I had been on the fence about reading The Children's Bible because I didn't know if it would be too nihilistic for me at a time when I just can't take any more nihilism. But it sounds pretty good so maybe I will pick it up. Thanks!
That was my worry. But there is enough wit and humour that it didn't feel as treacherously nihilistic as I'd feared. But I am not extremely well read when it comes to cli fi. Let me know what you think if you read it.
Thanks for this piece. I join local actions on GND but my own main passion is M4A -- we Yanks trying desperately to catch up with you Canadians by (a) acknowledging healthcare as a right and (b) walking the walk.
Your description of the parents in this novel somewhat reminds me of how a lot of Americans view universal healthcare. It sounds nice but, you know, excuse-excuse-excuse. Meanwhile people are needlessly sickening and dying -- and that was pre-pandemic.
These perfectly nice, ordinary folks cannot seem to grasp how immediately and personally they can be part of the solution by hassling their Congress member.
I work virtually full time on finding creative ways to constructively engage such folks on this issue, to boot them out of their comfort zone. I should have a business card emblazoned with a new job title: Cattle Prod.
I sympathize with the teens in this story, though I'm old enough to be their grandpa. Come to think of it, maybe the author missed a bet -- not having grandparents show up in this narrative, wielding cattle prods. :-)
Reminds me in turn of a old Sam Levinson quip: "Grandparents and grandchildren get along so well because they have a common enemy."
It's funny I hadn't thought about this at all, but there really is no one much older than the parents. This is such a good line that is so applicable to climate: These perfectly nice, ordinary folks cannot seem to grasp how immediately and personally they can be part of the solution by hassling their Congress member.
That's true, Sarah, it does apply to climate also, and should, and must. A big diff: M4A can be mostly addressed in one bill (in the US House, HR 1384). Enact the legislation, do a massive transition over (say) 2 years, and we're off to the races. By contrast, GND will require a bunch of bills and entwined solutions across the economy for a long time to come -- addressing fossil fuels, enabling technologies, infrastructure and jobs, culture change, housing retrofit, public transit, sea ;level rise, and on and on.
I had been on the fence about reading The Children's Bible because I didn't know if it would be too nihilistic for me at a time when I just can't take any more nihilism. But it sounds pretty good so maybe I will pick it up. Thanks!
That was my worry. But there is enough wit and humour that it didn't feel as treacherously nihilistic as I'd feared. But I am not extremely well read when it comes to cli fi. Let me know what you think if you read it.
Thanks for this piece. I join local actions on GND but my own main passion is M4A -- we Yanks trying desperately to catch up with you Canadians by (a) acknowledging healthcare as a right and (b) walking the walk.
Your description of the parents in this novel somewhat reminds me of how a lot of Americans view universal healthcare. It sounds nice but, you know, excuse-excuse-excuse. Meanwhile people are needlessly sickening and dying -- and that was pre-pandemic.
These perfectly nice, ordinary folks cannot seem to grasp how immediately and personally they can be part of the solution by hassling their Congress member.
I work virtually full time on finding creative ways to constructively engage such folks on this issue, to boot them out of their comfort zone. I should have a business card emblazoned with a new job title: Cattle Prod.
I sympathize with the teens in this story, though I'm old enough to be their grandpa. Come to think of it, maybe the author missed a bet -- not having grandparents show up in this narrative, wielding cattle prods. :-)
Reminds me in turn of a old Sam Levinson quip: "Grandparents and grandchildren get along so well because they have a common enemy."
It's funny I hadn't thought about this at all, but there really is no one much older than the parents. This is such a good line that is so applicable to climate: These perfectly nice, ordinary folks cannot seem to grasp how immediately and personally they can be part of the solution by hassling their Congress member.
That's true, Sarah, it does apply to climate also, and should, and must. A big diff: M4A can be mostly addressed in one bill (in the US House, HR 1384). Enact the legislation, do a massive transition over (say) 2 years, and we're off to the races. By contrast, GND will require a bunch of bills and entwined solutions across the economy for a long time to come -- addressing fossil fuels, enabling technologies, infrastructure and jobs, culture change, housing retrofit, public transit, sea ;level rise, and on and on.