Why am I passionate about this?

I am a former Shakespeare scholar who became increasingly concerned about the climate crisis after I had a son and started worrying about the world he would inherit after I died. I began to do research into climate communication, and I realized I could use my linguistic expertise to help craft messages for campaigners, policymakers, and enlightened corporations who want to drive climate action. As I learned more about the history of climate change communication, however, I realized that we couldn’t talk about the crisis effectively without knowing how to parry climate denial and fossil-fuel propaganda. So now I also research and write about climate disinformation, too. 


I wrote...

The Language of Climate Politics: Fossil-Fuel Propaganda and How to Fight It

By Genevieve Guenther,

Book cover of The Language of Climate Politics: Fossil-Fuel Propaganda and How to Fight It

What is my book about?

My book exposes the people and ideas behind the latest form of climate denial—the false belief that we can keep…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming

Genevieve Guenther Why did I love this book?

This book shook me to my core. I felt so frightened by its vision of a world destroyed by global warming that I became even more determined to help get climate deniers out of power.

I know that other people who read this book were equally inspired to learn more about climate change or even join the climate movement. It’s really one of the most influential books of our time.

By David Wallace-Wells,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked The Uninhabitable Earth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**SUNDAY TIMES AND THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**

'An epoch-defining book' Matt Haig
'If you read just one work of non-fiction this year, it should probably be this' David Sexton, Evening Standard

Selected as a Book of the Year 2019 by the Sunday Times, Spectator and New Statesman
A Waterstones Paperback of the Year and shortlisted for the Foyles Book of the Year 2019
Longlisted for the PEN / E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

It is worse, much worse, than you think.

The slowness of climate change is a fairy tale, perhaps as pernicious as the one that says…


Book cover of The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet

Genevieve Guenther Why did I love this book?

Where Wallace-Wells’ book lays out the big picture, Goodell’s book gets us up close and personal with the core danger of climate change: unsurvivable heat.

I felt like I could see and feel the presence of this life-threatening force as if it were a malevolent demon in a horror movie, yet I also came away from the book with a deeper scientific understanding of the harms of using fossil fuels. Such a good read!

By Jeff Goodell,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Heat Will Kill You First as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Most Anticipated Book by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times A Next Big Idea Book Club Selection The New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice

Jeff Goodell's "masterful, bracing" (David Wallace-Wells) investigation exposes "through stellar reporting, artful storytelling and fascinating scientific explanations" (Naomi Klein) an explosive new understanding of heat and the impact that rising temperatures will have on our lives and on our planet. "Entertaining and thoroughly researched," (Al Gore), it will completely change the way you see the world, and despite its urgent themes, is injected…


The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms That Sustain Life

By Johan Ekloef, Elizabeth Denoma (translator),

Book cover of The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms That Sustain Life

Genevieve Guenther Why did I love this book?

To me this book felt like a mysterious portal into a vibrant night world animated by companion creatures who had been once invisible to me.

Reading this book, I felt the intimate connections between everyday actions like turning on and off the lights and the sublime power of the black sky that holds our living planet. We need such feelings of connection to resolve the climate crisis! 

The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms That Sustain Life

By Johan Ekloef, Elizabeth Denoma (translator),

What is this book about?

*Winner of the Penn Libraries Book Prize in Sustainability*
*Named a Best Book of the Year by Scientific American*

This timely and captivating look at the hidden impact of light pollution is “rich in revelation and insight…lyrical” (The Wall Street Journal) and urges us to cherish natural darkness for the sake of the environment, our own well-being, and all life on earth.

How much light is too much light? Satellite pictures show our planet as a brightly glowing orb, and in our era of constant illumination, light pollution has become a major issue. The world’s flora and fauna have evolved…


Book cover of Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Climate Change

Genevieve Guenther Why did I love this book?

This book is the classic study that you must read if you’re going to understand how fossil fuel interests set out to create climate denial. Taking their playbook from the tobacco lobby, these interests hired unscrupulous researchers to do work that inspired doubt about climate science.

