Review
“The conversation I had with Joanna Macy early in our tender, tumultuous century has shaped me ever after. I first discovered Joanna through her gorgeous translations of the poet Rilke, a voice of the last century’s turnings that she has brought to accompany us in ours. I marvel at her many callings and adventures. She attended to the human trauma as Rilke’s central European world disappeared in the aftermath of World War II—and in the exile from Tibet of a young Dalai Lama. She was an environmentalist before that term was on every tongue. And she became a great Buddhist teacher before anyone understood how this tradition would meet twenty-first-century people and potentialities. Through all of this, Joanna has come to embody a singular clarity of vision about the totality of what it means to be human—at this moment in time. Her wild love for the world is a beacon to us all—and an exuberant invitation—to join our passion to hers, whatever the lives we lead. This book is a precious offering toward life-giving possibility.”—Krista Tippett, host of On Being
“Joanna Macy is one of the planet's treasures, not least for the remarkable cadre of people who have learned from and been inspired by her rooted and unstinting life. This fine book combines her insights and those who have learned from her, and it will be a joy to anyone who approaches it with an open heart.”—Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?
“We can’t save our world, we can only love our larger body, this living earth, and take the next healing step. To guide us, we have Joanna Macy, who embodies this active loving in her brilliant teachings, ‘The Work That Reconnects,’ and through her decades of serving our planet. This new book captures the great depth and breadth of Joanna’s wisdom through her own stories, as well as through the richly shared stories of her colleagues—activists, thinkers, and teachers. Throughout, Joanna’s understandings, group practices, and passionate heart offer us an urgently needed pathway of hope for this precious world.”—Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion
“I am wildly in love with A Wild Love for the World. I can truly say that the stories in this book, and its life-transforming ideas and their practical applications, have changed me. The personal stories and focus on positive collaborative engagement offer a breath of energizing fresh air as we move forward. Joanna Macy’s life, celebrated here in an engaging, inspiring, and practical compendium of approaches catalyzed by her ‘Work That Reconnects,’ offers each of us a light to cultivate resilience and illuminate the path ahead. Thank you to Stephanie Kaza and all the contributors, and to Joanna, for the love and brilliance that shine so brightly in this life’s work of heart.”—Daniel Siegel, author of Aware and Mind
“How do we live in solidarity on this warming planet? This book captures a lifetime of grappling with this most important of questions—and invites readers into a thriving community of people who, like me, have been transformed by Joanna Macy’s thought and practice.”—Naomi Klein, author of On Fire: The Burning Case For a Green New Deal
“If the ecological crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity is facing today, then Joanna Macy is the most important teacher of our time. For those who don’t yet know her work, this anthology is an excellent place to start. For those of us who have already benefited from it, it provides an overview of an extraordinary woman and her remarkable career.”—David Loy, author of Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis
“Serendipitous that this volume by and about one of our most far-seeing, exuberant, and empathic radiators of necessary wisdom is emerging in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. The book will be a talisman for many, a seed bundle, a way through the calamity.”—David Abram, author of The Spell of the Sensuous
About the Author
STEPHANIE KAZA is Professor Emerita of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont. A leading voice in Buddhism and ecology, her most recent book is Green Buddhism: Practice and Compassionate Action in Uncertain Times. To learn more, visit www.stephaniekaza.com.
JOANNA MACY, PhD, teacher and author, is a scholar of Buddhism, systems thinking, and deep ecology. As the root teacher of the Work That Reconnects, Macy has created a groundbreaking framework for personal and social change that brings a new way of seeing the world as our larger body. Her many books include World as Lover, World as Self; Widening Circles, A Memoir; Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy; and Coming Back to Life: The Updated Guide to the Work That Reconnects. Macy received a BA from Wellesley College in 1950 and a PhD in Religion from Syracuse University in 1978. She continues to write and teach in Berkeley, California. Her most recent book is A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and the Work of Our Times (ed. Stephanie Kaza). To learn more, visit www.joannamacy.net.
