We Are The Weather Book Review

Category: Birds of Paradise-a story that will broaden your scope of the world

Genre: Non-fiction

Having graduated with a degree in sustainable food systems, I found We Are the Weather while I was looking for a book on the subject. I recognized Foer from his previous novels, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Everything is Illuminated. (I would also highly recommend these works.) The title intrigued me as did the mini synopsis, though both told me little about the content of the book. And so I began listening.

Let me say right off the bat, books on climate change are not fun. If you have any knowledge on the subject, you know this to be true. It’s hard to listen or engage in a subject that guarantees our impending doom (when it’s not science-fiction or post-apocalyptic fiction). I knew that going into this book having studied this stuff in college and having read other works that reinforce the ideas presented (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, Stuffed and Starved by Raj Patel, to name a few).

What makes We Are the Weather different is Foer’s writing. This is to say nothing of the titles mentioned above; they are all worthy of being read and should be read. But Foer’s writing style is in a league of its own, which I think the title clearly indicates. His writing is intimate and vulnerable and close, propelling the story swiftly forward even with the hard subject he’s handling. His scathing rebuke of his own inability to act when faced with this global crisis gives space for us as readers (and listeners) to reflect honestly ourselves. Why don’t we enact positive change when we are moved to do so? Why aren’t we moved to act more often? If we have the knowledge and feel morally obligated to do something, then why aren’t we?

We need books that challenge our assumptions. We need books with incredible storytelling. This story has both and I implore you to get yourself a copy.