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outcolder's review
5.0
Stephanie McMillan's comic art is very funny and has a lot of heart. I could get pissy and whine about Derrick Jensen, how it is kind of like apocalypse porn for neo-primitives, as if that is automatically always a bad thing, but I enjoyed the humor here too much. When they are making fun of politicians and their corporate masters it is kind of obvious but when they make fun of fellow travelers, the Sierra Club types, the mystical do-nothings, and as the title promises, the simple-things-you-can-do-to-consume-more-and-still-feel-'green' people, the jokes are razor sharp. As it goes on and a plot takes shape it is maybe not as funny but still very moving. I don't think this book is going to recruit an Earth First! army but it might convince a few people not to howl with the wolves against "eco-terrorists."
joemkl's review
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jrc2011's review
5.0
Derrick Jensen always writes about the atrocities of humanity in such an unflinching way - his books tend to be quite long and devastating to read: endless catalogues of the trauma and destruction of humanity against other humans, non-human animals and the environment. His books are important and truly a lot of work goes into them as both writer and reader.
I came across his 2007 graphic novel -- slightly less verbose than his books -- with a dry, critical sense of humor, satirizing and skewering politicians, capitalists and the brain-washed zombie hordes of consumers.
This graphic novel is offers some solutions for living in balance with the other animals on the planet -- and some compelling protagonists, including two children/teenagers, wild animals and some one-eyed bunnies who lead a revolution against vivisection and destruction of the environment.
Highly recommended reading for Unthanksgiving!
I came across his 2007 graphic novel -- slightly less verbose than his books -- with a dry, critical sense of humor, satirizing and skewering politicians, capitalists and the brain-washed zombie hordes of consumers.
This graphic novel is offers some solutions for living in balance with the other animals on the planet -- and some compelling protagonists, including two children/teenagers, wild animals and some one-eyed bunnies who lead a revolution against vivisection and destruction of the environment.
Highly recommended reading for Unthanksgiving!
leilaniann's review
2.0
I just read this book in one sitting at Helia's, and I really WANTED to like it. I did. It was on th the right path for a few pages. But it spent too may pages making bad jokes about how stupid politicians are, and got way off track. And then there was page 154. only person of color in the book comes out of the trees for a minute to tell them to be better with the earth and then disappears. hell no.
UPDATE - i have been contacted by several Derrick Jensen fans saying that I got it wrong, that there are more people of color in the book than I thought. I stand corrected. But random ethnic person on page 154? still makes the book that much more laughable.
UPDATE - i have been contacted by several Derrick Jensen fans saying that I got it wrong, that there are more people of color in the book than I thought. I stand corrected. But random ethnic person on page 154? still makes the book that much more laughable.
_mallc_'s review
4.0
Very (very!) depressing. It may no longer be possible to tell what is true and what isn't. It may have never been possible.
catsobvi's review
1.0
I had hope that this book would have something more interesting to say about how to be good stewards of the earth, other than reduce, reuse, recycle, etc. I may not be as actively against our consumer culture as the characters in this story, but I have long been frustrated by the greed and selfishness of government/corporations/individuals who don't really care what kind of effect their actions have on their environment. I was encouraged to see this book mention that it would take more than people just recycling and using different light bulbs.
But then it just went downhill and got really boring really fast. It harps on and on and on about the evil corporations and the evil government without giving any practical solutions. It is way overly simplistic, and it uses the same fearmongering that it accuses the government/corporations of using. It is self-righteous, unsophisticated and narrow-minded. It does not even make its laborious point in an interesting or clever way.
Hey, I know, let’s blow up a dam to save the little fishies! Nobody got hurt; we are doing a service to the environment! Who cares about what effects it might have on the surrounding communities or the surrounding environment? We freed the fish!
Hey, let’s free all the lab animals and blow up the research lab! Who cares what kind of conditions these animals are actually in? Who cares that they are probably injured and ill and wouldn’t survive on their own? Who cares that they may be infected with various diseases? They are free and so grateful now!
Basically, blowing up a dam is good, and thinking blowing up a dam is an act of terrorism is a ridiculous overreaction in an attempt to maintain the status quo for making corporations rich. The only reason someone would care that a building or a dam was blown up is because they are greedy and rich and lost a source of money.
Terrorism is defined as the systemic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. Why are the adorable little bunnies blowing things up? I guess they’re not trying to coerce others into seeing how greedy and uncaring they are towards the environment. I’m sure these explosions are actually having a rejuvenating effect on the environment.
And of course all the sweet, little anthropomorphic animals live in harmony together and just want everyone to get along. Let’s sit around the campfire singing kumbaya as we soak in all the beauty of a pristine wilderness. I’m sure the animals aren’t actually going to turn around and eat the plants that they are fighting beside. I’m sure the bears would never eat the little bunnies. No, they are all such good friends. There is no death or destruction in the real wild.
