Describe Based On Books The World Without Us
Title | : | The World Without Us |
Author | : | Alan Weisman |
Book Format | : | Hardcover |
Book Edition | : | First Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 324 pages |
Published | : | July 10th 2007 by Thomas Dunne Books |
Categories | : | Nonfiction. Science. Environment. Nature. History |
Alan Weisman
Hardcover | Pages: 324 pages Rating: 3.8 | 35883 Users | 3404 Reviews
Interpretation Concering Books The World Without Us
A penetrating, page-turning tour of a post-human EarthIn The World Without Us, Alan Weisman offers an utterly original approach to questions of humanity's impact on the planet: he asks us to envision our Earth, without us. In this far-reaching narrative, Weisman explains how our massive infrastructure would collapse and finally vanish without human presence; which everyday items may become immortalized as fossils; how copper pipes and wiring would be crushed into mere seams of reddish rock; why some of our earliest buildings might be the last architecture left; and how plastic, bronze sculpture, radio waves, and some man-made molecules may be our most lasting gifts to the universe.
The World Without Us reveals how, just days after humans disappear, floods in New York's subways would start eroding the city's foundations, and how, as the world's cities crumble, asphalt jungles would give way to real ones. It describes the distinct ways that organic and chemically treated farms would revert to wild, how billions more birds would flourish, and how cockroaches in unheated cities would perish without us. Drawing on the expertise of engineers, atmospheric scientists, art conservators, zoologists, oil refiners, marine biologists, astrophysicists, religious leaders from rabbis to the Dalai Lama, and paleontologists—who describe a prehuman world inhabited by megafauna like giant sloths that stood taller than mammoths—Weisman illustrates what the planet might be like today, if not for us.
From places already devoid of humans (a last fragment of primeval European forest; the Korean DMZ; Chernobyl), Weisman reveals Earth's tremendous capacity for self-healing. As he shows which human devastations are indelible, and which examples of our highest art and culture would endure longest, Weisman's narrative ultimately drives toward a radical but persuasive solution that needn't depend on our demise. It is narrative nonfiction at its finest, and in posing an irresistible concept with both gravity and a highly readable touch, it looks deeply at our effects on the planet in a way that no other book has.
Point Books In Pursuance Of The World Without Us
Original Title: | The World Without Us |
Edition Language: | English |
Literary Awards: | Orion Book Award Nominee (2008), National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for General Nonfiction (2007) |
Rating Based On Books The World Without Us
Ratings: 3.8 From 35883 Users | 3404 ReviewsPiece Based On Books The World Without Us
If you are like me The World Without Us will cause you want to do one of two things. A: Find a remote wilderness and build a cabin. Add a few chickens, goats, cows ect. and live off the land with as much peace of mind you can muster until man destroys the planet. Or B. Say "AWWW F**K IT", and put all regular, old fashioned light bulbs in all your lamps and turn them on. Leave your house, with the air conditioner running, get in your Hummer, and drive across the country..just because you can. EatThis book tries to imagine what the world would be like if we were just raptured away or abducted by aliens, with little or no warning. Despite being ostensibly a book about the world without us, it turns out to mostly be a book about us. Or, more accurately, what weve done to the world, which the world will have to cope with whether were here and part of that or not. If youre science-aware, theres probably not much to learn in fact, if youre up on your climate science, whats here is very basic
In The World Without Us, Alan Weisman attempts to answer the question of what would happen to the earth if, for whatever reason, humans were to completely disappear tomorrow. While its a fascinating premise, one that Weisman undoubtedly put a lot of time and effort into, the execution falters. Inevitably, its hard to stretch what was initially a short essay into a full book, but thats how The World Without Us got going. Structurally, the book is broken down into four parts with chapters
On the surface, this clever book describes what the world would be like if humans were to suddenly disappear from the face of the earth. Alan Weisman begins the book by describing the probable fate of man's buildings, structures--above and below ground, and cultural artifacts. For example, New York subways would completely flood within days. Interestingly, our longest-lasting legacy will probably be the radio signals transmitted into space.But the majority of this engaging book is really about
This is a worldwide documentary book, in the fashion of Jacques Cousteau, or more recently a few BBC programs. The inciting question is a bit strange: what would happen, should the whole of the human race suddenly vanish from the face of the Earth? Of course, even if entire populations could be decimated by war or natural catastrophes, an utter extinction of the human race is a highly improbable event. Yet, this odd hypothesis is a way of exploring how much humanitys footprint has changed and is
I had to stop several times in the middle of reading this, to digest the chapters and pick something lighter up temporarily. Its not depressing in the way a sad novel is, but its upsetting in the way it really drives home how much humans have fucked the world up. The sacry thing about the book is that when reading about how humans have dissappeared and nature reclaims her property, I'm not thinking 'how terrible', I'm thinking 'how wonderful'. I've pulled back from the brink of thinking of
If you are like me The World Without Us will cause you want to do one of two things. A: Find a remote wilderness and build a cabin. Add a few chickens, goats, cows ect. and live off the land with as much peace of mind you can muster until man destroys the planet. Or B. Say "AWWW F**K IT", and put all regular, old fashioned light bulbs in all your lamps and turn them on. Leave your house, with the air conditioner running, get in your Hummer, and drive across the country..just because you can. Eat
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