★★★☆☆
We are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast by Johnathan Safran Foer discusses the impact of what we eat on the climate. I came into this book believing the climate crisis is real and urgent and that large-scale changes in human behavior are our best hope in solving the challenges. This book identifies what one of those changes needs to be to reduce our negative impact on the planet.
Foer uses a non-traditional writing style, employing a tapestry of metaphors, jarring facts, chapters made up solely of bullet points, and entire sections of musings to himself to get his main points across. His unique writing style had a mixed effect on me. The facts and analogies captured my attention, while the bullet points and conversations with himself didn’t work as well. The lack of transitions and setup for those parts gave the book an unfinished feel, reading like journal notes and drafts that weren’t fully developed before the book was published.
“Humanity has a tendency to underestimate its own power to create and destroy.”
Johnathan Safran Foer, We Are the Weather
The book presents some interesting facts and quotable nuggets, but two issues kept this from being a five-star read for me. First, many of the most interesting facts presented had little to do with the author’s main points. For example, I learned Rosa Parks was not the first woman to resist bus segregation, as I had always been taught in school. This is a fact I am glad to know, but I’m not likely to remember how it connected to climate change.
Second, the inconsistencies between what the author preaches and does was problematic. His main argument is that humans need to adopt a vegan diet; however, he admits that he hasn’t been able to do that himself. I understand how openly admitting personal failings and shortcomings can inspire others to choose progress over perfection when making major behavioral and lifestyle changes. However, his “do as I say, not as I do” attitude pushes past this point, causing him to lose some credibility in my eyes.
This book would have been more powerful if it contained more concrete tips for adopting a vegan lifestyle.
