Unsettling: Surviving Extinction Together

by Elizabeth Weinberg

Overview

The time has come to reimagine our relationship to the environment before it is too late.

As wildfires char the American West, extreme weather transforms landscapes, glaciers retreat, and climate zones shift, we are undeniably experiencing the effects of the climate crisis in more and more destructive ways. Climate change is impacting every inhabited region of the world, but there is much we can still do.

Unsettling explores human impacts on the environment through science, popular culture, personal narrative, and landscape. Using the stories of animals, landscapes, and people who have exhibited resilience in the face of persistent colonization across the North American continent, science writer Elizabeth Weinberg explores how climate change is a direct result of white supremacy, colonialism, sexism, and heteronormativity. Travel through the deep sea; along Louisiana's vanishing bayous; down the Colorado, Mississippi, and Potomac rivers; and over the Cascade Mountains, and examine how we as humans, particularly white humans, have drawn a stark line between human and animal, culture and nature, in order to exploit anything and anyone we find useful. With gorgeous and pointed prose, Weinberg weaves together science, personal essay, history, and pop culture to propose a new way of thinking about climate change--one that is rooted in queerness and antiracism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506482064
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	10/18/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	201
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Elizabeth Weinberg is a queer essayist and science communicator. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington, and her writing has appeared in The Rumpus, The Toast, American Wild Magazine, SEVENSEAS magazine, and other publications. She lives and writes in the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Chinook Peoples (Portland, Oregon) with her spouse, Leslie, and their dog, Pigeon.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Graveyard

2. Ice

3. Wilds

4. Survival

5. Extinction

6. River

7. Fire

8. Legacy

Editorial Reviews

07/11/2022

Essayist Weinberg debuts with an impassioned if uneven argument that the broad American conception of climate change has roots in colonialism and racism. Americans are far more culpable for warming the planet than politicians often admit, Weinburg writes, citing data that suggests that “from 1850 to 2014, our nation sent more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than any other.” That’s tied in with a colonial way of thinking, she posits, and is largely due to the loss of Indigenous ways of life: “In our quest for glory—for gold, for land, and now for oil—we’ve lost not only the culture-keepers but also physical records that might help us understand what we’ve lost.” But while she insists change is necessary, there isn’t much in the way of actionable advice, and the author spends much of her time stuck on winding reflections (“How do you radically change a world where extractive capitalism is the rule? How do you change the actions of eight billion people, each with their own agenda, whether it’s getting rich or just surviving?”). This might work as a thought exercise. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Weinberg's fresh observations and lyrical descriptions of wildlife and various environments create vivid word pictures for readers, and her unique book deserves a wide audience." —Booklist, starred review 

"Essayist Weinberg debuts with an impassioned... argument that the broad American conception of climate change has roots in colonialism and racism." —Publishers Weekly

"In her love letter to the environment, Elizabeth Weinberg threads through geography, plant, and animal existence to dislocate and relocate some of our colonizing mythologies in order to reconnect humans to the planet. Moving through a queer, feminist lens, readers can begin to radically rethink the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. A triumph of ecological imagination." —Lidia Yuknavitch, national bestselling author of The Book of Joan and The Chronology of Water

"From the gigantic glory of whale poop to the humbling majesty of Denali, Elizabeth Weinberg's Unsettling is a wonderfully scientific and passionately personal exploration of the intertwining human disasters of climate change and lack of social justice. Required reading for anyone thinking we are the dominant species." —Jon Scieszka, First US National Ambassador of Children's Literature, and author of the climate-activist graphic novel series AstroNuts

"Deeply researched and beautifully written, Unsettling deftly weaves memoir, history, and science to chronicle all we have lost: species, rivers, forests, Indigenous cultures and peoples, and our place in a living landscape. But in braiding Weinberg's own coming-out story with her profound connections to the world around her, Unsettling also presents a path away from an antagonistic relationship to the natural world and toward a fluid, equitable, and hopeful future." —Maya Sonenberg, author of Bad Mothers, Bad Daughters (winner of the Richard Sullivan Prize for Fiction)

"Facing the severe realities of climate change can be overwhelming. Liz Weinberg's dazzling book crafts a welcome entry ramp, inviting readers on a deeply researched, wonder-filled, big-hearted exploration. She weaves science, history, social justice, and personal growth into elegant nature writing with a conscience. Weinberg is a compelling tour guide, deepening our connection to the planet and one another." —Hannah Malvin, founder and director of Pride Outside

"'It's too late' are hopeless words that make us either fade back into the dissonance between humanity and the natural world or burn out in climate grief. Unsettling reminds us that beauty has not just existed but persists. Weinberg asks us what might happen if we meet each other's gaze, grieve what is lost, and resist the certain doom of 'It's too late,' to be the heroes we each need in what still is and what will be." —Jenny Bruso, founder of Unlikely Hikers

From the Publisher

Weinberg’s fresh observations and lyrical descriptions of wildlife and various environments create vivid word pictures for readers, and her unique book deserves a wide audience.”

Booklist (starred review)

Narrator Hillary Huber conveys the variety of emotions found in these personal essays, which urge listeners to rethink how they view climate change. A mix of science, history, and pop culture is all included in this discussion of the impact that colonialism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other systems of oppression have on the environment. Coming out as queer and building a love of nature are characterized with uncertainty and joy. What’s most striking is the rage and sadness we hear, particularly regarding those who haven’t done enough to save our planet, the AIDs epidemic, and the prospect of extinction. This heartfelt and impassioned narration aligns with this collection’s call for action. L.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2023 - AudioFile