The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

★★★★★

For me, Ta-Nehisi Coates is not easy to read. I'm generally a slow reader to begin with, and the less conversational the writing, the longer it takes me to read it. Ta-Nehisi Coates writes with a kind of lyricism; he is succinct, but not exactly straightforward.

This book is a reflection on writing. Coates believes that "this tradition of writing, of drawing out a common humanity, is indispensable to our future, if only because what must be cultivated and cared for must first be seen." (p. 16) Through writing, "we are charged with examining the stories we have been told, and how they undergird the politics we have accepted, and then telling new stories ourselves." (p. 19) He addresses the book to his students, tasking young writers with "nothing less than doing their part to save the world." (p. 20)

The Message is a must-read for its ability to open a reader's eyes to the ways in which our beliefs, our perspectives, our very understanding of the world around us, are shaped not only by our own thoughts and the facts at our disposal, but also by the carefully curated narratives we see and hear in the news and other cultural mediums all around us. The job of a writer is to tell people's stories, and it's up to us as readers to seek out what is not automatically presented to us - and to question why some accounts are readily available and others are not.

Much of the book reads like a memoir, with Coates sharing personal experiences and meditations, and other parts like a travelogue, as Coates recounts his visits to Senegal, South Carolina, and Palestine.

Describing his time in Dakar, Senegal, Coates writes about the deep poignancy of traveling to Africa for the first time, how he had "come back" (p. 44) to the home of his enslaved ancestors. He thinks of his "exponential grandmothers taken from this side of the world and... their frustrated dreams of getting back home... [and] the home they tried to make on the other side, despite it all." (p. 44) He reflects that only by traveling and experiencing "the unique interaction between that world and your consciousness" (p. 44) are one's own fears and doubts revealed.

In Chapin, South Carolina, Coates visits a high school English teacher forced to defend her curriculum and job against students and parents who want to ban his book, Between the World and Me. In getting to know Mary Wood, and while attending a local school board meeting in her support, he twice "heard of a reading group... as the epicenter of political disruption." (p. 98) To affect change, one must first be able to "imagine that new policies are possible. And now... some people... had, through the work of Black writers, begun that work of imagining." (p. 99)

While touring Palestine, Coates witnesses the "separate and unequal nature of Israeli rule [that] is both intense and omnipresent" (p. 127), "where rule by the ballot for some and the bullet for others was policy." (p. 135) At first he drew connections to Jim Crow segregation, then felt compelled "to describe... [Palestine], not as a satellite of [his] old world but as a world in and of itself." (p. 146) He calls out the journalists who claim to disinterestedly present "both sides" but who "are playing god - it is the journalists who decide which sides are legitimate and which are not... And this power is an extension of the power of other curators of the culture - network execs, producers, publishers - whose core job is deciding which stories get told and which do not." (p. 148) He calls for Palestinian voices, insisting that "[i]f Palestinians are to be truly seen, it will be through stories woven by their own hands." (p. 232)

This book offers many profound and thought-provoking ideas, but one quote sticks with me. At the school board meeting in South Carolina, a man speaking against the book ban called attention to the optics a ban would create, feeding into negative stereotypes of Southern whiteness. Coates notes, "This may seem self-interested, a stance taken more to avoid a stigma than to break an arrangement of power. Given the kind of loud virtue signaling that followed 2020, I understand the question. But virtues should be signaled, and the signalers should act to make their virtues manifest." (p. 102)

Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World by Jason Hickel

★★★★★

In the introduction, Jason Hickel sets the stage. Warning readers new to the climate crisis to "brace yourself" (p. 4), Hickel describes how human activity has disrupted the ecosystem, leading to mass extinction and food shortages, which - combined with extreme weather making some parts of the world unliveable - will lead to world destabilizing human migration. He quotes a UN scientist: "We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide." (p. 8)

Despite knowing exactly what is causing the climate breakdown, "[t]he past half-century is littered with milestones of inaction." (p. 17) Once you're completely freaked out, Hickel jumps into how, fundamentally, we got to this point because of capitalism, the purpose of which is "not primarily to meet specific human needs, or to improve social outcomes. Rather, the purpose is to extract and accumulate an ever-rising quantity of profit." (p. 19) To ensure ever-increasing global GDP (gross domestic product), "production increases, the global economy churns through more energy, resources and waste... overshooting what scientists have defined as safe planetary boundaries." (p. 19-20)

The whole first half of the book is dedicated to describing all the evils of capitalism since its inception and how they came to be, including artificial scarcity and how poverty is a feature, not a bug, that ensures the existence of a labor class. These chapters were particularly eye-opening for me because the author tied together many political issues that seem unrelated but aren't, e.g., it's capitalism from which we need to protect the environment, it's only under capitalism that the unpaid labor of women goes unrecognized, it's because of capitalism that we have to fight against a for-profit healthcare industry and the privatization of public education. 

