Unsettling, Elizabeth Weinberg
Unsettling, Elizabeth Weinberg
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Unsettling
Surviving Extinction Together

Author: Elizabeth Weinberg

Narrator: Hillary Huber

Unabridged: 6 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/18/2022


Synopsis

The time has come to reimagine our relationship to the environment before it is too late.As wildfires char the American West, extreme weather transforms landscapes, glaciers retreat, and climate zones shift, we are undeniably experiencing the effects of the climate crisis in more and more destructive ways. Climate change is impacting every inhabited region of the world, but there is much we can still do.Unsettling explores human impacts on the environment through science, popular culture, personal narrative, and landscape. Using the stories of animals, landscapes, and people who have exhibited resilience in the face of persistent colonization across the North American continent, science writer Elizabeth Weinberg explores how climate change is a direct result of white supremacy, colonialism, sexism, and heteronormativity. Travel through the deep sea; along Louisiana’s vanishing bayous; down the Colorado, Mississippi, and Potomac rivers; and over the Cascade Mountains, and examine how we as humans, particularly white humans, have drawn a stark line between human and animal, culture and nature, in order to exploit anything and anyone we find useful. With gorgeous and pointed prose, Weinberg weaves together science, personal essay, history, and pop culture to propose a new way of thinking about climate change—one that is rooted in queerness and antiracism.

About Elizabeth Weinberg

Elizabeth Weinberg is a queer essayist and science communicator. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington, and her writing has appeared in The Rumpus, The Toast, American Wild Magazine, SEVENSEAS magazine, and other publications. She lives and writes in the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Chinook Peoples (Portland, Oregon) with her spouse, Leslie, and their dog, Pigeon.

About Hillary Huber

Hillary Huber is one of the most successful voice talents in Los Angeles. Recent books read for Blackstone Audio include Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him by Patricia Marx, A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read, and A Map of Glass by Jane Urquhart.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Emily on October 12, 2022

A beautifully written, thoroughly researched, thought-provoking book. Each essay jumps between places and times, mixing history on a geologic scale, human history, and personal experiences in an engaging way. The personal details - memories of Disney movies, backpacking trips, and everything in betw......more

Goodreads review by Miriam on October 13, 2022

This wonderful book completely puts to rest the idea that books about science are dry and technical. The lyrical beauty of the words combined with the passions of the author create a moving and thought-provoking book about the disastrous state of our natural world. The same poetic prose that is used......more

Goodreads review by Ellie on July 19, 2024

As you can see, I flew through this book in a day. I can confidently say that it is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Weinberg effortlessly weaved together their lived experiences—particularly being queer in outdoor spaces—with captivating narratives about our changing climate and bi......more

Goodreads review by Meg on October 12, 2022

Unsettling is at once a call to action and a memoir woven together with highly digestible and interesting scientific stories. Weinberg reimagines our relationships with nature, each other, and ourselves by challenging our preconceived notions of identity and what is possible in the face of overwhelm......more

Goodreads review by Christopher on October 17, 2022

Glaciers! Avengers! Whale poop! Weinberg opens and examines issues of science, history, and culture, queering the essay itself as she puts unlikely pieces together to exact meaning and humor and heart. With all the clarity of a science writer, the humanity of a memoirist, and the urgency of an activ......more


Quotes

“Narrator Hillary Huber conveys the variety of emotions found in these personal essays…This heartfelt and impassioned narration aligns with this collection’s call for action.” AudioFile

“Weinberg’s fresh observations and lyrical descriptions of wildlife and various environments create vivid word pictures for readers, and her unique book deserves a wide audience.” Booklist (starred review)

“[An] argument that the broad American conception of climate change has roots in colonialism and racism.” Publishers Weekly

“[A] love letter to the environment…Moving through a queer, feminist lens, readers can begin to radically rethink the stories we tell ourselves about who we are.” Lidia Yuknavitch, author of The Chronology of Water

“A wonderfully scientific and passionately personal exploration of the intertwining human disasters of climate change and lack of social justice. Required reading for anyone thinking we are the dominant species.” Jon Scieszka, first US national ambassador of children’s literature and author of AstroNuts