Rating: 10
We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast
Jonathan Safran Foer | 2019
I became interested in Jonathan Safran Foer’s writing after reading two of his earlier novels—Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close—last year. While I enjoyed these stories I was particularly excited when I learned that he’s turned his attention to writing about the agricultural industry and our ever-increasing consumption of meat. I’m always interested when talented writers transition to nonfiction—particularly when it’s related to climate and the environment—so I chose to read his most recent book: We Are the Weather. In short, this was one of the most compelling books I’ve read about climate change. The book’s focus—eating significantly less meat—is concise, the writing varies by section but is succinct and effective, and, perhaps most importantly, his call to action is concrete and doable, unlike so many books that end with some general suggestion to enact new policy (which is essential, but not meaningful for the vast majority of readers). Foer seamlessly weaves historical stories, personal anecdotes, climate change statistics, and profound insights together to create a short, powerful, and spellbinding book about the absolute need for collective action. I admire his ability to talk around a subject, sharing seemingly vague and unrelated stories—like the first recorded suicide note, “the wave” performed at baseball games, or his grandmother’s survival during the Holocaust—only to bring it back later in order to complete a perfect metaphor.
I’ve read a decent amount of negative reviews for We Are the Weather yet I couldn’t find a single point raised that merited serious consideration. The majority of criticisms concerned his abstract style (which I found welcomingly refreshing—for the exact opposite of this see my review for Inconspicuous Consumption, which is painfully dry, direct, and flat) and the fact that he focuses too much on agricultural contributions to climate change (which is the entire point of the book). I’m vaguely aware of Foer’s negative public perception in some respects. I listened to an episode of a podcast last year that discussed his cringey and pretentious email exchange with Natalie Portman. I don’t know why that warrants such vicious criticism but I can’t help but feel that these judgments about him partially influenced these negative reviews. What matters is that more facts and figures about climate change aren’t going to incite further collective action; we’ve known the reality of this planetary crisis for decades. Just as home-front efforts during World War II were essential for victory, what we need is for everyone to step up and do their part. I believe we need more compelling works of fiction and nonfiction that inspire us to think differently about these problems and actually encourage readers to enact change instead of telling them what should be done. We Are the Weather fundamentally transformed my attitude towards consuming animal products and the ability of the individual to help prevent global catastrophe. In my opinion, any book that can provoke its reader to seriously reconsider their convictions is worth the time.
“Home-front efforts during WWII were not enough, on their own, to win the war, but the war could not have been won without home-front efforts. Changing how we eat will not be enough, on its own, to save the planet, but we cannot save the planet without changing how we eat.”
“Land that could feed hungry populations is instead reserved for livestock that will feed overfed populations. When we think about food waste, we need to stop imagining half-eaten meals and instead focus on the waste involved in bringing food to the plate.”