"[A]re we really content to accept an economy where nearly a quarter of total output goes into the pockets of millionaires?... [We have a choice] between living in a more equitable society, on the one hand, and risking ecological catastrophe on the other." (p. 198) The climate emergency is ultimately about inequality, as it is "being driven almost entirely by excess growth in high-income countries, and in particular by excess accumulation among the very rich, while the consequences hurt the global South, and the poor, disproportionately." (p. 20) "Most global South countries will need to increase resource use in order to meet human needs, while high-income countries will need to dramatically reduce resource use to get back within sustainable levels." (p. 110) 

Meanwhile, extreme weather events in the U.S. and Europe rightfully make headlines, but "they pale in comparison to... the storms that have decimated so much of the Caribbean and Southeast Asia, and the droughts in Central America, East Africa and the Middle East that have pushed people into hunger and forced them to flee their homes." (p. 116) In 2010, "around 400,000 people died... due to crises related to climate breakdown - mostly hunger and communicable diseases. No fewer than 98% of these deaths occurred in the [global] South." (p. 117) Yet, "the global North (which represents only 19% of the global population) have contributed 92% of overshoot emissions" that caused that climate breakdown. (p. 115)

In chapter 3, Hickel pushes back hard on the "climate capitalism" philosophy described in Tom Steyer's Cheaper, Faster, Better by making clear that a "growth-obsessed economy powered by clean energy will still tip us into ecological disaster." (p. 21) "[O]n a global scale, growth in energy demand is swamping growth in renewable capacity. All that new clean energy isn't replacing dirty energies, it's being added on top of them." (p. 106)

What's needed, then is degrowth, which Hickel defines as "a planned reduction of excess energy and resource use to bring the economy back into balance with the living world in a safe, just and equitable way... while at the same time ending poverty, improving human well-being, and ensuring good lives for all." (p. 29) As it turns out, a high GDP is not necessary for a nation's people to have long and happy lives; studies show "exactly what works: reduce inequality, invest in universal public goods [like healthcare and education], and distribute income and opportunity more fairly" (p. 185), all of which line up with degrowth.

Contrary to the word itself, "degrowth" means deciding which industries need to continue to grow (e.g., clean energy, public healthcare, regenerative agriculture), and which sectors need to be significantly reduced (basically anything directly related to fossil fuels, like airlines, and also those that use a lot of resources, like fast fashion). It's not a recession, which is "what happens when a growth-dependent economy stops growing... It is about shifting to a different kind of economy altogether - an economy that doesn't need growth in the first place." (p. 207) Relatedly, degrowth involves a change in collective mindset, like doing away with "advertising strategies intended to manipulate our emotions and make us feel that what we have is inadequate." (p. 29) Ultimately, "[w]e need to change the way we see the world, and our place within it." (p. 34)

So, what would degrowth look like?

• Government policies would incentivize targeted investment in green energy innovation.
• The transition to clean energy could be funded by redirecting trillions of dollars from fossil fuel subsidies to solar panels, batteries and wind turbines. (p. 200)
• Instead of GDP, new holistic measures of progress would account for "housing, jobs, education, health and happiness." (p. 203)
• To reduce consumption, "right to repair" laws and legislation requiring companies to honor mandatory extended warranties could end the practice of planned obsolescence (when products are purposely created to need replacement after a relatively short period of time). 
• A wealth tax would reign in the disproportionately large ecological damage caused by luxury lifestyles while at the same time reducing inequality, which in itself "reduces competitive consumption across the rest of society." (p. 229)  
• We could further reduce consumption by moving away from ownership, e.g., by promoting public transportation instead of cars and having repositories of shared items (like libraries of things) instead of everyone owning their own seldom-used items. 
• We could reduce the ecological impact of the agriculture industry by reducing food waste and beef consumption.
• Governments would need to carefully manage the shift in labor; work weeks can be shortened, living wages can be instated, and workers in shrinking industries can be trained to work in growing industries.
• Even debt cancellation would be a "vital step towards a more sustainable economy." (p. 238) 

Apparently, as a politically progressive person, I am already on board with all the initiatives described; I just didn't realize they all fall under the umbrella of "degrowth". (Frankly, I'm surprised the book doesn't mention Universal Basic Income.) Of course, such changes could only happen on a large enough scale if government policies and programs support them. Since "the interests of economic elites in the US almost always prevail in government policy decisions even when the vast majority of citizens disagree with them" (p. 247), at the very core of degrowth, it is essential to have a robust democracy in which corporations and wealthy individuals do not have undue influence over elections and politics. The struggle to expand and strengthen democracy includes even more progressive ideas including "radical media reform; strict campaign finance laws... dismantling monopolies... democratising institutions of global governance" (p. 249) like the World Bank, the IMF, and the WTO.

