All We Can Save

If I’m being completely honest, I bought this book because of my very large professional crush on both of the editors. I work in climate science, so I have signed up to have my heart destroyed over and over again. I read about all the species that are dying and threatened, the ecosystems collapsing, the fishermen fighting for their livelihoods, and the coastal communities slammed by storms.

This book covered all these topics, but if you’re going to learn about this, (as we all should), we also have to be given the reasons to keep at it. We have to… show more.

This book. It’s like I found a treasure map for how to journey to a more beautiful, purposeful, just, and joyful planet.

It’s a collection of climate-centered essays and poems, a perfect balance of clearly-presented science education, relatable personal narratives, deeply-moving tributes to Mother Earth, strategic calls to collective action and policy re-invention, and effective, implementable solutions. And it’s written by a wonderfully diverse group of super-women, who understand that equity is more than a word, and systemic shifts are more than a concept.

I selected this book for my list because it’s a perfect format for a community read.… show more.

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, and environmental activist. Katharine K. Wilkinson is an educator, strategist, and co-founder, with Johnson, of The All We Can Save Project. This thoughtfully curated anthology of poetry, essays, and visual art by women in the environmental movement is a treasure, offering a diverse variety of voices that inspire active hope in the face of climate crisis and potential collapse. These voices don't always harmonize, nor should they, given all the uncertainties we face. The different perspectives offer many different ways to break through what can be paralyzing climate grief and climate… show more.

All We Can Save is a collection of nonfiction essays, art, and poems, by an inspiring group of women at the forefront of the climate movement. While studying global warming, I frequently found myself overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenges we collectively face. The best antidote was access to unique and diverse voices that reminded me I wasn’t facing the crisis alone. This anthology is bursting with them. From the life-affirming commitment of an indigenous leader protesting pipelines in Minnesota to the gallows humor of an undercover writer entertaining deliriously optimistic pitches from oceanfront property real estate agents in… show more.

This is a must-read. This book showcases the different perspectives of amazing women leading on climate all across the U.S. The solutions presented in this book come in the form of art, poetry, and essays. You get to read the work of journalists, scientists, farmers, and so many others across race, geographies, and generations compiled into one work. Instead of focusing solely on the problem, it’s a solution-oriented book which gives the reader so much hope, insight, and motivation. It’s beautiful to see what people can accomplish when they come together.

One of the most overlooked but essential aspects of addressing climate change effectively is to not only mourn the losses and acknowledge the anxiety, frustration, anger and other climate-induced emotions that are a natural response to what is happening in our world, we must also cultivate our ecological imaginations. Our brains are wired to register threats and negativity 3-5 times more strongly than positive events, so we need to actively seek out the progress being made. This book brings us fifty-eight chapters by powerful change-makers committing their life's work to addressing climate change. These women poets, scientists, journalists, activists, and… show more.

An anthology, All We Can Save captures the voices and expertise of sixty women leading efforts to address climate change, ranging from scientists to journalists to farmers. Laced with a sense of hope and possibility, the collection captures nuances, sentiments, and perspectives that are often absent in conversations about climate. The clear-eyed essays and stirring poems make one thing apparent: solving a crisis as complex as climate change requires a much larger negotiating table that gives everyone a seat.

All We Can Save is an anthology of about sixty essays, written by female activists, scientists, artists, policymakers, writers, and thinkers. Together, they offer an eclectic mix of styles and topics, coming from writers with a range of expertise. Wilkinson, a climate change activist, has noted that an impetus for the book was frustration with the fact that much of the public discourse on climate change has been dominated “by the same small cabal of white men.” But to adequately address the crisis at hand, the climate movement needs to expand its coalition, with ultimately everyone on board.

The diversity… show more.

This book has something for everybody—from poetry to pieces by leaders in climate action. The focus is on women’s work in the movement, and on an approach to climate action that centers on community, art, our emotional lives. Does it get better than that? This reframing of climate work around courage and community is a needed antidote to all the doomsday climate books (often by white men). The contributors are diverse—in ability, race, age, religious affiliation, profession, and so on—which models to readers that the frontlines for climate justice are everywhere, and everyone can participate. While it often feels like… show more.