Rating: 9
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh | 2016
The Great Derangement is one of the best books I’ve ever read about the current state of environmental issues and climate change. Ghosh is an exceptional writer both in nonfiction and fiction (see Gun Island), and his understanding of these topics is brilliantly evident. This book is broken down into three succinct sections (Stories, History, and Politics) with a refreshing emphasis on art’s relation to our changing world and culture. What Ghosh calls “The Great Derangement” is a damning assertion that humanity collectively is unable to comprehend the significance of climate change. For those of us who feel aware of the problem and are actively pursuing ways to mitigate its impacts, The Great Derangement serves a striking wake-up call to the realization that we’re a part of this inability.
“When future generations look back upon the Great Derangement they will certainly blame the leaders and politicians of this time for their failure to address the climate crisis. But they may well hold artists and writers to be equally culpable--for the imaging of possibilities is not, after all, the job of politicians and bureaucrats.”