I now see the green energy growth part of Tom Steyer's position as an immediate need, but not a final solution and only a stepping stone to degrowth. I do, however, still agree with Tom Steyer that climate activism needs better marketing. I fear that just the word "degrowth" will trigger people to think of "recession", turning them off from learning more and likely causing them to misunderstand the whole movement. Hickel hints at an alternative name when he says, "Degrowth calls for abundance in order to render growth unnecessary." (p. 236) Might re-branding degrowth as something like "an abundance economy" win over more believers?

In the last chapter, Hickel turns his attention to hope. Studies show that "across ecosystems... it takes an average of only sixty-six years for a forest to recover 90% of its old-growth biomass, completely naturally." (p. 253) If we take immediate action towards degrowth, we could see the living world recover in our lifetimes. He reminds us that our human ancestors lived sustainably, integrated with - not separate from - nature, and that many Indigenous peoples still do. From them, we can "learn to see ourselves once again as part of a broader community of living beings" (p. 273), no longer in a position to exploit the ecosystem, but to enrich it. (p. 263)

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

★★★★

*** WARNING!! This review contains spoilers!! ***

An entertaining read with short episodic chapters. Very easy to imagine this book as a hit streaming TV series! I think being a fan of the British TV show Midsomer Murders, with all their episodes featuring English country estates, helped me to enjoy this book even more, allowing me to easily imagine Greshamsbury Hall and the surrounding village.

Once again, Kwan brings us into the world of the uber rich, only this time, it's not just Asians in Asia, but also half-Asians as well as English landed aristocracy, international investors, and Persian-Iranian-Americans drowning in opulence in Hawaii, Morocco, Los Angeles, and Venice. I kept my phone handy to search up words and references I didn't recognize, from fashion and architecture terminology to famous people and places. This time, part of the fun of all the astonishing over-the-top luxury was the disapproval of the more social justice minded characters.

The narrator including each character's educational pedigree since nursery school with their first appearance was downright hilarious (I was disappointed when this feature dropped away in the LA part of the book), and frequent cheeky footnotes added an additional layer of humor. I actually laughed out loud a couple times.

I had every intention of giving this book 5 stars, until the festivities got to Venice. Everything suddenly got to be a bit much. Not that the characters had been very deep to begin with, but now their actions just felt like plot devices. By this point, the inevitable conclusion was obvious, and I was surprised to find myself losing interest, as the ending was not what I had hoped it would be.

*** Warning: Stop reading here to avoid spoilers!! ***

Even Arabella, as willfully oblivious as she was, should have been able to see that Eden didn't care enough about what other people think to be blackmail-able. And I had high hopes for Martha Dung, but she turned out to be not much more than yet another billionaire with an over-the-top lifestyle, willing to throw money at acquaintances she just met. Mostly, I didn't like how ultimately, it was okay for characters to choose love as long as everyone turned out to be secretly wealthy, thereby making them acceptable. I would have liked to have seen how Bea and Rufus - and all the Greshams, really - would have adjusted to life as "regular people", having to get jobs and live within their means. And in the end, I wanted more for Freddy Farman-Farmihian, who I found to be the most interesting character; I was impressed with how Kwan wrote him to elicit a specific first impression, and then developed him so that my opinion of him took an almost 180-degree turn.

Finally, I think there's a fun reference to a character from Crazy Rich Asians, making this book feel like a spin-off, or at least like it exists in the same universe.

Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We'll Win the Climate War by Tom Steyer

★★★★★

Tom Steyer really did give me hope!!

Picking up this book, all I knew about Tom Steyer was that he was the billionaire climate candidate in the Democratic primaries of the 2020 presidential election. 

After reading The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg, it became clear to me that saving the climate is at odds with capitalism, and we will never sufficiently address the climate crisis while fossil fuels are profitable and consumerism abounds. Moreover, we are now at a point where we need to implement sustainable practices even when there is no financial gain and when it's a less convenient option. But realistically, degrowth doesn't seem likely, so what are we going to do?

This book's title, then, got my attention. Can we really fix this climate emergency in the context of our capitalistic economy, on the basis of sustainability being cheaper and better? Indeed, Tom Steyer makes exactly that argument, even going so far as to say that clean energy is already a more profitable investment. 

