I'm With the Bears by Bill McKibben and Others [Book Review]

I’m With the Bears by Bill McKibben and Others is a collection of short stories surrounding the planet and the ecological crisis it is currently in, a crisis that is being exacerbated by humans. This collection of ten short stories are written by authors, economists and those passionate about the environment, the most well-known author being The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood.

I was thoroughly excited to read this book, especially because it had well-known authors and economists, and I was desperate to read something about the environment. Bill McKibben states in his introduction that perhaps fiction authors writing about the environment would be one way in which the crisis reaches people, and I could only hope so.

The first story was interesting and dealt with issues that I think are often not talked about, for example, the fact that environmentalists and activists can often themselves be out of touch with the reality they are fighting for.

Another aspect which I was heavily pleased to see was the discussions of topics both in the present and the future. This presented the reader with the context of what the world is like currently, and compared it to a hypothetical vision of what the future may hold, with war, rationing of resources, and further disasters like flooding. The book makes every effort to ensure the reader is sure to grasp the dire situation the world is in, and hopefully feel more inspired to act now.

As for the weaknesses of the book, I felt like most of the stories were boring or dealt with the stereotype of radical activists. For a discussion about the environment, I was hoping some of these stories would move me or stimulate me to do more than I already do, but I never really felt like this book had that impact.

Overall, if you’re someone who doesn’t know much about the environment, or doesn’t read about the crisis, then perhaps this book may be for you. I think if you’re someone already heavily involved in the fight for climate change then this book might not inspire you as much as it could’ve done. This book, however, is still a step forward in the right direction as everyone should be taking about the climate crisis. There is information below on further information regarding climate change and what you can do to help.

Rating: ⭐⭐/5

Evidence of Climate Change: https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

Ways of Recycle (UK): https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/recycling/article/how-to-recycle-in-the-uk-ajwEz4p63Qs6

How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint:

1) https://www.goingzerowaste.com/blog/5-ways-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint/

2) https://climatecare.org/50-ideas-shrinking-carbon-footprint/

Documentaries to Watch:

1) Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (Netflix, 2014)

2) An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

How to Go Vegan: https://veganuary.com/try-vegan/

Environmentally Friendly Book Reading

1) Abebooks.co.uk to buy second-hand books

2) Ebay.co.uk to buy second-hand books

3) Facebook Groups to find free/second-hand books.

4) Etsy to find second-hand books

5) www.worldofbooks.com

6) Swap with a Friend

7) Buy an e-book.