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Seeing Green
Described as a “timely, energetic and witty” story of a young woman “on a mission to puncture the stasis of Reagan-Bush environmental policy” (Book Review, Huffington Post, 04/04/2012), Seeing Green pays homage to the DC scene, international---and office---politics, and idealism. The novel also explores the rocky and rewarding terrain of family and personal relationships from the perspective of a multicultural protagonist in “a felicitously fast-moving, tightly organized narrative.” (Amazon book reviews). A thoughtful romp through the NGO world of 1992, Seeing Green “provides a refreshing contrast to today’s stale and polarized politics and reminds us that hope is possible.”
- GenresFiction
200 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2012
About the author
Annabel Lille Hertz
1 book44 followersAnnabel Lille Hertz is the author of Seeing Green, the story of a young activist’s jaunt into the world of environmentalism. This fresh narrative draws on her background with NGOs to engage readers in international politics and non-profiteering, and to show the multidimensionality of characters in this space. She plans to publish her next novel in 2025 or 2026.
Annabel studied International Relations, as well as public policy, at Harvard’s Kennedy School, American University's PhD program, SF State, UC Santa Cruz, the University of Sussex and the UN/Ralph Bunche Institute. Her adopted home is DC, but she's also lived in New York, Paris, Berlin, Geneva and Kingston, JA. She's currently a social entrepreneur, lecturer and sometime visual artist. Like Arcani, Seeing Green’s protagonist, she grew up in San Francisco and lives on espresso and avocados.
Annabel studied International Relations, as well as public policy, at Harvard’s Kennedy School, American University's PhD program, SF State, UC Santa Cruz, the University of Sussex and the UN/Ralph Bunche Institute. Her adopted home is DC, but she's also lived in New York, Paris, Berlin, Geneva and Kingston, JA. She's currently a social entrepreneur, lecturer and sometime visual artist. Like Arcani, Seeing Green’s protagonist, she grew up in San Francisco and lives on espresso and avocados.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 14, 2012
A very entertaining and humorous story of a young woman's political and personal journey. I just moved to DC and it was a great way to learn about what was happening here in the early nineties.
April 25, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. I met the author by chance in a European cafe and her friend convinced me to purchase the book. Well, I sat up the whole night reading the book as it was such an enjoyable story. At times I cringed at Arcani, often rooted for her, and anxiously waiting for the moment she unleashed on Caroline. I would highly recommend this book, after all, it introduced me to my wife.
April 28, 2014
Arcani Kirsch - a recent college graduate with Jewish-Hopi roots - is convinced that, just as her name implies, she is a woman who is 'destined for greatness'. Having attended the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, Arcani is subsequently compelled to do her part to make the world a better place after she witnesses the plight of the indigenous peoples.
To that end, Arcani leaves her west coast cocoon and joins Environ Mentality - an international conglomeration of green-minded businesses in Washington, DC, that are committed to getting the Earth Treaty ratified. The first step in implementing their plan is ensuring that the next US President attends a Ministerial meeting in Paris. Arcani sets the wheels in motion, and spearheads a campaign to do just that.
There are, however, various potholes along Arcani's environmental path: One of her former ultra nationalist professors has plagiarized her thesis; then there's the man who could derail her with his lustiness; the one who wants her to come to Christ; and the one she'd written off as dead. Not to mention having to cope with Caroline, her albatross of a sister. Yes, the path to Paris is indeed muddy.
But Arcani plows ahead, trying to stay true to her vision, making sure that her methods are kosher, and that her doting Aunt Lillian is proud of her. En route to the Ministerial, Arcani makes her mark on the world in totally unexpected ways. Against a backdrop of world events that are highly relevant to today, Seeing Green by Annabel Hertz explores the lighter side to dedicating oneself to changing a world that's rather resistant to change; as well as drawing on themes of individuality and enlightenment.
I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting when I first started this book - although the synopsis certainly was very intriguing. I must say that I found this story extremely funny. Arcani's personality shone through to me, I sympathized with her and appreciated that she stayed true to her principles. I give Seeing Green by Annabel Hertz a definite A!
To that end, Arcani leaves her west coast cocoon and joins Environ Mentality - an international conglomeration of green-minded businesses in Washington, DC, that are committed to getting the Earth Treaty ratified. The first step in implementing their plan is ensuring that the next US President attends a Ministerial meeting in Paris. Arcani sets the wheels in motion, and spearheads a campaign to do just that.
