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cindyp__'s review
5.0
This is a book we all should read. It explains how we got into todays mess. It gives inspiration for a new world , a method on multiple levels for a hopeful future.
breeze's review
5.0
The left is often attacked for its tendency to be combative and oppositional in its very nature, well, if you think that then: read this book. Refreshingly optimistic and forward-facing politics book in which Monbiot brings about a vision for a fairer and more just world. It seems ever so increasingly attractive to succumb to the nihilist view of national and global politics and so the necessity of these types of works, such as Monbiot's, is plainly obvious. Monbiot draws on works such as Kate Raworth's Doughnut Economics and Becky Bond's & Zack Exley's Rules for Revolutionaries, amongst others, to provide an alternative story to the currently prevalent neoliberal one. Drawing on themes of how the neoliberal world brings about alienation and destroys senses of belonging and also how the economy is destroying both people and planet, the book meanwhile offers concrete alternative visions.
The most revelatory section of the book, for me, was definitely the economic vision it offered, whereby the usual dichotomy of state and market is extended into a model including both state and market but also "household" and "commons". The new model also includes energy, the Earth, and society as over-bearers of the economy itself.
The most revelatory section of the book, for me, was definitely the economic vision it offered, whereby the usual dichotomy of state and market is extended into a model including both state and market but also "household" and "commons". The new model also includes energy, the Earth, and society as over-bearers of the economy itself.
cosmicllama's review
4.0
A great follow up to How Did We Get Into This Mess? This is an impassioned rebuttal to the mess we have gotten ourselves into. I'm not sure how it will stand as a stand alone read though, and I mean that in a good way. Monbiot does a great job of "naming the opponent" in describing what we are fighting against. And he does a good job of sticking by his guns, and holding to his thesis. He develops a good alternative story to the ones we tell ourselves about society and goes through great lengths to show how this story can be supported by evidence (real world societal experiments and natural biology).
The main problem I have with the book is that it's hard to take as a one and done read. There is so much happening in it, condensed into 180 pages that you can't just read it and get one central message out of it. While there is a lot going on in the book, it's well organized. It's a book you can go back to and read the sections you need to and refresh yourself. I will definitely be doing that as the days grow dark in the coming years.
Ultimately, the best part about the book is the hope Monbiot portrays and instills. And it's not just a vague hope that things will get better. It's an understanding of human as animal and our documented altruism as a species that brings him this hope. Monbiot is incredibly passionate with this one, and I hope reader's will use this book more as a guide through the dark tunnel that is our future, rather than a touchstone or set of instructions. Monbiot wants more participation from people in everyday life and I think this book is a great start to understanding what that could mean. Start belonging.
The main problem I have with the book is that it's hard to take as a one and done read. There is so much happening in it, condensed into 180 pages that you can't just read it and get one central message out of it. While there is a lot going on in the book, it's well organized. It's a book you can go back to and read the sections you need to and refresh yourself. I will definitely be doing that as the days grow dark in the coming years.
Ultimately, the best part about the book is the hope Monbiot portrays and instills. And it's not just a vague hope that things will get better. It's an understanding of human as animal and our documented altruism as a species that brings him this hope. Monbiot is incredibly passionate with this one, and I hope reader's will use this book more as a guide through the dark tunnel that is our future, rather than a touchstone or set of instructions. Monbiot wants more participation from people in everyday life and I think this book is a great start to understanding what that could mean. Start belonging.
loppear's review
3.0
Hmm. I agree with most of this... We need a positive new story of participatory community and genuine democracy; let me count the lies we live with about freedom, speech, economics; community engagement and mass conversation and a willingness to remodel our institutions on what we see working for people in small ways around the world; my there's a lot to say about economics, and money in politics, and what they ignore about life; I swear I'm still trying to be positive and hopeful...
libs's review
4.0
This is a good book to read on New Years Day. Thoughtful, coheren, clear, and full of direct examples and action.
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