The World Without Us
by Alan Weisman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Alan WeismanEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-07-10
ISBN: 0312347294
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Book Reviews of The World Without Us
Book Review: "Them" is "Us"
Summary: 4 Stars
Mr. Weisman's (interesting name, eh?) The World Without Us does a fine job of leading the reader up to a clear, convincing, and undeniable conclusion...and then wimps out and does not call the reader to action. He observes that, with one exception, it is highly unlikely that any technology or human action will save us from a not-too-distant future horrific human population collapse that also drags down other species and causes even more harm to the environment than we have already done. The exception? Voluntarily reduce our own population, starting now. (Yes, this means you! And, yes, I can read your mind - I have no children and got a vasectomy on my 18th birthday. )
What Mr. Weisman almost but not quite says is that if you really care about "sustainability" and "the environment" or even about the future of human life on planet earth: there is no other action - yes, including recycling, alt fuels, solar cells, and driving a Prius - as effective as simply having zero or at most one child. I realize that religious true believers sometimes kill people for such beliefs, and I can understand some need to adapt to the political and economic risks and pressures associated with publishing and selling a book and being a professor in a modern US university. Nonetheless, for leading us almost but not quite up to the personal accountability of his readers, and refusing to say "if YOU care, YOU have to act" I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
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