Lessons for Survival: Mothering Against "The Apocalypse"

by Emily Raboteau

Award-winning author and critic Emily Raboteau uses the lens of motherhood to craft a powerfully moving meditation on race, climate, environmental justice―and what it takes to find shelter.

Lessons for Survival is a probing series of pilgrimages from the perspective of a mother struggling to raise her children to thrive without coming undone in an era of turbulent intersecting crises.

With camera in hand, Raboteau goes in search of birds, fluttering in the air or painted on buildings, and ways her children may safely play in city parks while avoiding pollution, pandemics, and the police. She ventures abroad to learn from Indigenous peoples, and in her own family and community discovers the most intimate meanings of resilience. Raboteau bears witness to the inner life of Black womenhood, motherhood, and to the brutalities and possibilities of cities, while celebrating the beauty and fragility of nature. This innovative work of reportage and autobiography stitches together multiple stories of protection, offering a profound sense of hope.

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Essays, Memoir, Climate Change, Race, Audiobook

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 12, 2024

About the author

Emily Raboteau writes at the intersection of social and environmental justice, race, climate change, and parenthood. Her books are Lessons for Survival, Searching for Zion, winner of an American Book Award and finalist for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and the critically acclaimed novel, The Professor’s Daughter. Since the release of the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, she has focused on writing about the climate crisis. A contributing editor at Orion Magazine and a regular contributor to the New York Review of Books, Raboteau’s writing has recently appeared and been anthologized in the New Yorker, the New York Times, New York Magazine, The Nation, Best American Science Writing, Best American Travel Writing, and elsewhere. Her distinctions include an inaugural Climate Narratives Prize from Arizona State University, the Deadline Club Award in Feature Reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists’ New York chapter, and grants and fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Bronx Council on the Arts, the Robert B. Silvers Foundation, the Lannan Foundation, and Yaddo. She serves as nonfiction faculty at the Bread Loaf Environmental Writing Conference and is a full professor at the City College of New York (CUNY) in Harlem, once known as “the poor man’s Harvard.” She lives in the Bronx.

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost]

This collection of essays is very memoir adjacent so I'm not going to give it a star rating, not because it's not good, it is, but because I do not rate memoirs.

That being said, it was a really enjoyable read Raboteau comes across as a very down to earth and sweet person and she made me love the people she spoke about. Is this book going to help you if you struggle with climate anxiety, probably not. Is it going to make you feel less alone in that? Yes, absolutely.

[Traci Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of questions and reflections on race, climate, parenting, and community. I really loved how Raboteau explored these questions without being set on answers. Smart emotional writing. Sometimes I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to think. I could’ve used more guidance from Raboteau.

[Miska Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Love it. It got right into my soul and took up root there.

But- I had a hard time getting into it at first. I didn’t understand the connections. And it made it hard for me to really tap into what the author was saying. Until, suddenly, somewhere in the first 100 pages, it did click. It all made sense.

So I recommend that if you are struggling with the text, stick it out for the first hundred pages. If you can’t get into it past that, it isn’t the book for you. If you can, and it clicks, it will deeply resonate with you, like it did me.

I found myself re-reading entries, and I call them entries, because they are written like a diary. And I felt like I was getting a private glimpse into the author’s inner thoughts. I also felt the pain and sorrow in them. The sorrow of the pandemic, of loss, of her struggle in America as a woman of color.

I connected deeply with her in many ways, and the chronic pain aspect of her story was my anchor. The way she was treated by medical professionals, the denials, the suspicions, the brushing off she has gotten. I have experienced that as well. I’m white-passing multi-racial, and so many things resonated with me (but some things I will never quite experience or understand).

I loved reading about her travels, about her travails. I found myself unable to put this title down as soon as it clicked. Her journey to Palestine/Israel was particularly compelling, and sorrowful. It gave me perspective that I did not have, previously.

[Lydia Love]

Couldnt get past that she didnt seem too upset to have returned her dog to the shelter in order to move into a new apartment.

[Rachel León · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thoughtful book of essays (and street photography) is about parenting in the time of crisis — multiple crises: climate change, Covid, and Black motherhood in a racist world. Blending reportage, cultural criticism, and memoir, this important book looks at survival when things are dire. So, so good.

[Elizabeth Stolar · Rating 3 out of 5]

4/7 This book had some interesting points, but it was kind of disjointed and sometimes repetitive. It made a lot of valid points about institutional racism and environmental justice and how those two are intertwined. Her trip to Palestine was interesting, but I did not like her tone about Israel, implying they were some kind of colonizer, refusing to acknowledge that Israel took the West Bank in a war when they were attacked and invaded, and that Israel has continually agreed to a two-state solution but that has been rejected by the Palestinians. And her embrace of the kaffiyeh, when Hamas would not at all be embracing her progressive politics that she purports to hold is a bit disingenuous. But, overall a decent read with some interesting ruminations on motherhood in this time of continuing racism and climate catastrophe.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt, imploring collection of essays written by a BIPOC mother concerned about the state of America, climate change and the world's conflicts. Great on audio and perfect for fans of Good talk by Mira Jacob.

