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As a reoccurring feature on the Sustainability Roundtable blog, we will post reviews of books related to sustainability.  Interested in submitting your own review to the blog? Contact August at aolundsmith@gmail.com.

City Quitters: An Exploration of Post-Urban Life

by Karen Rosenkranz

Reviewed by Kacper Jarecki

City Quitters is a high-quality book with glossy paper and beautiful photographs. As the title suggests, this book follows people who have “quit” city life to move to the countryside. It is a work of nonfiction. There are 22 personal stories of various people and what motivated them to change their lifestyle. What is also interesting is that there are small towns in 12 countries featured here, including America, Portugal, Japan, China, India, Brazil, and more.

I really enjoyed living vicariously reading stories of these different people: usually taking a chance to just leave it all behind and start anew. Some underlying themes that I saw were the affordability of living in the countryside. Having more time to engage in creative endeavors. The quietness. The ability to just go for a walk in the wilderness anytime. Reading this book and looking through the pictures was relaxing and felt like a breath of fresh air.

One story here featured someone who moved from New York City to Aresus, a small town in Italy with only 6 people! I can’t imagine doing that, but it certainly was fun reading about it. This same person was a graffiti artist, and there is even a picture of him doing graffiti on a cactus, drawing a smiley face on it with spray paint. I guess you can take a person out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the person, lol. I was even surprised to learn of another person moving to Hudson, NY, a small artistic community, about 2 hours away from where I live (and where I want to visit now). She left the city because it was just too expensive for her. She talked about being able to follow her dream and open up her own restaurant with her partner. She mentioned how affordable it was and how people in the community went out of their way to help her. If you saw the pictures, the design of her restaurant is very unique. She really had a very particular vision and I’m happy for her to be able to bring it to life, whereas in New York City, she would probably have gone deep in debt and spent countless hours, just to find a small place to rent. This is just a small sample of the stories. There are many more including someone who built her own home in the trees, a couple who decided to raise their kids to be closer to nature, someone (a skateboarder) who wanted to grow his own food…

After the end of every chapter is a web page link or resource so that you can learn more about the person featured, and possibly even get in touch with them. I love books because they can take you anywhere, and it is so inspiring to read about people taking a chance to turn their fantasy to reality. This book is not meant to be read in one sitting. Whenever you need a break from that big city life, you can just read a story at random, and feel a little better. The one thing I will say, is that most of these people in these pages seem to be artists or designers who can work remotely. Although I don’t exactly see myself in their shoes, I do enjoy reading about them.

 

Discussion questions:

•         Out of the 22 stories in the book, which one did you relate to the most, and why?
•         What are the benefits of living in a small town? What are the drawbacks?
•         If you had a choice of a small town, what kind of town would you like? For example, would you like to live close to the beach, the forest, the desert, the mountains, an island?
•         If you could try living in any country besides your own, which one would it be? Why?
•         Many of the people in the book strive to be self-sufficient. Do you ever see yourself growing your own food? Making repairs to your own house? Would you be willing to learn?
•         Cities usually have jobs, and if you want to leave the city, an entrepreneurial spirit is helpful to be able to get by. If you could create your own business, what would it be?
•         Many people in this book talk about having more time after moving to the countryside. If you had more time, what would you do? What kind of hobbies or projects would you pursue?

As a reoccurring feature on the Sustainability Roundtable blog, we will post reviews of books related to sustainability.  Interested in submitting your own review to the blog? Contact August at aolundsmith@gmail.com.

The Big Thaw: Ancient Carbon, Modern Science, And A Race To Save The World

By Eric Scigliano, Chris Linder, et al.

Review by C. Daetwyler

Like so many of the best reads, I came across The Big Thaw while browsing in search of something else entirely, but it was a fortunate find indeed. A book on geoscience research in Siberia might not be the first thing to grab your attention, but it is well worth checking out.

This book introduces cutting-edge research on climate change in the Arctic, focusing on the work of the Polaris Project of the Woods Hole Research Center. It deals with big issues – carbon sequestration, the loss of permafrost, biome change, and how it could affect the future of the planet. But it is, ultimately, a hopeful story, about the people working diligently to understand the environment and learn about and adapt for the future. And the story goes farther afield, to look at the impact of change in other parts of the world.

