All We Can Save Open Discussion

[Adrienne]

Hello lovely book club!

For this month's book, we have decided to do things a bit differently. We will have an open discussion here for All We Can Save where you can post your thoughts, questions, quotes, etc. all month long. We may provide some additional questions and prompts later on in the month, but we will let you know when the time comes!

So please share any thoughts you have while you're reading along with us this month.

Thanks for being here and happy reading- we have a feeling you'll really enjoy this book.

[[deleted user]]

I just started reading the book this morning and I'm delighted to learn about Eunice Newton Foote.

I'd forgotten that people had theorized about carbon dioxide affecting temperatures back in the 1850's. It really makes the fact that we've known global warming was a real thing/threat since the 1960's even worse, because we had an idea that it might be come a problem a hundred years earlier.

[Claire]

As the author of environmental fiction for tweens and teens I am delighted that All We Can Save highlights the importance of youth from all corners of the globe taking a leading role in the revolution to reduce the dire consequences of the climate crises. Yesterday a tornado in our neighborhood destroyed many homes (I live in Birmingham, Alabama). Climate change is happening, writing about it is powerful way to inspire people to take action (my blogs: mediamint.net).

[Juliet]

I'm maybe 1/3 through this and there have already been so many quotes that have really resonated with me, and really made me think about how I think and communicate about climate change with other people. One that I just read that blew my mind was from Kendra Pierre-Louis about the media we consume: "what does it say that spinning a story about humans moving into a radioactive vacuum resonates more strongly with many people than our chances of reducing greenhouse gas emissions". It really hit home how conditioned we are to consume consume consume, to the point that billionaires are planning to move us all to Mars rather than use their resources to keep our current planet habitable.

[Thushara]

Hi folks! I started reading the book this week. I am loving the intro to the book, with its focus on contributions made by women. I had no idea about Eunice Newton Foote.
A quote that stood out for me: "Because movements don't alter history by saying: what if we don't succeed?....some things will never change...the odds seem really long...maybe we'll never get the right to vote, to marry, to be free... Without knowing the outcome, we have to try anyway; without a single guarantee, we must show up."

[Claire]

To dream the impossible dream ... you know the rest.

[Jennifer]

Adrienne wrote: "Hello lovely book club!

For this month's book, we have decided to do things a bit differently. We will have an open discussion here for All We Can Save where you can post your thoughts, questions,..."

Agreed...! I am just wrapping up the second section, "Advocate". So far I love the format--such a wide variety of voices and perspectives, not to mention literary genre. The poetry has been poignant and moving!

I typically make good use of Kindle's highlighting feature but already I have 70+! I appreciate the type formatting that emphasizes facts and important take-aways.

Enjoy...
Jennifer

[[deleted user]]

"Obviously, this was wrong, and this guy was a dangerous idiot"

In the essay by Emily Atkin, "Truth be told"

(Sometimes the best quotes are just ones that make you smirk)

[Juliet]

I'm racing through this now and it is so powerful. I cried my eyes out at most of the chapters in the 'Feel' section but then felt so much hope in the 'Nourish' section. I never thought I would have such strong feelings about soil

[Thushara]

All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis

I just completed the essay by Kate Marvel - A Handful of Dust. It was so beautifully written. I loved the way she spoke about interconnection in nature. A quote that stood out for me:

"Courage is the resolve to do well without the assurance of a happy ending"

One essay a day is my goal moving forward.

[Jim]

Marvel's is good - "The living Earth is a sum of delicate balances, the culmination of a more-than-four-billion-year history of improbable coincidences an opportunistic alliances." Also, geoengineering is a constant source of angst for me.

A key takeaway so far (3/4 finished) is how so many of the writers are scientists but they are never sidetracked into making heavy scientific arguments.

[Jim]

Just finished it. A remarkably powerful collection. As I mentioned before, it's amazing how with so many writers, the book never gets bogged down in heavy technical language. Organizing the essays into eight headings helps propel forward what is in fact a single story: what's wrong, how did we get here, how do we get out. (I also like the artwork that begins each heading.) Strange to describe a book about the climate crisis as lyrical, but this is. But above all else, it is a story of hope - we can still triumph over decades of lies, violence, and pollution. As the editors write: "Let's proceed with broken-open hearts, seeking truth, summoning courage, and focused on solutions."

[Kristin]

Hi everyone,

I'm still reading All We Can Save (had to return it back to the library or pay a bunch in fines), but I'm really enjoying it so far. I can't wait to buy my own copy and record all of the quotes that I've found impactful, there are so many!

If you haven't heard it already, you should check out Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson's episode on the Ologies podcast. I really enjoyed it.