The nineteen contributors to The World as We Knew It focus on...intimate and immediate signs of climate change ... The anthology’s resonant and introspective essays grieve what we’ve already lost, honor what we still have, and prepare us for whatever may come next ... As much as The World as We Knew It documents climate change on the personal level, it also explores what it may be like to accept the consequences of our actions—and our costly inaction.
Even in essays that skew strongly toward despair, powerlessness never fully eliminates personal responsibility ... Near the end of her essay, Subramanian writes, 'We have returned to the times of mythology, and we need new stories to survive.' The World as We Knew It is an attempt to write these stories, to hold a mirror up to our lives at a crucial moment in our collective history, and reflect the slew of compounding, often conflicting fears that characterize it. In many ways, storytelling while on the precipice of global devastation is no different from storytelling at any moment in our history. Delve into ancient myths and you’ll quickly realize that the human condition has always been marked by an uneasy awareness that even the most rigid systems are subject to the whims of fate ... Very occasionally, in the anthology, those anxieties are replaced by something else—a sense of peace and beauty that springs forth not despite the horrors of our world but because of them ... When our power and powerlessness can coexist without us feeling the paralyzing weight of their illogic. When living on a dying planet seems possible.
Inspiring ... These personal testimonies detail the effects of climate change on the writers and their communities now. Concerned readers may be inspired to take action.
A diverse, impactful set of essays that explore the climate crisis ... Each author brings a unique style and focus to their topic, with prose that is in varying degrees lyrical, reflective and urgent ... A warning that commands the full attention of every reader.
Intimate reflections on how accelerated climate change has led to corresponding transformations in their lives, homes, neighborhoods, jobs, relationships and mental health ... Striking ... The World as We Knew It opens with a gorgeously descriptive essay by Lydia Millet ... Each of the essays in this collection presents an opportunity to engage thoughtfully with climate change-driven experiences that will help readers feel less alone as they confront, within their own communities, this unprecedented time in the history of our world.
Powerful ... The pieces create a moving mix of resolve and sorrow, painting a vivid picture of an era in which 'climate change is altering life on Earth at an unprecedented rate,' but 'the majority of us can still remember when things were more stable.' The result is a poignant ode to a changing planet.
