I Want a Better Catastrophe: Navigating the Climate Crisis with Grief, Hope, and Gallows Humor [B0384]

2023 PB in great condition. An existential manual for tragic optimists, can-do pessimists, and compassionate doomers. With global heating projected to rocket past the 1.5°C limit, lifelong activist Andrew Boyd is thrown into a crisis of hope, and off on a quest to learn how to live with the impossible news of our climate doom. He searches out eight of today's leading climate thinkers--from activist Tim DeChristopher to collapse-psychologist Jamey Hecht, grassroots strategist Adrienne Maree Brown, eco-philosopher Joana Macy, and Indigenous botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer--asking them: Is it really the end of the world, and if so, now what? With gallows humor and a broken heart, Boyd steers readers through their climate angst as he walks his own. Boyd's journey takes him from storm-battered coastlines to pipeline blockades and hopelessness workshops. Along the way, he maps out our existential options and tackles some familiar dilemmas: Should I bring kids into such a world? Can I lose hope when others can't afford to? Why the f**k am I recycling? He finds answers that will surprise, inspire, and maybe even make you laugh. Drawing on wisdom traditions Eastern, Western, and Indigenous, Boyd crafts an insightful and irreverent guide for achieving a better catastrophe. This is vital reading for everyone navigating climate anxiety and grief as our world hurtles towards an unthinkable crisis.

From RECENT Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "I liked the author's message on optimism/pessimism, and I especially liked his connection to McCarthy's The Road. Unfortunately, it's painful to read books like this, written when the Trump admin seemed like just a horror of the past."; "I enjoyed the book, especially its messaging around the importance of humor and community during the climate crisis. However, I thought the book was entirely too repetitive and could have been a fraction of the length if the author didn't reiterate the same points."; "Superb book that covers a grim topic-- climate anxiety-- with equal parts curiosity, empathy, humility, and humor. There's a fair amount of internal reflection & philosophy which this addresses. Also, a number of practical frameworks are included. Ending with Robin Wall Kimmerer was a good choice, as she is by far the most pragmatic and optimistic of the interviewed folks. Lastly, kudos for the included graphics and schematics."