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'Without countervailing voices, naming and challenging power, political freedom withers and dies. Without countervailing voices, a better world can never materialise. Without countervailing voices, wells will still be dug and bridges will still be built, but only for the few. Food will still be grown, but it will not reach the mouths of the poor. New medicines will be developed, but they will be inaccessible to many of those in need.' George Monbiot is one of the most vocal, and eloquent, critics of the current consensus. How Did We Get into this Mess?, based on his powerful journalism, assesses the state we are now in- the devastation of the natural world, the crisis of inequality, the corporate takeover of nature, our obsessions with growth and profit and the decline of the political debate over what to do. While his diagnosis of the problems in front of us is clear-sighted and reasonable, he also develops solutions to challenge the politics of fear. How do we stand up to the powerful when they seem to have all the weapons? What can we do to prepare our children for an uncertain future? Controversial, clear but always rigorously argued, How Did We Get into this Mess? makes a persuasive case for change in our everyday lives, our politics and economics, the ways we treat each other and the natural world.… (more)
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For those unfamiliar with Monbiot's activism and/or column in the Guardian this will be an excellent introduction to his writing and thinking. For those of us familiar with him, this presents a selection of essays which, taken as a whole, addresses the topics mentioned in the title. This is not a book written as a single argument so the reader is not presented with a laid-out plan but rather must use the introduction as a map with which to navigate through the essays and extract Monbiot's overarching points and suggestions. It is certainly more work for the reader but I think that is the point: to get the reader to formulate ideas from his essays rather than simply be given some hypothetical solution to the world's problems. In other words, my takeaway might be an idea about what I can do (locally, regionally, nationally or internationally) to also be a countervailing voice while another reader will have an entirely different action to take.
I would recommend this to any reader interested in these topics, particularly those who enjoy active reading. The essays are strong if simply read to learn his ideas but the power really comes from interacting and thinking about solutions actively.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
The author is wise enough not to
The articles are all over five years old now and the situation is even more clear than when the book was originally published. Still well worth a read.