The introduction immediately drew me in. Tom Steyer's optimism is infectious. He described what motivates him: "Protecting humanity from climate change is the fight of our lifetime. Am I doing my part?" (p. 4) The question each of us should be asking ourselves, each other, and our leaders is, "What are you doing to fight climate change?" (p. 4) Our first goal is to reach net zero (when global greenhouse emissions are entirely balanced out by the amount being removed from the atmosphere), and Steyer insists that clean-energy technology will get us there, and beyond. Not only that, he boldly claims, "if you care about getting rich, being part of the revolution taking place in energy is a pretty good way to do it." (p. 10) Like authors featured in The Climate Book, Steyer believes that "the climate movement is no longer about conservation... It's about making the world better than it's ever been before." (p. 11) And he wants you to know that it really is possible.

This book is a very approachable introduction to the climate crisis, how the oil and gas industry have so far misleadingly defined the narrative, and what we need to do in response. Every chapter includes a section highlighting specific climate people who are already doing important work to move us forward, including climate activists, researchers, and entrepreneurs in clean energy and other technologies that help reduce CO2 levels. 

I appreciate that Tom Steyer acknowledges that many "[y]oung people are furious - and rightly so - at older generations for leaving them a huge mess" (p. 84), making them particularly susceptible to despondency and a "climate doomer" mentality. Again, his optimism is unequivocal as he points out that "we're barely scratching the surface of what we can do. Our incomplete effort [at addressing the climate emergency] is already reshaping the way we create and use energy, revolutionizing transportation, making us rethink agriculture... Imagine what would happen if more people [got on board]." (p. 85)

At times, it felt like the book was intended for a moderately wealthy and privileged audience, which, arguably, is the demographic most responsible for carbon pollution and therefore the very people who could make the most difference. Yes, now is truly the time to invest in climate-conscious companies, install solar panels, make the switch to electric vehicles, even take a job in the climate sector; there is value in individual actions as testaments to personal commitment and as examples to others to help spur wider change, but, of course, not everyone is in a position to do those things. Thankfully, Steyer makes clear that "[t]urning a collective problem into a matter of individual responsibility is... exactly what the fossil fuel industry is trying to do... We need systemic change, not perfect people." (p. 133) He encourages everyone to be locally engaged and politically active, and he specifically discussed the power of state ballot measures as conduits of collective action for large-scale change.

While I really want to share Tom Steyer's sanguinity, it's hard to feel confident about the path we are on when even he admits that, generally speaking, most people won't act in the greater interest because "human beings are, let's face it, often driven by our own self-interests." (p. 160) But contrary to my thoughts on capitalism noted earlier, Steyer believes capitalism is exactly what will get people to act. He argues for a "climate capitalism" based on "better tech, better ideas, better rules, and better metrics" that will "shift the incentives so that even the most self-interested people make choices that help stabilize our planet and prevent human catastrophe." (p. 165) I know very little about economics or finance, so whether capitalism will ultimately be our undoing or our savior, what do I know!? All I can say is, it feels like a good thing, that there are climate people working on both sides of that debate, so there are solutions both within and outside of the existing system.

The bottom line is that we need forward-thinking leaders who will take immediate and bold action to enact policies, programs, and laws that will support clean energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, thereby incentivizing companies to make climate-friendly innovations and normalizing sustainable practices. We also need more of the general population to become climate-conscious, and Steyer offered up a number of suggestions for how best to meet others where they are, including focusing on the potential damage to people rather than nature or the weather and being aware of how specific word choices can make topics more accessible.

After reading this book, I am heartened, if not entirely convinced, that humanity can take action with enough urgency to possibly stave off the very worst of climate disaster, which is already underway. It's actually a relief to know that the technologies needed to address the climate crisis do, in fact, already exist or are being developed. What we need now is for all people to become "climate people" so that change can happen quickly and at scale.

Edited to add: I still think this book is worth reading, but urge anyone who reads it to also read Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World by Jason Hickel.

Making It So by Patrick Stewart

★★★★★

I picked up this book because I'm a big fan of Jean-Luc Picard and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

For me, reading memoirs always means imagining the author speaking the words themselves, which was especially easy to do with Patrick Stewart's characteristic voice and accent.

It was remarkable getting to know the whole trajectory of how Patrick Stewart came from such humble beginnings - "hardscrabble" truly describes his youth - and became a Hollywood TV and film star.

I most enjoyed reading about his life before he became famous. I particularly liked his account of being starstruck by Vivien Leigh and how wonderfully kind and gracious she was. It makes sense that a young, up-and-coming actor would cross paths with other aspiring actors, and it was neat when he name-dropped other famous and yet-to-be famous people he worked with, though admittedly I had to look up some names because I'm not so familiar with British actors. Patrick Stewart clearly worked hard at his craft and did not take his successes for granted.