There are, however, various potholes along Arcani's environmental path: One of her former ultra nationalist professors has plagiarized her thesis; then there's the man who could derail her with his lustiness; the one who wants her to come to Christ; and the one she'd written off as dead. Not to mention having to cope with Caroline, her albatross of a sister. Yes, the path to Paris is indeed muddy.
But Arcani plows ahead, trying to stay true to her vision, making sure that her methods are kosher, and that her doting Aunt Lillian is proud of her. En route to the Ministerial, Arcani makes her mark on the world in totally unexpected ways. Against a backdrop of world events that are highly relevant to today, Seeing Green by Annabel Hertz explores the lighter side to dedicating oneself to changing a world that's rather resistant to change; as well as drawing on themes of individuality and enlightenment.
I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting when I first started this book - although the synopsis certainly was very intriguing. I must say that I found this story extremely funny. Arcani's personality shone through to me, I sympathized with her and appreciated that she stayed true to her principles. I give Seeing Green by Annabel Hertz a definite A!
April 25, 2014
April 22, 2014 was Earth Day but it is and should be celebrated year round. If we want to be sustained by this planet we call Earth-then we must sustain her as well, or suffer the consequences. We can't let the greed, not to mention the ignorance of big business turn our planet into one which will not be fit to live in. We, the little people, are all trying in our own way to help. Whether we recycle and reuse, help to clean up the garbage strewn in our wilderness areas, sign petitions or just by teaching our children, every little bit helps.
When I was asked to read Seeing Green by JKS Communications, I knew I had to read and review this book. You see I have an environmental science degree and during those college years (I actually went back at age 40 to get this degree)I water sampled with an environmental group for the entire 4 years. I also helped at the environmental fairs where I was set up both to get signatures for various and sundry current affairs (Stopping the hormones going into cows which ended up in our milk was one of them) and to collect money at the food location (I am a bookkeeper!). Somewhere in the middle of these college years the Earth Summit was held in Rio. To learn a bit more about this treaty click into Wikipedia to start-then go from there
Arcani Kirsch recently graduated college and managed to get a job in EnvironMentality which was an International association of Green minded businesses in Washington, DC. She had been to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and was bound and determined to get the United States to the next conference and to agree to and ratify the Earth Treaty. As you might suspect, Arcani hit roadblocks almost everywhere she turned--but she kept her sight on the prize!
Seeing Green
When I was asked to read Seeing Green by JKS Communications, I knew I had to read and review this book. You see I have an environmental science degree and during those college years (I actually went back at age 40 to get this degree)I water sampled with an environmental group for the entire 4 years. I also helped at the environmental fairs where I was set up both to get signatures for various and sundry current affairs (Stopping the hormones going into cows which ended up in our milk was one of them) and to collect money at the food location (I am a bookkeeper!). Somewhere in the middle of these college years the Earth Summit was held in Rio. To learn a bit more about this treaty click into Wikipedia to start-then go from there
Arcani Kirsch recently graduated college and managed to get a job in EnvironMentality which was an International association of Green minded businesses in Washington, DC. She had been to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and was bound and determined to get the United States to the next conference and to agree to and ratify the Earth Treaty. As you might suspect, Arcani hit roadblocks almost everywhere she turned--but she kept her sight on the prize!
Seeing Green
May 10, 2015
Arcani Kirsch is an environmentally conscious individual of Hopi and Jewish heritage. you like her the minute you meet her and the rest of the characters that she meets along the way. Even the ones she really doesn't care for. It has a lot of comedic elements to it and you might even learn a thing or two about something you may or may not have had any interest in. So be prepared for a humorous tale that will keep you engrossed till the end and you'll enjoy every bit of it.
September 15, 2012
This was a fun and fast read. Always a great thing when you don't want to put the book down. You are rooting for Arcani to prevail all the way through feeling her pain and frustration along the way.
Also a fun look inside the world of politics without being too overwhelming.
Also a fun look inside the world of politics without being too overwhelming.
May 27, 2014
As soon as I saw how big of an element politics played in this novel, I thought eek, no way! I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book!
http://littlemisstrainwreck.com/2014/...
http://littlemisstrainwreck.com/2014/...
January 9, 2015
I have to give it a 4.5/5 and I can't say it any better than those who rated it 4's and 5's. So that someone else can enjoy this I will be paying it forward as I do with most my GoodReads win and give this to a friend to enjoy.
August 31, 2012
I remember why I stopped reading fiction. I found it to be overwrought and implausible. It wasn't awful, just not my style.
