Coming of age at the end of nature A generation faces living on a changed planet

Review by Choice Review

The idealistic voice of youths echoes across these pages as clearly as it echoes across generations. The reader will hear his or her own voice, reading these essays and thinking back to youthful passion and energy. Facing an uncertain future, each author views "coming of age" under an environmental cloud. Yet, most are hopeful. Many are searching. At least one is angry. The authors ask important and worthwhile questions. All are concerned about the degradation and exploitation of natural resources, while a few reveal their complete satisfaction with the conveniences of living in a developed world, even when the conveniences come at a high cost to the environment. The perspectives are broad in the context of living in 21st-century America. Missing in the narrative are the perceptions of those coming of age in the developing world and the wisdom derived from a historical viewpoint. For example, there is no mention of environmental Kuznets curves or Norman Borlaug. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Ted Johnson, Prescott Valley Public Library

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

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Review by Library Journal Review

Dunlap (Companions in Wonder) and Cohen (-Shorewords) have curated a fine collection of environmental writing in this thoughtful anthology from a "new generation of fossil fuel freedom fighters." This is an earnest compendium of personal narratives penned by young writers growing up in the changing reality that Bill McKibben, who writes the foreword, describes in his environmental classic The End of Nature. Covering a wide range of topics, such as hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, urban foraging, and communal living with the "Lima Beans" in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico, many of the essays contained here reference McKibben's work. Several are also tinged with bitterness at being left with a mess by an older generation who lied about having it under control, yet there is a sense of confidence they will be the ones who finally figure out how to clean it up. VERDICT An intelligent and heartfelt glimpse into the lives of the emerging authors McKibben greatly influenced and a must-read for anyone interested in environmental issues, particularly climate change.-Venessa Hughes, Buffalo, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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