At times it felt like kind of a revelation to be reminded that Patrick Stewart is just a person, too, susceptible to insecurities, faults, and embarrassing situations. Stewart was capable of laughing at himself in hindsight, and seemed willing to reckon with his shortcomings.

The story of how Stewart came to be cast as Jean-Luc Picard is wild, going to show that you never know what significance any one event in your life might hold. Even before this book came out, I had recently re-watched the entire TNG series, so it was fun having the show fresh in my mind as Stewart recounted behind-the-scenes stories and offered his insights on specific episodes.

A very entertaining read.

Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao

★★★★★

I love everything about this book, including the dust jacket art that features an Asian main character on the front and the iconic Wellesley bell tower on the back.

I'm not an alum of Wellesley College, but I have a soft spot for it due to a number of personal connections. I wonder if Wellesley students and alum think the portrayal of Wellesley life is authentic? I hope so. I once read a YA book set at my alma mater and was disappointed because the setting was almost irrelevant to the storyline, unlike this book, in which the Wellesley culture and campus were integral.

Representation and intersectionality are the cornerstones of this book. The "Dear Wendy" Instagram account is actually Sophie, who, in addition to being aromantic and asexual, is Chinese with immigrant parents. Her roommate is gay and Indian, with an immigrant dad and a mom who died (not actually a topic in the book). Jo, who is behind the "Sincerely, Wanda" account, is also aromantic and asexual, uses she/they pronouns, and has 2 lesbian moms. One of her roommates is white and bisexual and the other is Black and gay. Introductions with pronouns are modeled as being the norm.

It's perhaps stating the obvious, but one of the best things about this book is its mere existence, its ability to serve as a mirror for aro-ace readers and a window for those who may know nothing about it.

Chapters are written from the first-person perspective of either Sophie or Jo, which is always a fun format to read. Interspersed are Dear Wendy and Sincerely, Wanda relationship questions and responses, which actually amount to pretty good relationship advice for young readers. The fact that texting and social media are fundamental modes of communication for this generation is also reflected in even more fun formatting.

I really enjoyed the portrayal of how a budding friendship can be uncertain in the same ways as a potential romance, e.g., Does the other person even like me? Should I ask them to hang out? What kind of activity should I suggest? What if they say no? There's also a great message that aro-ace or not, a person isn't defined by a romantic relationship, and a close platonic friendship can be just as fulfilling and supportive.

As a Chinese person myself, I appreciated the Chinese dialogue from Sophie's parents, written in accented pinyin. But even though there were plenty of context clues, each line was not directly translated, which is kind of a pet peeve of mine when foreign languages pop up because if I didn't know Chinese, I'd still want to know exactly what was being said in the other language. And maybe that makes me a total Wendy, which I admit and fully accept!

A Ghost in the Machine (Chief Inspector Barnaby #7) by Caroline Graham

★★★

*** Warning: This review contains spoilers!! I don't give away the murderer, but my thoughts could serve as hints. ***

At first I thought I'd give this book 2 stars, but towards the end I enjoyed it more like 4 stars, so I settled on a 3-star average. 

I don't generally read mysteries, but I am a huge fan of the British TV show Midsomer Murders starring John Nettles. (I haven't gotten used to Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby being replaced by his cousin John Barnaby.) I picked up this book only because of its connection to the show. I would have preferred to start with the first book in the series, but this one - the last in the series - was the only one available at my library when I looked.

The author's strength is in her character-building. The first third of the book was pretty slow-going, nothing really happening and a lot of characters being fleshed out. Like the TV show, there were a couple characters who were unlikable and unpleasant right out of the gate. Surprisingly, a few characters I thought boring at first really grew on me, and eventually I rather liked them. There were even these two characters, one seemingly harmless and another who was downright loathsome, but in the end, the author had me feeling disgusted with the first and sympathetic towards the second! Notably, one of the things I enjoy most about the TV show is how the small, quaint English villages where the murders take place feel like characters in themselves, yet in this book, I never quite felt immersed in the village of Forbes Abbot.

Honestly, without the promise of DCI Barnaby and Detective Sergeant Troy, I might not have continued. In a 375-page book, the murder didn't happen until page 120, about 1/3 of the way through. Then I had to wait another 23 pages for Barnaby and Troy to finally appear. It wasn't until page 195 that something completely unexpected happened, the investigation finally started in earnest, and I actually felt drawn in.

As a fan of the TV series, I have to note that I was immediately disappointed that Troy in the book was a bit of an oaf, not just simply young and with much to learn, as he's depicted in the show. Barnaby, too, was disappointingly more gruff than his TV counterpart.