October 30, 2013
This book gets 3 stars because my husband (not on goodreads) really liked it. I had a much harder time with it, but the fact that he enjoyed it so much indicates that at least some of the issues I had are my own, and not the book's.
I found the main character so irritating that I could barely get past her to just enjoy the story. Arcani is not only a walking stereotype, but a complete set of matching stereotypes. She is severely judgmental, cemented in her views (no one else's even might have merit), and exhibits very little logic behind any of her decisions. To be clear, I agree with nearly every political view the character held, just in a less tyrannical way.
Our heroine is a vegetarian, and she feels the need to announce to everyone around her of this fact, constantly justifying her decision as though it needs defending. And truth be told, during my own periods of vegetarianism I never found anyone who did not understand the concept or not believe me, so the reactions of her contemporaries feels forced and unrealistic. She is also a feminist and is not religious (both of which are are aspects of her personality to which I should have been able to relate), but as with every other conviction she holds, she clings to these too rabidly. She judges those around her instantly and allows no room for error in her perceptions (though this does ease up a little bit as you near the end of the book). Her approach to every situation is combative, and her disdain for those who do not hold her political and social views is unmistakable. Her time in Europe was painful for me, and I physically cringed as Arcani judged, patronized, and ultimately insulted every person with whom she interacted. She was the embodiment of "ugly American", and I felt ashamed to have her as a fictional representative of my nationality. She is so quick to judge and condemn the choices and lifestyles of others that she seems incapable of evaluating her own.
The only example I found of her complexity was that while she was a staunch feminist, her life and thoughts were often dominated by her obsessive attachments (or lack thereof) to the men in her life. This also got old for me pretty quickly, and made Arcani that much less relateable.
On the bright side, the plot moves along at a steady pace and is an interesting story. I enjoyed the historical references, and the context in which the narrative was set.
As mentioned above, my husband thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it to be a fun read. He liked the plot, and Arcani did not seem to bother him as much as she bothered me. He was able to take this book as a fun and entertaining read, and had nothing bad to say about it.
I received this book as a promotional copy through the GoodReads Giveaways.
I found the main character so irritating that I could barely get past her to just enjoy the story. Arcani is not only a walking stereotype, but a complete set of matching stereotypes. She is severely judgmental, cemented in her views (no one else's even might have merit), and exhibits very little logic behind any of her decisions. To be clear, I agree with nearly every political view the character held, just in a less tyrannical way.
Our heroine is a vegetarian, and she feels the need to announce to everyone around her of this fact, constantly justifying her decision as though it needs defending. And truth be told, during my own periods of vegetarianism I never found anyone who did not understand the concept or not believe me, so the reactions of her contemporaries feels forced and unrealistic. She is also a feminist and is not religious (both of which are are aspects of her personality to which I should have been able to relate), but as with every other conviction she holds, she clings to these too rabidly. She judges those around her instantly and allows no room for error in her perceptions (though this does ease up a little bit as you near the end of the book). Her approach to every situation is combative, and her disdain for those who do not hold her political and social views is unmistakable. Her time in Europe was painful for me, and I physically cringed as Arcani judged, patronized, and ultimately insulted every person with whom she interacted. She was the embodiment of "ugly American", and I felt ashamed to have her as a fictional representative of my nationality. She is so quick to judge and condemn the choices and lifestyles of others that she seems incapable of evaluating her own.
The only example I found of her complexity was that while she was a staunch feminist, her life and thoughts were often dominated by her obsessive attachments (or lack thereof) to the men in her life. This also got old for me pretty quickly, and made Arcani that much less relateable.
On the bright side, the plot moves along at a steady pace and is an interesting story. I enjoyed the historical references, and the context in which the narrative was set.
As mentioned above, my husband thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it to be a fun read. He liked the plot, and Arcani did not seem to bother him as much as she bothered me. He was able to take this book as a fun and entertaining read, and had nothing bad to say about it.
I received this book as a promotional copy through the GoodReads Giveaways.
April 28, 2018
***I won this book via the Goodreads Giveaway program. This has not influenced my review.***
Ironically, I started reading this book on Earth Day. It's about a young lady who wants to make a difference in the world through activism and non-profit work. At least I think that is what this book is about.
As I was reading, I felt like each chapter contained different vignettes and anecdotal stories about this young lady's life but none of the stories are actually connected. After reading the book, I am lost as to what this book is actually about. I didn't really care about the main character because she's written as a sometimes vengeful, sometimes smart, sometimes entrepreneurial, sometimes immature person. I don't really know who she is.
In a nutshell, I am not sure what I just read. But I didn't really care for it.