This book documents a core truth: climate change isn’t a tragedy; it’s a crime. This book will introduce you to the criminals and show you their MO. 

By Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway,

Why should I read it?

14 authors picked Merchants of Doubt as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The U.S. scientific community has long led the world in research on such areas as public health, environmental science, and issues affecting quality of life. Our scientists have produced landmark studies on the dangers of DDT, tobacco smoke, acid rain, and global warming. But at the same time, a small yet potent subset of this community leads the world in vehement denial of these dangers. Merchants of Doubt tells the story of how a loose-knit group of high-level scientists and scientific advisers, with deep connections in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific…


Book cover of The Aeneid

Genevieve Guenther Why did I love this book?

I know it’s weird to suggest a Roman epic on a list of books about climate change! But Virgil’s poem is fundamentally a story of a group of people who overcome immense obstacles—enemies, monsters, puzzles, temptations—to found a new world.

It narrates how to cultivate a strong, even heroic character and engage in sustained collective action—exactly what we need to resolve the climate crisis. I read this book for lessons and inspiration! 

By Virgil, Robert Fitzgerald (translator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Aeneid as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Aeneid - thrilling, terrifying and poignant in equal measure - has inspired centuries of artists, writers and musicians.

Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is translated by J. W. Mackail and has an afterword by Coco Stevenson.

Virgil's epic tale tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan hero, who flees his city after its fall, with his father Anchises and his young son Ascanius - for Aeneas is destined…


Explore my book 😀

The Language of Climate Politics: Fossil-Fuel Propaganda and How to Fight It

By Genevieve Guenther,

Book cover of The Language of Climate Politics: Fossil-Fuel Propaganda and How to Fight It

What is my book about?

My book exposes the people and ideas behind the latest form of climate denial—the false belief that we can keep using coal, oil, and methane gas and still halt global heating anyway—and it provides powerful new ways to talk about the climate crisis that will empower you to act effectively for a livable future. 

Each chapter investigates the false assumptions conveyed by one of six key terms in climate politics: alarmist, cost, growth, “India and China,” innovation, and resilience. Fossil-fuel interests twist these words to craft their propaganda. In stories about scientists, economists, world leaders, and activists, I reveal how this propaganda works and offer poll-tested messages and communications strategies for neutralizing it.

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Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation

By Lyle Greenfield,

Book cover of Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation

Lyle Greenfield Author Of Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated by group dynamics, large and small. Why things functioned well, why they didn’t. It’s possible my ability to empathize and use humor as a consensus-builder is the reason I was elected president of a homeowners association, a music production association, and even an agricultural group. Books were not particularly involved in this fascination! But in recent years, experiencing the breakdown of civility and trust in our political and cultural discourse, I’ve taken a more analytical view of the dynamics. These books, in their very different ways, have taught me lessons about life, understanding those with different beliefs, and finding ways to connect and move forward. 

Lyle's book list on restoring your belief in human possibility

What is my book about?

We’ve all experienced the overwhelming level of political and social divisiveness in our country. This invisible “virus” of negativity is, in part, the result of the name-calling and heated rhetoric that has become commonplace among commentators and elected leaders alike. 

My book provides a clear perspective on the historical and modern-day causes of our nation's divisive state. It then proposes easy-to-understand solutions—an action plan for our elected leaders and citizens as well. Rather than a scholarly treatment of a complex topic, the book challenges us to take the obvious steps required of those living in a free democracy. And it…

Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation

By Lyle Greenfield,

What is this book about?

Lyle Greenfield's "Uniting the States of America―A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation" is a work of nonfiction and opinion. Incorporating the lessons of history and the ideas and wisdom of many, it is intended as both an educational resource and a call-to-action for citizens concerned about the politically and culturally divided state of our Union. A situation that has raised alarm for the very future of our democracy.

First, the book clearly identifies the causes of what has become a national crisis of belief in and love for our country. How the divisiveness and hostility rampant in our political…


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