kcohen5's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I am typically a fiction reader, but this work drew me in. The storytelling perspective put a human face on an issue that so often seems to be larger than life. I think Robinson is able to provide a unique perspective, combining deeply personal stories with the policy side that she worked on first hand. It is clear that she is attempting to force you to care, an effort I think is done very well. I do wish that she would have included more first hand quotes from those whose stories she was telling. A lot of the stories she was telling felt at times like she was regurgitating someone else’s interpretation of their lives rather than being a mouthpiece for their stories, but other than that it was very good!
thisismegzy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
kikilog's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Whilst interesting it felt a bit stale. The retelling the stories and achievements of activists felt like it needed more nuance especially in terms of how developed countries often contribute to the issues faced by less developed countries through economic and ecological exploitation. Overall it did provide the life stories of a diverse set of voices - though they were retold and summarized stories.
mlie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
leontyna's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
I appreciate what the book tried to do but it just rubs me the wrong way that all the voices of people actually most affected by the climate change are filtered through the author's perspective. I think I will seek out books by such people in the future, I've only read this one because No books on dead planet did.
bex_knighthunterbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.5
More inspiring and hopeful than much climate crisis non-fiction, this centers the activists themselves, which was a good concept. I appreciated how international the book felt, with stories from all over the world, and I enjoyed learning a little more about the global political machine focussed on climate recovery (my exposure is only to the most high profile COPs and IPCC reports). The perspectives were nicely varied and helped show the human impacts but packaged up in stories about action and success. This is very much personal opinion, and maybe it's just the publication being nearly 5 years old, but I felt it was a little too positive without enough urgency, which is why I probably wouldn't recommend as anyone's first climate crisis non-fic but a nice antidote after you've already consumed something more balanced or doom-y. As someone interested in this topic I feel this is an original take that was easy to read with bitesize chapters that kept my attention enough. However, the writing was a little dry and off-putting in tone - maybe I would have enjoyed it more if more was in the activists own words?