Description
Book SynopsisReeling from a crisis of hope, lifelong activist Andrew Boyd seeks out today's leading climate thinkers, from collapse-psychologist Jamey Hecht to Indigenous botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer. "If it's the end of the world, now what?" he asks, as he steers us through our climate angst in search of a "better catastrophe."
Trade Review"Urgent, sobering reading."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"The most realistic yet least depressing end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it guide out there."
—Foreword Reviews, starred review
"The book is stunning. By delivering its devastating news in imaginative, engaging, and sometimes even hilarious ways, it marks the emergence of a new and genuinely exciting kind of realism."
—Brian Eno, musician and environmentalist
"A profound meditation on how to live in a world on the brink of collapse. Boyd moves gracefully beyond the usual talk of hope and despair to provide a startling vision of a future shaped not only by chaos, but also by compassionate care."
—Jenny Offill, author, Weather and Dept. of Speculation
"A heartfelt and humorous take on how to show up at 'the end of the world as we know it'."
—Britt Wray, PhD, Human and Planetary Health Fellow, Stanford University and author, Generation Dread
"I Want a Better Catastrophe is unlike anything else I've ever read about climate change, and how to keep living through it. For a start it's extremely funny. It is also angry, passionate, curious, honest, surprising, and very well-researched. Beyond its signature gallows humor, it brings a kind of deeply felt "gallows love" for the beauty and wonder of the world, and how we must fight to defend it."
—Nick Hunt, co-director, Dark Mountain Project, and author, Outlandish
"Time is clearly short—but I Want a Better Catastrophe proves it's never too late for a good laugh, a good cry, and a good call to action!"
—Bill McKibben, author, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon
"Through expert interviews, compassionate analysis, and deliciously dark wit, Boyd beats a path through the messy emotional and psychological terrain we must travel in order to face the future."
—Onnesha Roychoudhuri, author, The Marginalized Majority
"A rowdy, taboo-busting get-together of climate emergency thinkers."
—Josephine Ferorelli, co-founder, Conceivable Future
"A must read for its wit, and for the insights it offers."
—Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky
Table of ContentsPrologue: It's the End of the World. Now What?
Chapter 1: Impossible News
Interview: Guy McPherson "If we’re the last of our species, let’s act like the best of our species.”
Interview: Tim DeChristopher “It’s too late— which means there’s more to fight for than ever.”
Chapter 2: The Five Stages of Climate Grief
Interview: Meg Wheatley —“Give in without giving up.”
Chapter 3: Existential Crisis Scenario Planning
Interview: Gopal Dayaneni — “We’re going to suffer, so let’s distribute that suffering equitably.”
Chapter 4: How to Be White at the End of the World
Chapter 5: Is There Hope
Interview: Joanna Macy — “Be of service not knowing whether you’re a hospice worker or a midwife.”
Interview: Jamey Hecht — “Witness the whole human story through tragic eyes.”
Chapter 6: What Is Still Worth Doing
Interview: adrienne maree brown — “How do we fall as if we were holding a child on our chest?”
Interview: Robin Wall Kimmerer — “How can I be a good ancestor?”
Chapter 7: Experiments on the Verge
Chapter 8: Another End of the World Is Possible
Epilogue: Now Is When You Are Needed Most
Epi-Epilogue: Passing the Torch
Appendix: Stuff You Can (Still) Do
