The Bill McKibben Reader: Pieces from an Active Life by Bill McKibbenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I first picked up this book the thought was to read a few of the essays here and there, but not to read the entire book. Yet as I got immersed in the essays I realized that I would indeed read the entirety.
Like most books that collect pieces through the years some are better than others. On the whole these are interesting and good pieces. All were magazine articles previously published roughly during the 1990's and early 2000's, with the book being published in 2008. There is a good introduction piece an the essays are grouped together thematically. Add to this an index and it is the way a good book of essays should be published.
As an environmental writer you'd expect the work to be focused there, but this isn't entirely the case. At times McKibben writes about his spiritual side, his work with the church. Other times about himself personally. The last section and pieces are more personal, dealing with his father dying and his own year of intense physical training. Often there is an insert of a line or two about climate change, but again, not always. And while the essays are at times aged, they still hold up to a current reading. And a few are startling for the differences the years have brought in change.
Read: Feb.07-April.09 2019
Previously Read Bill McKibben books:
- The End of Nature (NonFiction)
- (5 stars) Jan-Feb.2019
- Radio Free Vermont: A Fable of Resistance (Fiction)
- (4 stars) January.2019
Bill McKibben books read later:
- Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? (NonFiction)
- (3 stars) May.2019
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