Narrated by the author, this book is a combination of personal stories and journalistic reporting about motherhood, life during COVID, Trump, the dire state of our environment and the dismal state of global conflicts, particularly the Palestinian-Israel situation.

I really enjoyed that the author didn't just comment on world affairs but actually travelled and interviewed people living in horrible conditions to get first hand accounts of just a few of the things that need changing and more people fighting for that change. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very thoughtful about the intersection of a lot of current issues. I know too much about climate change already so this really stressed me out but it would be good to share with those who don’t. I’m also not sure what the hopeful part of the book was TBH. Oh and she kinda merged a bunch of different ecological disasters and said they were all because of climate change but some are independent. But of course some are heightened by climate change.

[Snem · Rating 4 out of 5]

The voice here was unique and engaging. It felt like I was having a conversation with the author at the park. Eye opening discussion about climate change and the intersection with race and class.

The reason I might have connected with this so much might be because I’m her neighbor. Not sure this would have the same appeal to someone in the south or Midwest. If you suffer from climate anxiety, this won’t help.

The chapter on her Dad was moving and I learned a lot about climate, race, motherhood and birds. Didn’t leave me feeling uplifted or hopeful, just scared.

[Luke Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I am a little biased because Emily is my professor in my MFA program, but I absolutely loved this book.

For me the experience of reading Lessons for Survival was an uncomfortable one. I was confronted with things (specifically but not limited to how the climate crisis exists along lines of current racial and economic inequality and how this creates a sort of patchwork of not only suffering but also overcoming) that I might have been aware of but were not at the front of my consciousness.

Inside this little book there are so many lessons on what it means to survive, overcome, to remember where one came from etc. One of Raboteau’s strengths in this work is the inter-connectedness of it all. She takes the reader to Palestine, New York City, and Indigenous communities in Alaska. The scope also telescopes in this way from reading about Raboteau’s family and friends, to activists and scientists, to birds.

This book is heavy but it is also powerful. I think it’s exquisite.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure if I can talk about this one without tears. Raboteau presents an unflinching account of Black motherhood in the face of climate change (and all the other shit that's gone down in the world in the last 5 years). Deeply moving.

Grateful to NetGalley for this ARC.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan audio! I loved that Emily narrated this herself! I love her perspective and writing style. I learned a lot and will be seeking out more of her work!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book 2024 needs.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birds, climate catastrophe, migration, occupied Palestine, anti-black racism, parenting, colonialism... Hope?

[Charles Reed · Rating 1 out of 5]

16%

This book has a really freaking cool cover art on there. So I really like whoever was in charge of that. Graphical sense. Style. Amazing, beautiful art. Well done. That being said, I hate this book. The author is like the exact worst person in the world that you could fucking ever meet. Someone that bitches about things constantly. And without undergoing or partaking in real change around them. She would rather bitch about problems than actually implement real solutions. Like, wow, I hate the world around me. I hate politics around me. Men suck. White guys suck. White people suck. You know what really sucks, girl? Your attitude. Your attitude of life and your alienation of all of these different people. When we talk about segregation, you are segregating people. You're not a feminist. You're not woke. You're just a bitch. Hot take. But as someone that's a centrist, you would totally be like the girl in this chat room. You know, focus on local politics and improving the world around you. Look at the world around you and appreciate it. How dare you do that? How can I appreciate the world around me when the president is a rapist? By not thinking about it. I mean, how often do you see the president? Are you constantly engaged in the news cycle? Because this girl seems to just be overexposed to everything. So she's like extremely invested in the news and propaganda machines that we make. It's like what happens when the keyboard warrior goes outside and starts protesting about everything. I'm like, okay, that is a lot. And I'm not going to wish you luck, girl. I'm going to wish you medication because I wish that you were taking my grandmother's medication. Because she's a nice lady that's being forcefully sedated in the nursing home. And you are not a nice lady. I don't even care. You don't even need to be nice or kind. Just being a bitch, though, all the fucking time throughout this book. It doesn't even make sense. You're just bitchy. You're complaining about everything. You need to do something. Stop complaining, stop writing books, and go do things. Positive change, please.

[Kaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I would say this book is very enlightening and shines light on many situations we as individuals, especially mothers, face today. A great take on climate and environmental issues, a great take on political issues, a great take on racial injustice in America.
Unfortunately, although I do agree with all of the points the author makes in the book as far as racism, I just found it hard to really connect with her. As a black woman, a brown skin woman who grew up in the Bronx, where people of my color are always profiled, I found it a bit disturbing whenever the author mentioned what she experiences as a black woman...because colorism is real and I feel that should have been touched on as heavily as the topic of race itself was. Colorism within our community exists, "light skin privilege" is a real thing, and I would have loved it if the author would have touched on that a bit more. I am a black woman with a darker complexion, but also a mother to biracial children, so I understand that yes, we are all black, however when it comes to profiling they will not experience the same things I experience being of a darker skin tone.
Great book though, I just found it difficult to connect at points.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

[Mare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a white, cisgender woman living in a rural area who is childless by choice and cares deeply about climate change and minority voices, but is still, in this author’s view, part of the problem. Nevertheless I tried to like and learn from this book, but it was relentless. Not even the photos were a reprieve. And perhaps that was her purpose. So I will sit with that possibility and come back to it when I am stronger? Or not because from my assessment of carefully reading all pages, I was not the primary, secondary, or tertiary audience as a non New Yorker and non mother.

There’s something to learn here if you are okay with having it beat into you.

Trying not to shoot the messenger.

[Markie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Hilmg · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The world begins at a kitchen table
No matter what, we must eat to live” -Joy Harjo

“What do you do with your anger?“ “It’s hard to keep it swallowed up inside. For some people, it spills out.”

A very resonating chronicle of Covid pandemic, BLM + climate crisis
Spark of burrowing owls, tundra swan, Canada goose, mangrove cuckoo, Florida jay & Mexican jay, warblers, colibri, American redstart, black terns, great grey owl, gray hawk,
Analogy between migration & gentrification, sea level rise, Luz, liberated from consumer culture & domestic clutter, Harriet Tubman & the gift of improvisation, illegal water towers in the West Bank & a single rose bush in the desert, signs on the coast, a year of climate events, including Eco fascism in El Paso and vigilantes a trip to find out about the salmon, a pond in front of the house on unceded Lenape territory, water finding its way home

We should be retreating already from the coastline…. true US hero Harriet Tubman march at night, communed with God, drugged crying babies, even held a gun to those grew weary or wished to turn back… you’ll be free or die a slave. True resilience means preparing for collective egalitarian retreat. https://elizabethrush.net/?page_id=295

https://orionmagazine.org/article/spa...

Brooklyn Public Library book club kit https://static.bklynlibrary.org/prod/...

https://medium.com/the-hairpin/after-...

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/theglob...

https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/site...

https://www.birdnote.org/podcasts/bir...

https://www.ambiguousloss.com/

Chris Cooper, George Floyd & The Ramble https://hazlitt.net/feature/central-p...

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/arc...

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5...

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lessons for Survival is a beautifully written group of essays tackling tough and thought provoking topics like racism in America and abroad, climate change and the disasters left in it's wake, the pandemic and the shifts in society it brought, birds and the power of art. I was fortunate enough to receive a physical ARC so my copy did include the photos taken by the author which helped bring portions of her stories to life.

This book is deep, and clearly well researched, as Raboteau puts emphasis on a lot of topics many people would rather brush under the rug. At times the weight of this book felt like a lot, but then she would break it up with pictures or lighter stories like of her bird watching. As an east coast Floridian, who is watching her local governments make stupid choices about building so close to our beaches, her essays on climate change, ocean levels and flooding really spoke to me. I also appreciated her in depth essays on water droughts, specifically within the country of Palestine. Obviously this is a hot bed of a topic, but I appreciated hearing about how water was handling before the most recent conflict broke out because admittedly, I've never felt like I knew enough before. Robateau writes a compelling argument for how Israel has been harming the people of Palestine, specifically in terms of permitting, settlements and rations of water, for decades.

Lessons for Survival is a book that make me do a lot of thinking and while the weight of that thinking sometimes felt too big, I am thankful to have read it. She also narrates the audiobook, which I was gifted a copy of by Macmillian Audio and I highly recommend that as well.

Thank you Henry Holt for the gifted ARC.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lessons for Survival by Emily Raboteau is a beautiful kaleidoscope of essays on motherhood covering climate change, racism, the pandemic, and many other fascinating topics. I loved this book which included local and global perspectives on the climate crisis and illustrated the disproportionate impact on families of color. The writing is beautiful, and the examples are compelling. Raboteau clearly did a lot of research to write this book and poured her heart into the essays. The outcome is a book that I highly recommend.

Throughout the book Raboteau discusses photographs that she has taken of murals around New York City as well as birds she has viewed. The advanced reader copy of the book that I received did not include any of these images. I really hope that the final published version will include some of these photographs because I believe that the images will really enhance the narrative. If the final version includes these photos, I will edit my review from 4 stars to 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am looking forward to reading the published version.

