A BETTER WORLD IS POSSIBLE

In New York City in 2019, four young American climate activists from diverse backgrounds—Xiye Bastida, Jamie Margolin, Rebeca Sabnam, and Shiv Soin—helped to organize what became the world’s largest climate protest.

As they share their histories and motivations in this work of graphic nonfiction, their stories converge with those of Subramanian (an Asian American environmental journalist) and Novgorodoff (an author and illustrator who’s white-presenting). The teens’ and authors’ personal narratives and family and geographical histories intersect with science and politics to highlight the climate crisis and ways of meaningful changemaking. Infographics break down the science and explain the complexities and far-reaching impact of climate change. Vivid and detailed illustrations immerse readers in stories that connect the dots, showing how the climate crisis is “showing up in different ways in different places”—and that its effects are “unequally distributed.” Moments filled with awe and demonstrations of youth power appear beside information about habitats and biodiversity, extreme weather events, politics, industry, religion, and justice. The authors succinctly and lucidly unpack the science, and the solutions range from the easy to the ambitious in ways that are inspiring and not overwhelming.

A comprehensive and beautiful book on climate change that shows how, together, many drops make an ocean.