Practicality, awareness, and survivalism converge in a sturdy cautionary handbook on enduring Earth’s new realities.
A preparatory guidebook on acclimating in the era of accelerating climate change.
In agreement with scientists around the world, Pogue, an Emmy-winning science and technology correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning, argues that the deleterious effects of global warming are inescapable. “Even if we stopped burning fossil fuels and chopping down forests tomorrow,” he writes, “we wouldn’t stop climate change.” The author’s overall approach is less damning and more refreshingly proactive than many similar books, as he seeks to educate readers on important topics such as observable weather extremes, disease outbreaks, and resource shortages. Though adaptation measures have been enacted worldwide to counteract the encroaching climate chaos, Pogue’s charts and graphs portend near-future calamities. This urgency makes the book an indispensable resource. The author encourages readers to act personally, arming them with sections on stress relief and mitigating the psychological effects of “eco-despair”; relocation options (aim northward) and household modifications (generators, storm-proofing); and sustainable organic gardening and simple water conservation tips. Pogue also offers information on evacuation plans for wildfires and hurricanes, sheltering during tornadoes, and the possible breakdown of social order (already underway). Given the persistence of the Covid-19 pandemic, readers will welcome the author’s meticulously detailed chapters on protective protocols against the increasing prevalence of disease-spreading insects like mosquitoes, ticks, and other pests that are proliferating in changing climates. Even those who are somehow still skeptical about the planet’s deteriorating condition will find useful knowledge, including action items that can be adopted regardless of one’s level of denial. As he discusses the more catastrophic decades to come, Pogue provides an overview of pragmatic, optimistic, big-idea initiatives by corporations and citizens, which leavens his foreboding message but never diminishes its criticality. It’s a long, comprehensive book perfect for reading in parts, one that consistently reminds us that while it’s too late for a climate rewind, being prepared is the next best thing.
Practicality, awareness, and survivalism converge in a sturdy cautionary handbook on enduring Earth’s new realities.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-982134-51-8
Page Count: 656
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Strictly for dittoheads.
An unabashed celebration of the late talking head.
Rush Limbaugh (1951-2021) insisted that he had a direct line to God, who blessed him with brilliance unseen since the time of the Messiah. In his tribute, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calls him “the greatest broadcaster that [sic] ever lived.” That’s an accidental anointment, given checkered beginnings. Limbaugh himself records that, after earning a failing grade for not properly outlining a speech, he dropped out of college—doubtless the cause of his scorn for higher education. This book is a constant gush of cult-of-personality praise, with tributes from Ben Carson, Mike Pence, Donald Trump, and others. One radio caller called Limbaugh “practically perfect” and a latter-day George Washington by virtue of “the magnetism and the trust and the belief of all the people.” Limbaugh insists that conservatives are all about love, though he filled the airwaves with bitter, divisive invective about the evils of liberals, as with this tidbit: “to liberals, the Bill of Rights is horrible, the Bill of Rights grants citizens freedom….The Bill of Rights limits the federal government, and that’s negative to a socialist like Obama.” Moreover, “to Democrats, America’s heartland is ‘flyover’ country. They don’t know, or like, the Americans who live there, or their values.” Worse still for a money machine like Limbaugh, who flew over that heartland in a private jet while smoking fat cigars, liberals like Obama are “trying to socialize profit so that [they] can claim it”—anathema to wealthy Republicans, who prefer to socialize risk by way of bailouts while keeping the profits for themselves. Limbaugh fans will certainly eat this up, though a segment of the Republican caucus in Congress (Marjorie Taylor Greene et al.) might want to read past Limbaugh’s repeated insistence that “peace can’t be achieved by ‘developing an understanding’ with the Russian people.”
Strictly for dittoheads.Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2022
ISBN: 9781668001844
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Threshold Editions/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A timely contribution to the discussion of a crucial issue.
A history of the right to vote in America.
Since the nation’s founding, many Americans have been uneasy about democracy. Law and policy expert Waldman (The Second Amendment: A Biography, 2014, etc.), president of New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice, offers a compelling—and disheartening—history of voting in America, from provisions of the Constitution to current debates about voting rights and campaign financing. In the Colonies, only white male property holders could vote and did so in public, by voice. With bribery and intimidation rampant, few made the effort. After the Revolution, many states eliminated property requirements so that men over 21 who had served in the militia could vote. But leaving voting rules to the states disturbed some lawmakers, inciting a clash between those who wanted to restrict voting and those “who sought greater democracy.” That clash fueled future debates about allowing freed slaves, immigrants, and, eventually, women to vote. In 1878, one leading intellectual railed against universal suffrage, fearing rule by “an ignorant proletariat and a half-taught plutocracy.” Voting corruption persisted in the 19th century, when adoption of the secret ballot “made it easier to stuff the ballot box” by adding “as many new votes as proved necessary.” Southern states enacted disenfranchising measures, undermining the 15th Amendment. Waldman traces the campaign for women’s suffrage; the Supreme Court’s dismal record on voting issues (including Citizens United); and the contentious fight to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which “became a touchstone of consensus between Democrats and Republicans” and was reauthorized four times before the Supreme Court “eviscerated it in 2013.” Despite increased access to voting, over the years, turnout has fallen precipitously, and “entrenched groups, fearing change, have…tried to reduce the opportunity for political participation and power.” Waldman urges citizens to find a way to celebrate democracy and reinvigorate political engagement for all.
A timely contribution to the discussion of a crucial issue.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1648-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
