Lovelock, James. The Revenge of Gaia: Earth's Climate in Crisis and the Fate of Humanity. New York : Basic Books, 2006.
Review by Mark Schneider
James Lovelock has a way of writing that sometimes inspires, sometimes irritates. He was not the first person to put forth the notion that the atmosphere, the geology, and the biology of the earth all affect one another in profound ways over geologic time, or even that large scale operation of planetary systems are not unlike those of a living organism. However, in his Gaia hypothesis, he pushed the envelope by claiming the earth system is a living organism, and that it has self-healing mechanisms that have evolved in a Darwinian sense. He was 70 in 1979 when he wrote his first in a string of Gaia books, and as a self-identified “independent scientist,” he didn’t have to cater to anyone.
This latest Gaia book takes a highly provocative tone, making a strong (and to me, plausible) case that overpopulation, overdevelopment, and use of fossil fuels have pushed the earth system beyond the ability of natural biological and climatological regulatory systems to control. He further argues that once we have left this stability, most of the effects of climate change (e.g. melting of polar ice) will only further accelerate global warming (or heating, as Lovelock prefers). He’s not just talking tough times for the ski resorts here, but global famine and death from droughts, storms and flooding. Scary stuff!
What originally drew me to read this book was that, in contrast to many environmentalists, he is not averse to high tech solutions to such problems. For example, he is a strong (I mean STRONG) advocate of nuclear power—ultimately fusion, but regular fission reactors now—as an essential step to minimizing the climate change. He seriously discusses the possibility of using a space-mounted sunshade, and of running jet planes on high sulfur fuel to increase high altitude smog as a heat shield. He even suggests “Gaia as religion” to indoctrinate the young—pretty provocative.
Lovelock recognizes many think he is wrong on various points, and seems to respect that. He seems to understand that being understated is not what is needed now. This is not a scientific treatise, but a science-based call to action, or maybe better, a plea from Mother Earth. Read it!
4th floor Science Library QH343.4 .L694x 2006
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Friday, January 5, 2007
Eat the Document
Spiotta, Dana. Eat the Document. New York: Scribner, 2006.
Reviewed by Rebecca Stuhr
Mary Whittaker has had to go underground after an anti-war action during the waning years of the Viet Nam war proves fatal. This means separating permanently from her lover, also involved in the action, her family, and all of her friends; it means changing her name and her history. Mary, with a new social security number, identity, and past, eventually marries and has a child. The novel follows her through the initial stages of her descent to anonymity, and then goes forward, 25 years later, to see Mary through the eyes of her 15-year-old son who is slowly catching on to bits of stories that don’t match up and a strange absence about his mother. Mary’s lover Bobby has become Nash. He runs a counter cultural bookshop that appeals to skate boarders, and young radicals. He continues to live by his ideals, but observing now more than acting. Mary and Bobby have been living near each other in the Pacific Northwest but without knowing it. This is not a love story, but an exploration of American culture, the different shapes of resistance, and most of all, the consequences of decisions and actions. In this particular case, the consequence is the loss of an entire past and a future that may lack joy and meaning. Spiotta’s characters are complex and her depiction of radical movements in the 70s and 90s vivid and convincing. Spiotta is also the author of Lightning Field (Scribner, 2002). Both titles are available at Burling Library.
Reviewed by Rebecca Stuhr
Mary Whittaker has had to go underground after an anti-war action during the waning years of the Viet Nam war proves fatal. This means separating permanently from her lover, also involved in the action, her family, and all of her friends; it means changing her name and her history. Mary, with a new social security number, identity, and past, eventually marries and has a child. The novel follows her through the initial stages of her descent to anonymity, and then goes forward, 25 years later, to see Mary through the eyes of her 15-year-old son who is slowly catching on to bits of stories that don’t match up and a strange absence about his mother. Mary’s lover Bobby has become Nash. He runs a counter cultural bookshop that appeals to skate boarders, and young radicals. He continues to live by his ideals, but observing now more than acting. Mary and Bobby have been living near each other in the Pacific Northwest but without knowing it. This is not a love story, but an exploration of American culture, the different shapes of resistance, and most of all, the consequences of decisions and actions. In this particular case, the consequence is the loss of an entire past and a future that may lack joy and meaning. Spiotta’s characters are complex and her depiction of radical movements in the 70s and 90s vivid and convincing. Spiotta is also the author of Lightning Field (Scribner, 2002). Both titles are available at Burling Library.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