I did enjoy picking up some new British words and phrases, which is something I enjoy about the TV show, too. Also, every now and then there's a bit humor that made me chuckle.

As far as the book's mystery goes, I think I've been too influenced by TV shows in which there is always a dramatic twist. Without any expectations, I would have suspected character A to be the murderer, based on their backstory. But that would be too easy. Character B felt like a red herring. I thus suspected character C, a minor character with motive and opportunity. In the end, I was somewhat disappointed when character A turned out to be the murderer. But! There was a satisfying twist after all, when character A was revealed to be in cahoots with character D, which I hadn't guessed at all.

I enjoyed the final section labeled "Afterwards". It was nice to see what became of everyone, and all the loose ends were tied up, including some ends I didn't even think needed tying. Not sure how I feel about the developments related to the child Karen, though. I really just wanted her to have a simple, happy life with Roy and the Crudges. The supernatural bit felt out of place and decidedly un-Barnaby-like.

Asian American Histories of the United States by Catherine Ceniza Choy

★★★★

Throughout American history, Asians have been stereotyped as both "subhuman and superhuman threats." (p. x) "An Asian American woman is a lotus blossom, but also a dragon lady." (p. xi) Asian Americans are "whiz kids... who do not complain" (p. ix) but also "harbingers of disease and immorality." (p. x) How did we get here? The author addresses this question "by emphasizing three interconnected themes in Asian American histories of the United States: violence, erasure, and resistance." (p. xii)

Notably, she immediately dispels the myth that Asian Americans are a monolith. She showcases the diversity within the demographic by purposely "writing this book... to narrate and to integrate less well-known stories about Asian Americans... such as Indian, Korean, Filipino, and Cambodian Americans, as well as mixed race and adopted Asian Americans, among others." (p. xvi)

In the preface, the author explains how most Asian American history courses and books tend to cover topics chronologically, "ending approximately in the 1980s...with scant attention to more contemporary issues." (p. xvii) I have found this to be exactly the case in my experience, and I was intrigued by her decision to feature "multiple temporal origins of Asian American history, beginning in 2020, with subsequent chapters moving back in time... [to] illuminate connections among historical events hitherto unseen, such as... the continuity of historical alliances between Black and Asian Americans, from Frederick Douglass's 1869 speech advocating for Chinese immigration to Yuri Kochiyama and Malcolm X's friendship in the 1960s." (p. xvii)

Truly, the author's unique approach made Asian American history feel less like static past events and more like modern-day issues. For example, the book started with the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the work of Stop AAPI Hate in documenting anti-Asian violence and discrimination, and tied the resurgence of racism at the start of the pandemic to the long history in America of "association of Asian bodies with disease" (p. 2) dating back to the first wave of Asian immigrants in the 1800s. It also provided context to how "COVD-19 was taking a disproportionate toll on Filipino American nurses" (p. 12) by fleshing out the decades-long history of Filipino nurses in the American healthcare workforce. She also connected the 2021 killings of 6 Asian American women in spas in north GA to America's history of sexualizing and objectifying Asian women, starting with the Page Act of 1875, which "created a system of enforcement that conflated Asian women's migration with prostitution." (p. 158)

Other often overlooked Asian American histories that are discussed in this book: the arrival and contribution of refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, including the involvement of the U.S. in creating the situations from which they fled; the role of Asian Americans in U.S. farming, agricultural workers' rights, and the restaurant industry; the service and treatment of Asian Americans in the U.S. military; the effect of imperialism and the struggle for independence in their homelands on Korean, Filipino, and Indian immigrants.

Overall, this book is a great survey-level introduction to parts of Asian American history that are somehow both commonly overlooked and also contemporarily relevant. It does not delve into any great detail, and is not academically dry. The author frequently presents anecdotal stories of diverse Asian American experiences that personalize the topics, including episodes from her own life, showing that Asian American history is not just a field of study, but a living history unfolding all around us, even within our own Asian American families.

Incidentally, I have just one complaint: On page 46, the author refers to a "Lao Student Association" that promotes "Lao culture", and then on page 47, there's a "Laotian American Society" that supports the "Laotian community". What's the difference between "Lao" and "Laotian"? An explainer would have been helpful. I searched it up and found this article: "Is it 'Lao' or 'Laotian'? In Laos, There's a Big Difference".

The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg

★★★★★

If you don't already see how climate change is an emergency and causing an existential crisis, literally threatening human life as we know it and thus requiring substantial and immediate action from every possible direction, this book is for you. 

