Hope Is an Imperative

by David W. Orr

For more than three decades, David Orr has been one of the leading voices of the environmental movement, championing the cause of ecological literacy in higher education, helping to establish and shape the field of ecological design, and working tirelessly to raise awareness of the threats to future generations posed by humanity’s current unsustainable trajectory. Hope Is an Imperative brings together in a single volume Professor Orr’s most important works. These include classics such as “What Is Education For?,” one of the most widely reprinted essays in the environmental literature, “The Campus and the Biosphere,” which helped launch the green campus movement,and “Loving A Design Problem,” which renowned theologian and philosopher Thomas Berry called “the most remarkable essay I’ve read in my whole life.” The book features thirty-three essays, along with an introductory section that considers the evolution of environmentalism, section introductions that place the essays into a larger context, and a foreword by physicist and author Fritjof Capra. Hope Is an Imperative is a comprehensive collection of works by one of the most important thinkers and writers of our time. It offers a complete introduction to the writings of David Orr for readers new to the field, and represents a welcome compendium of key essays for longtime fans. The book is a must-have volume for every environmentalist’s bookshelf.

Genres: Nature, Environment

392 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2010

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, pretty good!
If you are familiar with Orr's works, you are familiar with all of them, which is why I did not rate this higher. His essay anthologies are repetitive in thought and also literally - there are many of his same essays from work to work.
He is profound, moving, well-researched, and sometimes a little absurd.
If I had to recommend an Orr work if you were going to read just one, I'd read "Earth in Mind."

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The insight shown so far is magnificent. This is truly one of the best books I have ever read.