. And these stories are made even more impactful when they get to the deepest consequences: the toll on our physical selves. For we cannot alter the physical landscapes around us without having a physical impact on our bodies. From sweating to going hungry, from lethargy from heat to discomfort from cold and rain, from fears of procreation to finding fleeting moments of physical pleasure from masturbating–moments when we as individuals can provide ourselves not just pleasure but a sense of control–what we see from these stories is that climate change won’t just have repercussions on our our cities, our states, our governments and economies, but on our very bodies, too.

In one such essay, sewers have been clogged to enable further development of real estate property. The joke is on everyone, however, when our own bodily refuse has nowhere to go but literally back into our faces. And there is an apt metaphor, after all, between the bodily function of defecation and climate change. When we flush a toilet, all that matters, all that we see, is something that we don’t want going somewhere far away. Out of sight, out of mind. The same is true when we burn fossil fuels. We take something we can’t really do anything with, like coal or oil, use it up and wish it away, and pretend it no longer exists.

But deep down we know that’s not true. Deep down, as we see around us, there is a cost. Sure, we could mitigate climate change by slowing down our use of fossil fuels. And yes, we can mitigate those impacts by even changing our lifestyles. But what’s the motivation, especially for those in the north whose lives remain stable and comfortable? The costs and the problems still exist, just somewhere else. That somewhere else is what this book exposes. Whether we choose to do anything about it, to save ourselves if not others, is a story still being written.

That’s the point of this collection, that the future of climate change is here, and that the only difference will be scale. In one fictional story, adolescents are given a grade at school. Not for any single task or test, but as a predictive measure of their ability later in life to survive climate change. And by survive, the implication is afford. To live in a better place, to pay for cleaner food and water. To filter one’s air. One need not strain to see that while this story is cast as science fiction, it’s closer to reality than we might be comfortable with.

The true moral of the story of “Tales of Two Planets” is that there really aren’t two planets at all. What is affecting someone on our planet may just as well impact all of us. And it will. You might want to invest in a plunger.

[charlotte (moerreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

TALE OF TWO PLANETS⁣
⁣
I read this book (like so many others) because Kate said it was important and accessible + she was (of course, unsurprisingly, unflinchingly) correct.⁣
⁣
To be honest, climate change often feels unfathomably menacing. Here are some stats:⁣
⁣
- The UN projects ~200 million climate refugees by 2050. Do I know what a crowd of even 10,000 looks like? Can I multiply that image by 20,000? Our brains aren't capable of picturing it + that makes it hard to grasp.⁣
⁣
- The current goal to “limit warming to 1.5 degrees celsius” is popularly shared but again, hard to fathom, because its implications affect hundreds of millions of people in varying ways across the country.⁣
⁣
The reason why I bring these statistics up (I’d like to thank @treatyourshelvess + also NASA) is not because they’re not important—THEY ARE SO FUCKING IMPORTANT—but because this book tries to make your interaction with the climate crisis intimate, accessible + ‘easier’ to grasp (I put easier in quotes because none of this is easy or getting easier, but this helps your brain digest the facts better).⁣
⁣
The chapters are short + the genres are varied (some are dystopian stories, portraits of childhood, or filled with stats) + it made the climate crisis not only intimate + personal but understandable in a way that makes it more horrifying. This book scares you not because you can suddenly picture what 200 million people without homes look like but because you have been armed with a collection of ways that the crisis is already wreaking havoc and ruining lives around the world. Read about an orangutan named Bruno in Sierra Leone, a sprouting slum on the banks of the Nairobi River, a Pandora’s box that grants wishes, + a spoiled American who doesn’t recycle.⁣
⁣
I have spent many, many years ignoring anthologies because they didn’t seem like “real” books + this year has forced me to eat my words. Anthologies are a beautiful opportunity to read the works of many in fewer pages, introduce yourself to varying perspectives, + make for GREAT recommendations + gifts because they contain something for everyone. ⁣

CW: one essay deals heavily with fertility

[Prashaantbhujbal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this great anthology of climate destruction when a storm is hitting the coasts of Mozambique.

As the Author says in his introduction, we can dither, argue and be in a denial mode but it is ( The Climate Change) happening all around us. With the tipping point reached we can only try to mitigate the evils so that our next generation ( No future for the forthcoming generations) can live peacefully. It is a poignant collection of 36 pensive and factual literary pieces including fiction, essays poems and reportage. Another window it opens and thank you the Author John Freeman, these are pieces from some of the leading writers and journalists, poets and it makes available the list of the books from these great writers. A treasure trove for continuous reading.

To sum up quoting from one of the article by Mr. Sjon , celebrated Iceland Author
“ what will finally bring mankind to see clearly that global warming caused by climate change is neari a point of no return, compelling it to raise its defended and do everything in its power to slow down the changes and respond compassionately to the plight of those suffering the consequences of those changes?
A large part of the problem is, of course, that the societies most responsible for the changes are still the ones least affected by them. People living in the peripheral areas of the Earth , the so called indigenous peoples, or in places where survival is so dependant on the sea level , precipitation levels during the rainy season, or the life ( and death) of such essential entities as coral reefs or forests, are already wrestling with the consequences as they are manifested in wars, hunger and refugeeism.”

A must read for everyone who wishes to know more about the climate change.

[hiaa123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Part of writing, the best part of it, is to wake a reader up into the present, by transporting them into a dream -one vivid enough to reorient how they see things upon waking."

"How do we live within dire forecasts, how do we breathe? How do we create a space to imagine both the coming destruction and the life that remains? How to go about one's daily life while knowledge of something awful hovers right there? These questions come up over and over again in these essays, poems, and stories."

This book is so important. It's hard reading, it leaves you feeling overwhelmed and helpless and terrified. But it's so necessary. I love the idea of bringing together stories from all over the world to really show the effects of climate change on different communities and individuals. I feel like the book could have used some more North American Indigenous narratives as well but I guess there's only so much you can do in one book.

Books like this should be read by the rich and powerful. Though for many around the world, maybe I qualify. My privilege is firmly brought to the forefront of my mind when I read these stories. I was particularly struck by the Lebanese story "The Funniest Shit You Ever Heard" because raining shit and exploding sewage systems is right out of my worst nightmare. Modern plumbing is something I take for granted and can't imagine life without. Clearly, I needed a reality check.

I hope these stories and environmental literature can help me keep this perspective in my daily life. But we need to change as a society for progress to be made. And the future looks bleak from my current standpoint.

[Triss · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Natura a părăsit timpul geologic și a început să se schimbe pe durata unei vieți omenești."

"Starea planetei noastre e inscripționată pe trupurile refugiaților. (...) Văd deșertul în ochii lor. Văd seceta pe buzele lor. Aproape că pot simți poveștile pe care le poartă în ei ca niște tsunami-uri care li se ridică din piept cu fiecare suflare."

"Oriunde te-ai uita, natura a fost domesticită. Noaptea, haloul luminilor artificiale a luat locul licuricilor. (...)
Dispariția licuricilor din copilaria mea este o metaforă mută a dezastrului ecologic care se apropie, cu pași furișați, încât ne putem încă preface că nu-l auzim. Acest dezastru amenință viața planetei și ecosistemele, anulând vitorul omenirii și distrugând imperceptibil cântecul poetic al lumii."

"Cu alte cuvinte, Africa nu înseamnă nimic fără resursele ei vii care trebuie exploatate.
O afirmație familiară, nu-i așa? Doar că adaptată timpurilor noastre.
Planeta se clatină sub asaltul nostru perpetuu, variat și incontrolabil. Definiția pe care o dăm comportamentelor criminale și derapajelor psihologice trebuie să evolueze și să includă crimele împotriva pământului și speciilor sale. Cei care vânează pentru trofee ne pradă pe toți din pură vanitate, pentru senzații tari și pentru podoabe de prost gust. Pradă planeta de minunile ei stranii, de neînlocuit."

"Numai omenirea își recunoaște valoarea că specie și e gata să lupte pentru propria ei existență - împotriva ei înseși - cu aceleași arme ale minții umane care au pus-o în pericol. (...) în locuri încă neconsemnate pe hărțile blestemelor existenței noastre: patriarhatul și capitalismul."

[Tiina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology brings together texts from various authors writing in different genres such as short stories, poems and essays. All the texts deal with the climate crisis in one way or another.

What I especially loved was how many authors came from outside the Western countries. These countries are affected by climate crisis the most anyway, so it is always great to see these narratives get attention.

Some texts were stronger than others, naturally. Some of my favorites were by Mariana Enriquez, Sayaka Murata, Ian Teh, Lina Mounzer and Eka Kurniawan. I also found many new authors whose work to read. Yay for a growing tbr list!

It is hard to give a proper overview on an anthology of different genres, but I would like to pay special attention to the essay by Raja Shehadeh and Penny Johnson. It sets in occupied Palestine and talks about the negative effects that settler colonialism has on climate (amongst other things) while bringing light to the Israeli atrocities toward Palestinians. 🍉

[Jozz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone said below, some stories are damn good, others are just meh. But the 4 stars are because overall, the collection is filled with a variety of tales and styles that make you see climate change through the lenses of people who live not only in first world countries, but in places that are being the first affected by this. Getting to know the day-to-day life and the environmental struggles in lands like Argentina, Burundi, Lebanon, Bangladesh and Libya (just to mention some) was both fascinating and terrifying. But I'm optimistic, and I do feel that with more literature like this, we can raise awareness to make a change.

[Brandi Snell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended by Genevieve Padalaski's Book Club.

This book is a collection of articles from different authors from around the world. Most of us live in a very nice bubble. We are aware of the disparities between "3rd World Countries" and our modern countries, but I don't we really give it much thought. Now, I know there are those that due, some more than others, but in general when it's out of sight, it's out of mind. These articles show that other side, and it is eye opening to read them. There is climate change and these authors tell how it affects those in less fortunate countries. Some articles will make you sad, and others will make you angry.

[Clare Kirwan · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We are swimming in facts, but a fact does not fully obtain the depth of a fact….until it becomes part of a story.”
It's tricky to generalise about this bleak, eclectic mix of stories, essays & poems from around the world on the effects of climate change on - usually the most vulnerable - individuals. The quality and relevance vary wildly but the overall effect is overwhelmingly depressing with a (on some occasions quite literally) shit stream of drought, famine, disease, pollution, pestilence, desertification, floods, corruption, exploitation and waste focussing on individual experience and with no tiny glimmer of hope.
*sigh*

[Cristofer Enroth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Säkert realistiska, för att inte säga ”sanna”, berättelser. Men, oj vad pessimistiska. Det finns mycket bra och vackert i Världen också. Visst, mycket går åt helvete, men jag är övertygad om att mänskligheten går mot en allt ljusare framtid. Jag vägrar tro på domedagsprofetior. Därmed inte sagt att vi ska ignorera alla problem som naturligtvis finns. Klimatet, orättvisor, dumma människor, elaka människor o s v. Dock är det allt fler som lär sig läsa, allt fler som får sjukvård, allt färre som svälter i dagens värld jämfört med för ett par decennier sedan. Vi som art blir allt klokare och allt mer förutseende. Och kanske allt mer sympatiska?

[Ririn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories, poetry, and essays about climate changes. I love the essays, wish there are more from the POVs of first world countries that, you know, are the main culprits of this phenomenon, just saying...
The essays are heartbreaking and relatable, the stories are amazing (I love Daisy Johnson's story but can't think of the connection with climate change XD in his intro, Freeman said it had the theme of 'greed' lol).

"I developed an early kind of kinship
with all the ways the earth hurt."
(That House - Tayi Tibble p.225)

[Sheila Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of literary, poetic and social stories relating to our world as it currently is. I wouldn’t say they all relate directly to climate change, more to environmental change and inequality generally. Importantly, that stories are taken from very different parts of the globe. It’s a very eclectic collection in terms of length, subject matter and voice, the overall feel is pretty depressing. You are left feeling bruised and shocked by most of them. However, this book should be essential reading for everybody.