Why Rebel

English language

Published 2021 by Penguin Books, Limited.

ISBN:
978-0-241-99273-9
Copied ISBN!

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (1 review)

Why rebel? Because our footprint on the Earth has never mattered more than now. How we treat it, in the spirit of gift or of theft, has never been more important. Because we need a politics of kindness, but the very opposite is on the rise. Libertarian fascism, with its triumphal brutalism, its racism and misogyny - a politics that loathes the living world. Because nature is not a hobby. It is the life on which we depend, as Indigenous societies have never forgotten. Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars, and they are lining up now to write rebellion across the skies. From the author of 'Wild', this passionate, poetic manifesto for urgent rebellion against our imminent extinction is also a paean to the deep and extraordinary beauty of the natural world.

2 editions

Passionate Rebellion

4 stars

Jay Griffiths is a unique voice in climate activism. They easily move through essay and fiction, keeping a creative and passionate voice in either. This collection of essays is the former, about how and why Griffiths became involved with Extincion Rebellion.

The second half of the book focuses on this move into rebellion, but the first half is the one that caught my attention more. I love how Griffiths describes metaphor, and the role(s) of artists as shamanic guides. How the essays present the contrast between rationalism, literalism and libertarianism with environmental and social movements is beautiful and captivating. The personal stories are also perfectly pitched.