The Big Thaw, for all its science, is really a collection of very personal stories. We are introduced to the lives of individual scientists, from senior scholars to young students; learning about what brought them to Siberia, and the importance and the adventure of their work.

Additionally, this is a beautiful book. Chris Linder’s photography takes us on an adventure through the Siberian wilderness, from forest to marsh to ice-filled cave, from grand panoramas to intimate shots of single flowers. But even more, what caught my attention are the portraits of scientists at work, of the daily lives of the scientists and students exploring the world and their hands-on experiences getting literally down and dirty with climate change.

This book can be an important part of any collection. It’s a gorgeous and engaging book, and a great introduction to a not always well understood aspect of climate science. It’s also an important chance to see the diversity at work in the field, as people from all walks of life work together to understand this fragile environment, and hope for the future.

 

Book Discussion Questions:

1. The book talks extensively about the impact of climate change not just in the Arctic, but around the world. What changes have you seen in your community?
2. There are profiles of a number of individual scientists and students in the book. Did any strike you as particularly interesting? Who spoke to your own experiences? 
3. If you had an opportunity to go to Siberia to work with the scientists, would you do it? Why or why not?
4. What photos stood out for you? Do you feel like looking at photos gave you a better sense of connection with the story?
5. What can you do as a “library scientist” to combat climate change?

As a new, reoccurring feature on the Sustainability Roundtable blog, we will be posting reviews of books related to sustainability. Enjoy our first review, written by Kacper Jarecki, below! Interested in submitting your own review to the blog? Contact August at aolundsmith@gmail.com.

No One is Too Small to Make a Difference

By Greta Thunberg

Review by Kacper Jarecki

I like to pet-sit since I enjoy making new animal friends. Over the holidays I was pet-sitting 2 cats in someone’s home. It was here that I saw Greta Thunberg’s book for the first time. The book is small – 106 pages, so it’s easy to pick up and start reading.

Greta’s personal story is very inspiring. She was born in 2003 and from a young age took a stand based on her belief of what is right. She has Asperger Syndrome. Now she is famous world-wide, even getting a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. She started getting attention in 2018, refusing to go to school at 15 years old to instead strike in front of Parliament in Sweden, her home country, holding up a sign to protest a lack of action on climate change. Since then, she’s given speeches world-wide – in the UK, Poland, Germany, France, USA, and more.

Greta’s speeches are collected here. Her style is very conversational and hard-hitting, for example, making a metaphor for global warming that “our house is on fire” (p.17) and “I want you to panic” (p.22). She also includes pertinent facts, many of which I didn’t even realize, such as that scientists estimate that 200 species go extinct every day (p.7). Greta is definitely capable of giving memorable quotes and keeping the reader’s attention engaged.

Besides being a primer on climate change, Greta also discusses overcoming hardships, such as her parents’ refusal to support her, to having Aspergers, to getting bullied on Facebook, not to mention the dire future she may inherit from the catastrophic effects of climate change. She writes “hope is something you have to earn” (p.38). Reading this book is a great motivation to go out and stand up for what you believe in.

Greta’s book is a great addition to any library. The book at full price is only $10, so any library with budget limitations can still easily obtain a copy. It appeals to a large audience from older kids to adults, and I can tell you from personal experience that cats will enjoy sleeping on the book while you are reading it.

 

Book Discussion Questions:

1.       Greta writes “Asperger is not a disease, it’s a gift” (p.28). What makes you unique and how do you use your gift to make the world a better place?
2.       “What do we want the future living conditions for all species to be like?” (p.54). Describe what a perfect future would look like from your perspective.
3.       One of Greta’s speeches is titled, “Can You Hear Me?” (p. 55). If you could say one thing to everyone in the world, what would you say?
4.       Greta expressed anger at the previous generation for not doing enough to combat climate change and leaving a mess for future generations. When you were in your teens, what did you rebel against? Would the teen version of you approve of your current self?
5.       Which speech of Greta’s is your favorite? Do you have any favorite quotes?