A comprehensive survey of human history—which reveals a grave ecological predicament—suggests that reconnection with nature and redirection of technology could create a new, sustainable lifestyle.

“Somewhere along the way we lost sight of what it means to be human,” Stadtmiller (Electronics, 2003, etc.) laments in this book. In the search for an ever more convenient lifestyle, humanity introduced a false dichotomy between technology and nature, according to the author. Life should not be a contest against nature, he contends, but a partnership with it—with technology acting as a force for good rather than an instigator of pollution. As the title suggests, the book comprises three sections. The first is nothing less than a thorough, lucid tour through human history, from the Big Bang through the space race and the ascendancy of computers—quite an achievement in 170 pages. The author zeros in on human evolution: tool use, brain power, hunter-gatherers, and the rise of civilizations and religions. His short synopses of Christianity and Islam are especially helpful. In Part II, he considers the keys to life on Earth—energy, clean air and water, and biodiversity—and how these are changed through human action. For instance, he clearly and forthrightly sets out evidence for climate change in Chapter 10. The final section emphasizes the necessity of getting back to a “Native Earth Society” based on simplicity and respect for nature. His case for cutting consumption is not only environmental, but also monetary. The information about energy ratings and usage is perhaps overly technical for laypeople, but tips for ensuring appliances are as efficient as possible are straightforward. The advice embraces a continuum of radicalism: yes, some may cycle or carpool, the book acknowledges, but those who commute alone by automobile can still be environmentally conscious by checking tire pressure regularly, using cruise control, etc. A pleasant late section of the memoir relates how Stadtmiller’s early nature connection was developed at his grandparents’ Pennsylvania farm. His image of a future society—especially zero population growth—may seem too good to be true, yet he gives achievable steps for working toward one’s ideals.

A book that offers convincing historical and environmental thinking.

A complex SF yarn about death and regeneration.

At the beginning of Stadtmiller’s novel, Hurricane Logan is heading toward a bar called Rosalie’s and its environs, prompting talk of evacuation. The potential weather emergency is the furthest thing from young teacher and part-time bartender Darren Abington’s mind at the moment, though, as he’s worried about whether his wife Mary’s cancer is in full remission and, if it is, whether they want to try to have a baby together. So at first, he doesn’t pay much attention to the high-spirited group of storm chasers at his bar—until later, when it increasingly seems as if they’re drawn to him personally. But as the storm blows and night falls, the plot takes a hard turn: Darren wakes up on another world. The planet is Pryeana, a rocky world that’s far, far from Earth and has, for mysterious reasons, been the destination of humans for many years—specifically, redheaded humans who’ve recently died on Earth. The natives of Pryeana refer to these additions as “Alfreds”; they only comprise a small fraction of Pryeana’s 2 billion people, but their appearance has sparked a planetary interest in biological regeneration technology. The offspring of Alfreds and regenerated people are called Surge Omegas, a rising power demographic on Pryeana. Darren learns all of this with a certain amount of impatience since he’s mainly concerned with his wife and whether she’s on this new world. From this sudden and unpromisingly expositional shift, Stadtmiller steadily develops an intriguing world—and its long connection with Darren and his family. Too much of this elaboration is simply told to Darren (and the reader) at the expense of more edge-of-your-seat drama, but the worldbuilding in these pages is satisfyingly detailed. Darren himself remains a frustratingly one-note character throughout; the story, too, has a certain stiffness that’s characteristic of allegories. Fortunately, however, Pryeana gradually comes to feel like a very real place, and the high-stakes story that develops there will please readers with its mounting tension.

A readable and elaborate, if somewhat didactic, novel about a man finding his true destiny on a faraway planet.

A former electrical engineer and retired teacher offers a sweeping study of global human consumption.

Stadtmiller (Those We Touch Along the Way, 2017, etc.) considers consumption from a historical perspective, tracing the usage of Earth’s resources from early humans through today. The first half of this illuminating work presents an abbreviated version of the salient points of human history, including the development of tools and weapons, the creation of clothing, the domestication of plants and animals, the exploration of the world, the use of various resources to generate power, the advent of the Industrial Revolution, and the rise of consumerism. The author summarizes key global occurrences of the millennia in largely readable prose, although some sections are dense and a bit too heavy on historical details. Stadtmiller’s engineering background contributes to technical but not uninteresting descriptions of such innovations as the internal combustion engine and manned flight while his overview of advertising, “a major force in many capitalist economies,” demonstrates a keen understanding of marketing techniques and media, in particular the emergence of television and the internet. The second half of the meticulously researched book concentrates more directly on consumption, broadly defined by the author to encompass the use of all of the planet’s resources, including fossil fuels, water, and food. Stadtmiller writes: “Consumption levels of the world’s wealthiest countries…are draining the remaining stockpiles of critical nonrenewable natural resources at untenable rates; the disparities of this consumption are glaring. Twenty percent of the population from the highest income countries consumes 86% of all private consumption.” That startling statistic is but a single example of the compelling facts the author shares to dramatize the impact of modern consumption. Several chapters highlight some of humanity’s most egregious environmental abuses. “The Promise of Polymers,” for example, clearly discusses the relatively recent invention of plastics with particular attention to their toxicity. Stadtmiller knowledgeably writes about the shortcomings of the plastics recycling system and the bodily hazards of BPA. Another engaging chapter addresses the pros and cons of genetically modified organisms, particularly with respect to food production. One of the more eye-opening chapters delves into “Mount Waste-More,” the author’s clever name for the world’s trash crisis: “Globally, garbage waste is accumulating at 2.12 billion tons per year, 555 pounds of garbage each year per each global citizen.” On the positive side, he wisely observes that some American communities are adopting a “completely new concept of a world without garbage” called “Zero-Waste.” Also pertinent are the five profiles (Brazil, India, China, Russia, the United States) provided as examples of energy and environmental usage by individual countries. Stadtmiller’s lucid discussion of a “Nature-Conscious Consumer” reflects a sensible depiction of human accountability. With a rather remarkable eye for detail, he takes a broad view of human consumption, neatly dividing the topic into understandable segments while relating them to the whole. The author employs the occasional meaningful example for illustration and supports the text with a liberal use of carefully chosen statistics.

An impressive, impassioned call for fundamental change in the way humans interact with their world.