Didactic and preachy... and I agree with her

Any additional comments?

This is a really important subject and someone should write a really good book about the clash between climate change and economics with the ability to persuade people who don't know much about the subject. This unfortunately is not that book - this book isn't going to change anyone's mind and contains very little actual information. Klein's didactic and preachy style works very well in her very entertaining TV, radio and podcast appearances but it quickly gets tiresome in a more lengthy format. Meandering, opinionated and light on science, actual journalism or even information this book reminds me of why I never finished the the Shock Doctrine. I am predisposed to agree with Klein on many things and am very interested in the subject but I couldn't finish listening to this.

Ellen Archer as always is a great Narrator.

26 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Yikes

Where does This Changes Everything rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is terrifying...

Who was your favorite character and why?

Joseph Stiglitz? He's in here somewhere, for like 2 seconds.

What does Ellen Archer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I can listen to this while I exercise. I guess that's what she brings to the story...

If you could give This Changes Everything a new subtitle, what would it be?

Look at How Badly We Are Destroying This Planet In Our Pursuit of Someone Else's Dumb Ideological Narrative That Mostly Benefits Misanthropic Oligarchs.

Any additional comments?

I like to listen to this while I exercise. I get an endorphin rush, which makes me feel good, and then I look at the world around me and take inventory of all the ways we're trashing our planet and our minds... That probably sounds depressing, but oddly enough seeing things more clearly provides an odd sense of relief, and I do find myself taking things that matter most for granted less. I feel like this book does change the way you think about life, and how it should be lived on this planet.I realize that for some people what equates to "socialism..." I hope one day we really can give true egalitarian capitalism a fair chance in this country.

20 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Comprehensive, but Overly Long

Any additional comments?

This book was clearly well researched and it was an interesting read, for sure. But I can't help but wonder who the audience was. I think I would have gained as much insight and sense of awe at what is happening, as well as an understanding of what is being done about it, in half the time. To put it more succinctly, I think it was too long. Don't get me wrong, you should read it. It is a startling analysis of where we are relative to climate change and the likelihood of irrevocable damage being done in the very, very near future. But you could probably listen to the first 10 hours of the book and then skip to the last 2 hours and end up in the same place as if you had read the whole book. For people doing research on this subject, this book is a treasure trove.

17 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Life-affirming handbook for the paradigm shift

If you, like me, have felt depressed, overwhelmed, or paralyzed by the climate crisis, or like me have retreated into denial or giving up on the human race, please read this book. Klein addresses all of these responses, helps the reader face the music in all of its horror, and reveals all of the inspiring ways in which members of our species are awakening and responding in very down-to-earth and effective ways. She leaves me feeling informed, empowered and strangely hopeful. If our species is to overcome the devastation brought about by our greediest and most short sighted members, then a radical shift in values is necessary, which is already in motion. Read this, face the music, and be inspired.

15 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Unproductive

What would have made This Changes Everything better?

Klein has an agenda, and it is not about saving the planet. She is anti-trade and anti-big business. She fights for every left wing cause in the book, even when one battle contradicts another. The battle against climate change is simply a vehicle for pushing for a slew of other goals. The result is a book that I think damages much more than it helps in the most important battle of our time -- to figure out how to stop run-away climate change.

What could Naomi Klein have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The book would have been more convincing if it had been more unbiased and more focused on a single issue. Merchants of Doubt is so much more effective even though it ends up being even more of a brutal attack on the climate deniers.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Frustration. Watch the adjectives. She has a remarkable knack for choosing dirty and despicable adjectives for everyone and every thing on the right and laudatory for everyone who she opposes.

9 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

No change here

I was looking for a book to provide a deeper understanding of the science on climate change and outline some clear minded solutions. This book is not that. I took the time to listen to the whole thing. It is basically a 21 hour rant filled with vitriol and vilification. If you are looking for a book that offers genuine suggestions on how to address the very real issue of climate change spend your time and money somewhere else.

8 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Extremely Important

This book should be mandatory reading for all politicians. The author expresses, in detail, with supporting evidence, that we need to significantly reduce our use of fossil fuels (including natural gas) before 2020, or the effects of climate change will be irreversible. She explores the possibilities of solving the problem using our current economic and political structure, and it does not look good. She also presents evidence that the "nonprofit" environmental organizations have sold out to the oil companies. After reading this book, you will see through the rhetoric of the corporate lapdogs who hold elected office. Reading this book is worthwhile. I hope it generates a groundswell of support for renewable energy. We have the technology to solve our climate change problem. We just need to force the oil companies to leave the stuff in the ground before they destroy our planet.

8 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

the truth hurts

full of great information, but wooooo boy is the truth distressing! I kept finding myself torn between hopeful and embracing full hedonism.

7 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Uninformed

Terrible book. Full of falsities and bad conclusions. Clearly this was written based off of news articles of today vs a full and informed basis on science from all sides as well as the worlds history.

7 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Naomi Klein kicking Arse

“This Changes Everything” (TCE) is an in your face analysis about the impending global climate crisis and the forces conspiring to obfuscate its cataclysmic consequences. The author, Naomi Klein, takes on the climate deniers, Republican Party, Fossil Fuel industry, billionaire philanthropists, and even President Obama in light of the impending climate catastrophe. Klein’s main hypothesis is that conservatives of this country are more aware of the consequences of climate changes resulting from human application of fossil fuels than any other group. However, the interventions needed to thwart the effects of carbon induced climate change are an anathema to the principles of the consecutive movement. These interventions include the very intrusive government regulation of the energy industry and an individual’s use of various energy products. The interventions needed to slow down the earth’s warming must include increased taxation in forms of carbon taxes to fund clean energies (wind and solar), development of mass transportation systems to negate the use cars, and the elimination of global consumer consumption (The Farmer’s Market to replace Walmart).

Klein suggests that conservatives would rather roast to death in a fossil fuel induced heatwave than succumb to the needed government regulation to manage man made climate change. For these reasons the fossil fuel industry has funded various climate denier associations and conferences in an effort of cast public doubt about the science related to human induced global warming. This is despite that fact that “97 percent of climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities, and most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position” (http://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/).

TCE is a great book! Her prose, writing style, ability to clearly explain complex scientific research, and maintain the engagement of the reader is exquisite. The reader can feel Klein’s desperateness in attempting to explain the realities and certitude of global warming on the future of the world’s economy, food sources, wildlife, and people. She is furiously attempting to wake up the American public from its comatose state of climate apathy and clear out all of the noise associated with this critically important subject.

I would strongly recommend you read this critically important book. TCE will open your eyes to the most pressing challenge facing human existence today and force you into action.
Another book that echoes a similar theme related to human motivation to change behavior for long-term good is “The Impulse Society”.

6 les gens ont trouvé cela utile