How was this book selected?
Common Reading Selection Committee, 2018-19
Michele Van Hoeck, Co-Chair, Dean of Library
Aparna Sinha, Co-Chair, Culture & Communication
Matthew Fairbanks, Science & Math
Margot Hanson, Library
Mike Holden, Mechanical Engineering
Elaine Kociolek, Student Engagement & Academic Support
Valerie Holl McGowan, Marine Transportation
Ali Moradmand, Science & Math
Amy Parsons, Culture & Communication
Martin Shimada, student
Marissa Sutro, Marine Transportation
More about the Common Reading Program objectives, selection criteria, and finalists
Check out a copy from the Library!
From the publisher:
Elizabeth Kolbert's environmental classic Field Notes from a Catastrophe first developed out of a groundbreaking, National Magazine Award-winning three-part series in The New Yorker. She expanded it into a still-concise yet richly researched and damning book about climate change: a primer on the greatest challenge facing the world today.
But in the years since, the story has continued to develop; the situation has become more dire, even as our understanding grows. Now, Kolbert returns to the defining book of her career. She has added a chapter bringing things up-to-date on the existing text, plus three new chapters--on ocean acidification, the tar sands, and a Danish town that's gone carbon neutral--making it, again, a must-read for our moment.
About the Book
- Book Review from New York Times"In language that is clear, if somewhat dry, she examines the major pieces of the story, shedding light on some insider concepts of climatologists, like 'dangerous anthropogenic interference,' as she goes. "
- Book Review from The Guardian"Kolbert presents the arguments in an utterly compelling and convincing manner and she does not shy away from the science."
