Review: THE TWENTY-ONE

Title: The Twenty-One: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S.Government Over Climate Change by Elizabeth Rusch

Opening quote: 

PROLOGUE. August 2016. 

     At 5:00 a.m. on August 13, 2016, 13-year-old Jayden Foytlin of Rayne, Louisiana, bolted upright in her bed.

      Bam. Bam. "Wake up! WAKE UP!"

The Friday56 quote:

     The government lawyer seemed pleased and then outlined another reason that the kids had no right to be in court. They had no constitutional claim. "There is simply no constitutional right to a pollution-free environment," he said.

     Sahara gave Avery's hand a tight squeeze. This is so dumb, Sahara thought. Obviously, we have a right to a healthy and stable atmosphere and future.

Summary:

Compelling and timely, The Twenty-One tells the gripping inside story of the ongoing landmark federal climate change lawsuit, Juliana vs. The United States of America. The Twenty-One is for readers anyone interested in the environment and climate change, as well as youth activism, politics and government, and the law. Features extensive backmatter. In the ongoing landmark case Juliana vs. The United States, twenty-one young plaintiffs claim that the government’s support of the fossil-fuel industry is actively contributing to climate change, and that all citizens have a constitutional right to a stable climate—especially children and young adults because they cannot vote and will inherit the problems.

 (Publisher)

Review: I started this book back in December hoping to get a jump on reading what I thought would be a Cybils High School Nonfiction finalist. It wasn't selected as one of the finalists but I continued reading it because it is such a compelling book about such an important topic -- climate change and our rights as citizens to live in a country which protects us from harm rather than contributing to the problem.

We are have to face the facts. Mother Earth is our only home. If she fails, we all die. The 21 youth who bravely sued the Federal Government say it is young people who will unequally pay the price if our government doesn't do everything in its power to combat climate change and stand up to the fossil fuel companies who still place profit over lives.

In the opening quote, Jayden Foytlin wakes up to a house full of water from a flood. She was already one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit and here is more evidence that our climate is out of whack. Her home is far from the Gulf Coast so her family did not need flood insurance, yet here they are in a house full of water. Sahara and Avery are two more plaintiffs in the Juliana vs. United States lawsuit. They are listening to a governmental lawyer tell the judge that they, the twenty-one plaintiffs don't have the constitutional right to bring this lawsuit. Don't ALL people have the right to a healthy and stable atmosphere and future?

Seven (or is it eight) years after the 21 kids sued the government, Juliana vs. The United States has still not gone to trial. The government, aided by lawyers from the fossil fuel industry, have sought every kind of legal delay possible. Finally at the end of 2023, a judge in Eugene, Oregon has finally cleared the way for a trial to be held but it hasn't happened yet. This book is all about the many, many court appearances that have taken place and about the 21 brave souls who have stuck with their lawyer, hoping for all our sakes that they will finally have their day in court so we can finally have a record of just how catastrophic climate change is for all lives on earth. "If the government would stop licensing, permitting, and subsidizing the fossil fuel industry, the whole landscape would change," Julie (the 21's lawyer) has said time and again...The Juliana case does the homework to show this jaw-dropping transgression of duty on the part of federal officials" (301).

The Twenty-One is clearly not a cheery book, but it is a very important one. I challenge you to read it, for your life's sake. 

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-Anne