If you're already aware and over the age of 30, this book can still open your eyes to the extent of the danger and the negligence of world leaders over the course of your lifetime. For example, in essay 4.22 "The Myth of Recycling", Nina Schrank describes how Coca-Cola was part of a lobbying group that re-framed the problems posed by single-use plastics as a personal rather than corporate or government responsibility, making recycling "the greatest example of greenwashing on the planet" (p. 296); though in principle recycling is good for the environment, this lobby used the idea of recycling to justify corporations maintaining the status quo of using plastic instead of committing to more sustainable packaging practices. Perhaps understanding what opportunities have already been lost will enrage you and fuel you to redouble your efforts in climate activism, as it did for me. 

If you're already in a state of panic about the looming climate catastrophe, and particularly if you're a young person who has known no other world, reading the first half of this book might send you into a spiral of despair. As the book progresses, though, essays do become more hopeful, and you begin to see some encouraging pieces, such as essay 3.9 "Life at 1.1°C" by Saleemul Huq about successful climate leadership in some communities from which we can all learn. There are also some practical pieces, like essay 4.19 "The Cost of Consumerism" by Annie Lowrey about how it's worth it for us to individually curb our materialism and consumerism because even though "it will take governmental and corporate action to help heal the planet" (p. 281), "household action is a crucial predicate for broader action." (p. 283) Essay 5.3 "Towards 1.5°C Lifestyles" by Kate Raworth goes even further, offering concrete suggestions on what a "1.5°C lifestyle" would look like, both publicly and privately, to put us on a better track to stay within 1.5°C of global heating. Overall, the book starts by laying out the alarming facts and daunting reality of climate change and ends with solutions, ultimately leaving us with a sense of purpose that's found in Indigenous philosophy, "dreaming of a time when we are propelled not by fear of what is coming towards us, fearsome as it is, but by love for a beautiful vision of a world whole and healed." (p. 420) We are invited to imagine that we "can live in such a way that the Earth will be grateful for us." (p. 420)

Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. First, a couple notes on the physical book, which I found disappointing but did not factor into my rating. There are many graphs, charts, maps - all kinds of fantastic infographics - but they are all printed in black-and-white, some with shades of grey that are hard to distinguish. Interspersed among the essays, there are powerful photos from around the world, also printed in black-and-white. A full-color printing would have been much more expensive, but I really think all the images would have been vastly more effective in color. (Does a full color edition of this book exist?) Also, I'm sure my aging eyesight was a factor, but the parts written by Greta Thunberg were black text printed on gray paper, a combination I found difficult to read in anything less than full light.

Now, the content. Being fully aware of the extent of the climate emergency and eager to have a sense of agency, I followed a tip from another reviewer and started by reading the very last section first, essay 5.22 "Hope is something you have to earn", and also the "What Next?" piece about what can and must be done. Thus armed with a modicum of hope, I went back and started the book from the beginning. For a stronger buttress of hope, you could read all of part 5 "What We Must Do Now" first.

Most essays are just a few pages, very accessible, written succinctly while still being chock full of straightforward facts, data, and revelations. The content is essentially a mile wide and an inch deep. Individually and together, they explain climate science, describe the changing climate's effect on human life and other species, and explore the history and current state of climate action and inaction. Though each essay is written by a different expert, the information is carefully scaffolded; one article may introduce a concept and define specific terminology, which is then used in a later piece that explains a part of that issue in greater detail. As a science-based book, it's clear words are chosen carefully; instead of simply saying "climate change", which has been twisted by some to mean "naturally occurring climate change", many authors purposely refer to "anthropogenic climate change" to make clear that the climate is being changed by human activity.

This book covers a huge range of topics just enough to illustrate how the climate crisis isn't just one thing, but many, many interconnected issues. CO2 emissions are a big piece of the puzzle, but other pieces include methane emissions, aerosol emissions, microplastic pollutants, and deforestation. And the consequences of global warming isn't just about warmer temperatures, it's also about altered atmospheric circulation, extreme weather events, ocean acidification, and changing ocean currents, and all of that leading to wildfires, poor air quality, possible extinction of insects and animals that would cause dysfunction in our ecosystems, food and water shortages, increased spread of diseases, increased likelihood of human conflicts and violence, and globally destabilizing climate migration. And that's just a sampling of topics covered. In short, climate change is "deteriorating the conditions for life on our planet." (p. 115)