Basically, this has nothing interesting to say, and it’s not going to change the mind of anyone who doesn’t already fanatically agree.
But then it just went downhill and got really boring really fast. It harps on and on and on about the evil corporations and the evil government without giving any practical solutions. It is way overly simplistic, and it uses the same fearmongering that it accuses the government/corporations of using. It is self-righteous, unsophisticated and narrow-minded. It does not even make its laborious point in an interesting or clever way.
Hey, I know, let’s blow up a dam to save the little fishies! Nobody got hurt; we are doing a service to the environment! Who cares about what effects it might have on the surrounding communities or the surrounding environment? We freed the fish!
Hey, let’s free all the lab animals and blow up the research lab! Who cares what kind of conditions these animals are actually in? Who cares that they are probably injured and ill and wouldn’t survive on their own? Who cares that they may be infected with various diseases? They are free and so grateful now!
Basically, blowing up a dam is good, and thinking blowing up a dam is an act of terrorism is a ridiculous overreaction in an attempt to maintain the status quo for making corporations rich. The only reason someone would care that a building or a dam was blown up is because they are greedy and rich and lost a source of money.
Terrorism is defined as the systemic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. Why are the adorable little bunnies blowing things up? I guess they’re not trying to coerce others into seeing how greedy and uncaring they are towards the environment. I’m sure these explosions are actually having a rejuvenating effect on the environment.
And of course all the sweet, little anthropomorphic animals live in harmony together and just want everyone to get along. Let’s sit around the campfire singing kumbaya as we soak in all the beauty of a pristine wilderness. I’m sure the animals aren’t actually going to turn around and eat the plants that they are fighting beside. I’m sure the bears would never eat the little bunnies. No, they are all such good friends. There is no death or destruction in the real wild.
Basically, this has nothing interesting to say, and it’s not going to change the mind of anyone who doesn’t already fanatically agree.
mrsthrift's review
4.0
i wish that someone had handed this to me when i was a 19-year-old environmental science major. i was sick and tired of developing recycling programs for schools, talking about the implications of pollution of global fashion, the World Bank's latest irrigation project, and discussing how long it really takes for compact fluorescent bulbs to burn out. and then there is this, satirical comics and hilarious illustrations that are simple enough to let the dry wit shine.
the plot is funny enough. robot aliens come to Earth. they shit out blocks of gold, and trade them to the US president for the rights and permits to eat the Earth. other countries complain. citizens complain. environmentalists sign petitions. dissenters are arrested. ultimately, the plants and animals of the world unite to fight the robots.
we're talking now about resource allocation, government, dissent, bureaucracy, compliance, and what is actually the solution to global warming? these days, i am even more dissatisfied with the Greenwashing of our world, our malls and marketplaces and supermarkets awash with psuedo 'green' products that pacify our believe that we should do something -- without actually requiring us to solve the problem! shop your way to a cleaner planet... yeah, okay, guys.
at the end of the day, we are complicit in the shitty things that are happening. you and me, we go to work and school and the grocery store knowing that there are dams and pesticides and herbicides and vivisection labs and coal burning power plants, and we don't burn them down or blow them up. we wake up every day, and accept that they exist, and this complacency is what keeps them around.
see, this is why i had to get out of environmental science. it depresses me a lot, and also makes me reconsider a career in ecoterrorism. or at least, eco-nagging or eco-harrassment or eco-whining, since i don't want to be on a terrorist watch list or anything. but i like this book, i really do, and i think that if you still live in a world where recycling your soda cans makes a difference, this is a great book for you.
the plot is funny enough. robot aliens come to Earth. they shit out blocks of gold, and trade them to the US president for the rights and permits to eat the Earth. other countries complain. citizens complain. environmentalists sign petitions. dissenters are arrested. ultimately, the plants and animals of the world unite to fight the robots.
we're talking now about resource allocation, government, dissent, bureaucracy, compliance, and what is actually the solution to global warming? these days, i am even more dissatisfied with the Greenwashing of our world, our malls and marketplaces and supermarkets awash with psuedo 'green' products that pacify our believe that we should do something -- without actually requiring us to solve the problem! shop your way to a cleaner planet... yeah, okay, guys.
at the end of the day, we are complicit in the shitty things that are happening. you and me, we go to work and school and the grocery store knowing that there are dams and pesticides and herbicides and vivisection labs and coal burning power plants, and we don't burn them down or blow them up. we wake up every day, and accept that they exist, and this complacency is what keeps them around.
see, this is why i had to get out of environmental science. it depresses me a lot, and also makes me reconsider a career in ecoterrorism. or at least, eco-nagging or eco-harrassment or eco-whining, since i don't want to be on a terrorist watch list or anything. but i like this book, i really do, and i think that if you still live in a world where recycling your soda cans makes a difference, this is a great book for you.
dulgantulga's review
3.0
Funny, sarcastic, and infuriating all at the same time... Couldn't really get into it for some reason tho... *shrug*