The Human Age

Most books about the future are real bummers. Climate change, war, inequality... the problems seem insurmountable. This book helped me get past those feelings. Yes, we’ve royally screwed things up, but in lyrical prose Ackerman shows us that while it was our ingenuity that led us to screw up the environment, it’s also our ingenuity that can fix it, if we accept the challenge and responsibility. “We can become Earth-restorers,” she claims, “and Earth-guardians.” I like that. 

The experience of reading this book is like being teleported from your everyday life ‘bubble’ into the multidimensional ways humans have changed - and are changing - every aspect of the natural world. This transformative experience leads to pondering what these human-oriented legacies might be, as “our impact is already measurable on the geological record.” For me, the value is observing the author’s talents in weaving together scientific evidence with poetic and speculative storytelling - a fascinating, challenging technique for non-fiction writers in this area to study. A book to read more than once, generating much-needed hopeful discussion and visions… show more.