Review and quotes: THE STORY OF MORE

Title: The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go From Here by Hope Jahren

Book Beginnings quote:

Friday56: 

Opening a Pandora's box of salmon has not been without cost, however. There are distinct advantages to traditional fishing: namely the fish breed themselves, feed themselves, and succeed or fail as adults based upon their own efforts.

Summary: 

In The Story of More, Hope Jahren, author of the memoir Lab Girl, illuminates the link between human habits and our imperiled planet. In concise, highly readable chapters, she takes us through the science behind the key inventions—from electric power to large-scale farming to automobiles—that, even as they help us, release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere like never before. She explains the current and projected consequences of global warming—from superstorms to rising sea levels—and the actions that we all can take to fight back. At once an explainer on the mechanisms of global change and a lively, personal narrative given to us in Jahren’s inimitable voice, The Story of More is the essential pocket primer on climate change that will leave an indelible impact on everyone who reads it

Review: Oh boy, this was a hard book to read. Why? Because Jahren shares so many details that prove that the earth is giving us HUGE warning signals that it is nearing collapse. What happens if it does? We all die. 

I listened to the audiobook which Jahren read herself and though the book (audiobook) is short I had the hardest time getting through it. One can only take so much bad news at a time. Out of 210 pages one has to wade through 180 pages of all the information how we got to climate change before she started to offer suggestions of what we can do to make a significant difference to help alter the course we are currently on. 

After reading a similar book by David Attenborough in December I am convinced that I cannot keep living the way I've been living. Not that I hadn't figured that out already but now I know I can't slowly work into change. We all need to reduce our energy usage and do it as soon as we can. One of the big things we can all do if eat less (or no) meat. It is shocking how much of our energy goes into raising animals for meat. Use less energy. Drive less. Take less airplane trips. Use less electricity. Encourage biodiversity. Stop using so much plastic. It is all stuff we've heard before but it is real. The time to change is now!

Should you read this book? Yes! Will you like it? Probably not. Read it anyway!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. Share the opening quote from current book.
The Friday56 is hosted at Freda's Voice.  Find a quote from page 56 to share. 
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-Anne.