[Jenny GB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways. Thank you!

Raboteau's series of essays is a moving look at being a woman and a mother in the last decade or so while the world seems to have been falling apart in so many ways. I was surprised that the pandemic didn't feature more heavily here, but climate change, environmental issues, and racial disparities are common themes along with Raboteau exploring the art in her home environment of New York, especially of birds. I was particularly captivated by the essay about her friend who experienced hurricane flooding and decided to live in an RV. Sometimes the essays do get repetitive or deal with really heavy topics so it's probably better to read this book in small installments rather than one big read. I enjoyed reading this!

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to double-check that I was promised "a profound sense of hope" by the summary of this book, because I definitely did not receive that. I heard about this book before publication and thought it might be a good read for my catastrophizing husband who is very worried about parenting against the apocalypse, and when he doubted me I said I would read it first and report back. I have read it and have reported back that this is not the book for him!

And I really think that sales pitch of hope is doing a disservice to the book, because I did like it once I accepted that it was going to be more of a memoir about dealing with tough situations, both imposed upon us and of our own making. Raboteau has a quite readable/listenable style (and reads this herself!) and presents her essays in a way that really resonated with me even if I didn't always agree with her opinions.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

True story, I was at the bookstore with a gift card and felt pressured to buy something. There was a bookshelf full of books that were half off, and I hurriedly grabbed this, along with a couple of others. I did not read the description, I just glanced at the first page and assumed, based on its title and the introductory paragraph, that it was a dystopian book, focusing on how to raise kids during some future apocalypse.

Welp. This is not that.

As I began reading, I realized that this is a book about raising our kids in the here and now. That it's about how to recognize that we are making our own apocalypse, and how to raise our children to be better.

I was absolutely enthralled with the author's stories and view points. I could barely put it down to raise my own kids. 😂 Such a good read.

[Helen Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essays, observations, and environmental musings. Idk much about climate change and was skeptical of her statistics. The old engineer in me checked her statistics and unfortunately she’s not exaggerating. Simultaneously, with all the abuses in full swing rn it’s a necessary training for white people interested in retaining their humanity. There were a couple of sections written in journal form that seemed like odd bits hither and yon but I read anyway and gleaned a bizarre collection of seeds for thought.

Probably should have said this first, how much I enjoyed discovering street art with her as a guide. A view from a different perspective from me and I found it beautiful, ominous, and shameful, but mostly beautiful. I feel stronger now somehow.

[Bridget Buckhannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written very well and about topics we all should be aware of,especially in the times we are living in. I loved that the book was written in entries, sort of like a diary into what the writer was thinking at the time. And that’s not to mention the wonderful,unique, and beautiful bird pictures throughout the book!

This is a book you can come back to at anytime and read a story that can maybe help you feel less alone in that moment. I think this is a pivotal read for any mother,daughter,etc. who may be feeling lost or just need to hear that you are not alone.

Great Read!

[Jamie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I read/listened to this. I felt united with all other mothers in the entire world and I think that is important. Also white ladies like myself should read books like this so we can be sure we are having the proper empathy for other mothers and making moves to improve things. I do believe all children all over the world are our children.
I love other mothers.
This was profound and sad and beautiful. I was completely unable to stop listening. Also loved the narration, that was part of the experience.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about climate change in reading this book, and I appreciated the connection to art. Perhaps due to writing being how Raboteau channeled her concerns about the future that she didn’t want to share with her kids, the anxiousness was palpable. It seemed like she wanted to leave with a hopeful message for her children, but there didn’t seem to be as much hope as I expected. I do appreciate her focus on getting the message out so the world can be a better place for her (and all) children.

Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club selection: April 2024

Format: Digital (Kindle)

[Austin Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Emily is my professor, I might be a bit biased, but I really enjoyed this book.

Reading Lessons for Survival made me feel uneasy. It made me think about how the climate crisis affects different people, especially those who are already struggling because of race or money. The book is full of lessons about surviving and remembering where you come from. Raboteau talks about places like Palestine, New York City, and Indigenous communities in Alaska. She shares stories about her family, activists, scientists, and even birds.

This book is deep but amazing.

[Abby]

I got through about half of the audio version of this book, but it was not what I expected it to be. While some of the essays were moderately interesting, most are reiterations of dire statistics and hopeless energy. There is very little to do with mothering and the essays have a fairly impersonal bent. When I realized I wasn't really enjoying it, learning anything new, or hearing anything truly personal, I gave up -- life is too short. Plus, I couldn't really abide the author's grating baby voice. She can't help her voice, but it made the audible version unpleasant.