An existential manual for tragic optimists,can-do pessimists,and compassionate doomers
With global warming projected to rocket past the 1.5°C limit,lifelong activist Andrew Boyd is thrown into a crisis of hope,and off on a quest to learn how to live with the "impossible news" of our climate doom.
He searches out eight of today's leading climate thinkers - from activist Tim DeChristopher to collapse-psychologist Jamey Hecht,grassroots strategist adrienne maree brown,eco-philosopher Joana Macy,and Indigenous botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer - asking them: "Is it really the end of the world and if so,now what"
With gallows humor and a broken heart,Boyd steers readers through their climate angst as he walks his own. Boyd's journey takes him from storm-battered coastlines to pipeline blockades and "hopelessness workshops." Along the way,he maps out our existential options,and tackles some familiar dilemmas: "Should I bring kids into such a world" "Can I lose hope when others can't afford to" and "Why the fuck am I recycling"
He finds answers that will surprise,inspire,and maybe even make you laugh. Drawing on wisdom traditions Eastern,Western,and Indigenous,Boyd crafts an insightful and irreverent guide for achieving a "better catastrophe."
This is vital reading for everyone navigating climate anxiety and grief as our world hurtles towards an unthinkable crisis.
AWARDS
- BRONZE | 2023 Living Now Book Awards: Social Activism / Charity
Publisher: New Society PublishersISBN: 9780865719835Weight: 621 gDimensions: 229 x 152 x 26 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
"Urgent,sobering reading."-Kirkus Reviews,starred review
"The most realistic yet least depressing end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it guide out there."-Foreword Reviews,starred review
"The book is stunning. By delivering its devastating news in imaginative,engaging,and sometimes even hilarious ways,it marks the emergence of a new and genuinely exciting kind of realism."-Brian Eno,musician and environmentalist
"A profound meditation on how to live in a world on the brink of collapse. Boyd moves gracefully beyond the usual talk of hope and despair to provide a startling vision of a future shaped not only by chaos,but also by compassionate care."-Jenny Offill,author,Weather and Dept. of Speculation
"A heartfelt and humorous take on how to show up at'the end of the world as we know it'." -Britt Wray,PhD,Human and Planetary Health Fellow,Stanford University and author,Generation Dread
"I Want a Better Catastrophe is unlike anything else I've ever read about climate change,and how to keep living through it. For a start it's extremely funny. It is also angry,passionate,curious,honest,surprising,and very well-researched. Beyond its signature gallows humor,it brings a kind of deeply felt "gallows love" for the beauty and wonder of the world,and how we must fight to defend it."-Nick Hunt,co-director,Dark Mountain Project,and author,Outlandish
"Time is clearly short-but I Want a Better Catastrophe proves it's never too late for a good laugh,a good cry,and a good call to action!"-Bill McKibben,author,The Flag,the Cross,and the Station Wagon
"Through expert interviews,compassionate analysis,and deliciously dark wit,Boyd beats a path through the messy emotional and psychological terrain we must travel in order to face the future."-Onnesha Roychoudhuri,author,The Marginalized Majority
"A rowdy,taboo-busting get-together of climate emergency thinkers."-Josephine Ferorelli,co-founder,Conceivable Future
"A must read for its wit,and for the insights it offers."-Paul D. Miller,aka DJ Spooky
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