Ironically, I started reading this book on Earth Day. It's about a young lady who wants to make a difference in the world through activism and non-profit work. At least I think that is what this book is about.
As I was reading, I felt like each chapter contained different vignettes and anecdotal stories about this young lady's life but none of the stories are actually connected. After reading the book, I am lost as to what this book is actually about. I didn't really care about the main character because she's written as a sometimes vengeful, sometimes smart, sometimes entrepreneurial, sometimes immature person. I don't really know who she is.
In a nutshell, I am not sure what I just read. But I didn't really care for it.
March 9, 2017
I won this book in the Goodreads Giveaways!
I found it very difficult to read Because of the specific Lingo. You should make it easier so it Will be more approachable and Nicer to read for people outside the world of politics. Also rewrite it Because there are regular typos. You forget a lot of articles Which makes the text Sometimes a bit confusing.
Also, I would say to give it a more detailed ending. We want to know If Arcani ended with Ernesto.
I found it very difficult to read Because of the specific Lingo. You should make it easier so it Will be more approachable and Nicer to read for people outside the world of politics. Also rewrite it Because there are regular typos. You forget a lot of articles Which makes the text Sometimes a bit confusing.
Also, I would say to give it a more detailed ending. We want to know If Arcani ended with Ernesto.
September 15, 2012
Interesting take on the wonkier aspects of environmentalism and on how DC works. I love historical fiction!
December 29, 2014
A unique story of growth, environmental awareness and finding your way in this world. Readers will enjoy this exciting story.
September 21, 2018
Didn't love it, didn't hate it.
Received a complementary copy via GoodreadsGiveaway
Received a complementary copy via GoodreadsGiveaway
May 5, 2021
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
This was not enjoyable. There was way too much going on. For example, she has four different love interests during the book, which is great (Get yours, girl!), bur it was a lot to track. The author was still introducing new plot points at 94% of the novel read and nothing was ever really resolved.
The worst part was that I had not taken the pre-requisite course in early 90's environmental policy that I would have needed to understand everything that was happening in this book.
Don't bother.
This was not enjoyable. There was way too much going on. For example, she has four different love interests during the book, which is great (Get yours, girl!), bur it was a lot to track. The author was still introducing new plot points at 94% of the novel read and nothing was ever really resolved.
The worst part was that I had not taken the pre-requisite course in early 90's environmental policy that I would have needed to understand everything that was happening in this book.
Don't bother.
January 15, 2019
I won this book in a giveaway. I am extremely environmentally conscious, and thought I would enjoy this book. There was something about the tone of the writing that didn't work for me. I would say there was an underlying bitterness that I felt while reading. Even during scenes when good things happened to the main character, she still seemed angry and unhappy. I also thought it ended rather abruptly.
March 14, 2018
The main character Arcani had recently graduated college and gets a job at a non-profit but all is not rosy. She is an environmental activist and tree hugger, coming to terms with her job, her family, and her ex's. Diving into the murk of policy and politics she stays strong, witty and relatable. An honest visit back to the 90’s. An enjoyable read.
October 8, 2015
Ms Hertz' "Seeing Green" is a vivid portrayal of Arcani, an environmental activist and endearing tree hugger, coming to terms with her job, her family, and her ex's. In short, her life.
I almost could not put the book down, reading in 2 1/2 sittings.
Especially poignant was the protagonist's interactions with her tender, elderly aunt Lilian and her suitor/future boyfriend Ernesto, a handsome lad with a dreamy personality.
Ms Hertz uses vivid metaphors and lively similes, a refreshing return to true literature for the style conscious.
In addition, through her wise use of "fifty-cent words," she raises the bar to an erudite level.
Sequel? Cannot wait!
I almost could not put the book down, reading in 2 1/2 sittings.
Especially poignant was the protagonist's interactions with her tender, elderly aunt Lilian and her suitor/future boyfriend Ernesto, a handsome lad with a dreamy personality.
Ms Hertz uses vivid metaphors and lively similes, a refreshing return to true literature for the style conscious.
In addition, through her wise use of "fifty-cent words," she raises the bar to an erudite level.
Sequel? Cannot wait!
February 26, 2016
A fun read
An enjoyable visit to the early 90s. The protagonist is clearly more young, idealistic, and naive than at the end of the story, but it was fun watching several of the characters learn and grow throughout the story.
An enjoyable visit to the early 90s. The protagonist is clearly more young, idealistic, and naive than at the end of the story, but it was fun watching several of the characters learn and grow throughout the story.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews