Earthlings: Imaginative Encounters with the Natural World

by Adrian Parr

Silver Medal, 2023 Nautilus Book Awards in the category of Ecology and EnvironmentAmid environmental catastrophe, it is vital to recall what unites all forms of life. We share characteristics and genetic material extending back billions of years. More than that, we all—from humans to plants to bacteria—share a planet. We are all Earthlings.Adrian Parr calls on us to understand ourselves as existing with and among the many forms of Earthling life. She argues that human survival requires us to recognize our interdependent relationships with the other species and systems that make up life on Earth. In a series of meditations, Earthlings portrays the wonder and beauty of life with deep feeling, vivid detail, and an activist spirit. Parr invites readers to travel among the trees of the Amazonian rainforest; take flight with birds and butterflies migrating through the skies; and plunge into the oceans with whales and polar bears—as well as to encounter bodies infected with deadly viruses and maimed by the violence of global capitalism.Combining poetic observation with philosophical contemplation and scientific evidence, Parr offers a moving vision of a world in upheaval and a potent manifesto for survival. Earthlings is both a joyful celebration of the magnificence of the biosphere and an urgent call for action to save it.

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 5, 2022

About the author

Adrian Parr Zaretsky, PhD, is an internationally recognized environmental, political, and cultural thinker and advocate, author, and filmmaker. She is the dean of the College of Design at the University of Oregon abd Senior Fellow at the Design Futures Council. Prior to joining the UO, she served as the dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Arlington, and as the director of the Taft Research Center at the University of Cincinnati.

Adrian is a transdisciplinary scholar working at the intersection of architecture criticism, aesthetics, political theory, and environmental studies. She’s authored nine books, the latest three of which focused on environmental politics and sustainability culture, and she has served as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) water chair for eight years.

Reviews

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important book on environmentalism. Touches on many important topics and the message is strong. The writing is academic, not too casual. Not very groundbreaking and refreshing, but a good collection of information.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC to read. Opinions are my own.

[Kaitlyn'sLittleLibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book felt a bit like watching Planet Earth with the sound turned down too low -- impressive but not as clear as it should be.

That is to say, portions of this were excellent: insightful, cutting, and poignant, particularly in the author's anecdotes about her career. However, other parts didn't quite get their point across due to being either too abstract or too academic in tone.

Overall, I think the premise -- that all life on earth is connected -- is an excellent one. The conversation about environmentalism will surely ring true and appeal to many. But the writing style left me wondering who the audience is for this book: the public or the academy? I think it straddles the line between the two but doesn't quite fit into either, perhaps making it a hard sell to members of either group.

Definitely still worth the read if you like books that tackle big ideas and don't mind a more academic tone.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for a review.

[Chantal Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

From an academic point of view, I'd give this book 4 or 5 stars; from a mainstream point of view, 3 stars. I'm still not sure who 'Earthlings' is targeted at - other environmental social scientists, or the general public? If it's the latter, then the writing is badly judged in its inaccessibility.

Having done an environmental MA with a lot of more-than-human geography thrown in, I "got" most of the content. Parr selects poignant and striking examples to illuminate her philosophical musings, from a day out on the beach in Australia to a broken polar bear being held captive in a Chinese mall. Still, I only have so much patient for academicspeak, and I would have loved Parr to have shared far more vignettes from what I'm sure is an extensive collection of experiences during her career and life as an environmentalist. Much of the book feels very abstract, and therefore more forgettable, despite moments of piercing analysis.

(With thanks to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)

[Michael Zaretsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book that combines science, environmental politics and poetry in a captivating series of chapters. The author brings brings the reader face to face with impacts of climate change and environmental degradation by writing first hand from the perspective of others. It is extremely moving and impactful. This is a unique and important book

[Kelly Furniss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers many important issues within environmentalism using different examples to demonstrate the message the author is trying to get across.
The writing is academic but I found it manageable.
My thanks go to the author, publisher and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.