Many of the essays follow a similar pattern: information is presented, the magnitude and gravity of the situation are made clear, and then we're given a final remaining shred of hope in the concluding paragraph(s). We are not doomed, our planet and species can still survive, if only we commit ourselves to making the necessary changes. Of course, that is a collective "we", though the bulk of the responsibility lies with the richest 10% who cause 50% of the world's CO2 emissions. (p. 132) The countries of the Global North are "most responsible for this crisis" (p. 154) while the most affected people in the most affected areas "are overwhelmingly poor people of colour, even in rich countries." (p. 159) This means "wealthy nations must eliminate their use of fossil fuels by around 2030 for a likely chance of [not exceeding] 1.5°C" of global average temperature rise (p. 206), and, in doing so, "make space for the poorest 50 per cent of people in the world to realize their essential consumption needs." (p. 331) In replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy, governments must, at the same time, "protect and help those who are collateral damage in the energy transition." (p. 227) 

The climate crisis is, at its core, a worldwide equity issue. Heat-related health issues are more likely to affect vulnerable populations such as "the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with chronic conditions" (p. 138), and vector-borne diseases (such as malaria and dengue, whose prevalence depends in part on the climate) "are disproportionately linked to poverty." (p. 143) "The fact that 3 billion people use less energy, on an annual per capita basis, than a standard American refrigerator gives you an idea of how far away from global equity and climate justice we currently are. " (p. 154) As Nicki Becker writes in essay 5.17 "What Does Equity Mean to You?", "Climate justice is not only about preventing climate catastrophe, it is about building a world that is just and equal. We do not want to 'conserve' the world as it is now but to create a fairer one." (p. 396)

So why are we still not treating the climate as the emergency that it is? Thunberg writes, "We have solid unequivocal scientific evidence of the need for change. The problem is, all that evidence puts the current best available science on a collision course with our current economic system." (p. 21) She quotes a WHO executive director who said that "economic growth... [is] becoming a malignancy... driving unsustainable practices." (p. 133) "The key is to scale down less necessary forms of production and organize the economy around human well-being rather than capital accumulation. This is known as degrowth." (p. 312) We need to immediately prioritize people over profits and implement climate-saving solutions even when there is no money to be made, with one author urging that "climate change must be averted at any price because its ultimate cost can be neither imagined nor calculated." (p. 193) We need to be implementing solutions like "rapidly expanding public transport, developing a massive programme of electrification, changing town planning, rolling out e-bikes in cities" (p. 209), regardless of any lack of financial gain.

So how do we make these changes happen? According to Thunberg, "the most effective way for us to get out of this mess is to educate ourselves and others... [T]he moment we do go into full crisis mode we will consider every possible individual detail... [W]e as individuals should use our voices, and whatever platforms we have, to become activists and communicate the urgency of the situation to those around us... and hold the people in power accountable for their actions, and their inactions." (p. 326-327) Thunberg's writing is direct and unapologetic, and she doesn't mince words. To media and TV producers who have the power to inform and shape public perceptions, she says straight up, "unless the reason you became whatever you are today was to silently support the destruction of the living planet, then I suggest you start doing your job." (p. 435)

I appreciate that this book makes clear that yes, our individual lifestyle choices do matter. In essay 5.2 "Individual Action, Social Transformation", Stuart Capstick and Lorraine Whitmarsh write: "There is a troubling mismatch between the enormity of climate change and the smallness of the response asked of individuals... If this is a disheartening viewpoint, the good news is that it also represents a false dichotomy. Focusing attention at the two extremes - the individual versus the systemic - overlooks the vast territory in between... One way in which our actions matter... is through providing cues and examples to others... Many studies have shown that the extent to which people make environmentally friendly choices is affected by their assessment of what others are doing... Personal action... has the ability to spark wider transformations of the contexts that underpin our everyday choices, including by influencing business activity and shifting the sense of what represents a normal or desirable way of life... [I]ndividual action... is the vital building block from which social transformation is made possible." (p. 328-330) 

One final point I found enlightening. After graduating college, I had a career-oriented job for a while, then ultimately decided to stay home after having kids. When my kids were little, I spent an inordinate amount of time feeling guilty and conflicted for not having a "real job". In essay 5.16 "A Just Transition", Naomi Klein writes that "teaching and caring for kids doesn't burn a lot of carbon... In a just transition, we would recognize this labour as green and prioritize it because it makes our lives better." (p. 392) The principle is called "care work is climate work" and indeed, looking back, it is easy to see how the things I considered a financial wash (the savings I brought to the household were balanced out by not having an income) were also compatible with that "1.5°C lifestyle", e.g., I didn't have a daily commute and I didn't need to maintain a work wardrobe. Anyway, it's all good and fine for me to find peace with my decisions, but the point is, this overhaul to make our societies more sustainable is an opportunity to "invest in more care-sector jobs and... ensure that women's labour is fully recognized and appreciated in the next economy." (p. 392)