Earth Day Books

I don’t consider myself an environmentalist.

But I do love being outdoors, particularly being in the ocean so in honor of Earth Day (April 22) and Earth Week, here are the eco-themed books I recommend:

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond – Jared Diamond is a professor of geography and physiology at University of California, Los Angeles and the writer of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies.

Diamond lists eight factors which, based on his analysis, have historically contributed to the collapse of past societies: 1. Deforestation and habitat destruction; 2. Soil problems (erosion, salinization, and soil fertility losses); 3. Water management problems; 4. Overhunting; 5. Overfishing; 6. Effects of introduced species on native species; 7. Human population growth, and; 8. Increased per-capita impact of people.

He further isolates four new factors that may contribute to the weakening and collapse of present and future societies: 1. Human-caused climate change; 2. Buildup of toxic chemicals in the environment; 3. Energy shortages, and; 4. Full human utilization of the Earth’s photosynthetic capacity.

Some of the collapsed societies Diamond discusses are Easter Island, Anasazis (Southwestern US), and Maya (Central America). He also compares modern day Haiti to the Dominican Republic, which share the same island but have vastly different economies.

Click here to read the first chapter on washingtonpost.com.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy – Yes McCarthy is the author of No Country For Old Men. I promise this book isn’t nearly as violent as that book/movie. The Road was deservedly awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was also a selection of Oprah’s Book Club. The NYTimes Book Review writes a good summary of this book.

I really liked the Road — I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting — though it’s one of those books that I won’t re-read it (I frequently re-read my favorite books, but this one is just too sad).

I don’t like to read or watch a lot of violence so I found some of the scenes a bit nauseating. However, McCarthy seems purposeful in writing the scenes of violence so you don’t feel like he’s just trying to shock you just for the sake of sensationalism.

The conclusion was reassuring with it’s idea that mankind could not only survive nuclear destruction but do so without every person resorting to looking out just for themselves (as most of the folks the father and son encountered on the Road seemed to). It seems to be part of the moral of the story; not just that nuclear war cannot be an option but also that we need to work together towards a better future.

Click here to read an excerpt on the Random House website.

Happy Earth Day!

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

I finally finished The Forbes Book of Great Business Letters: Memos, Missives, Pitches, Proposals and E-Mails (edited by Erik Bruun) and am on to The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers.

I haven’t read any of her books before and am excited to read this one, McCullers‘s first novel published in 1940; I’m reading it with a book club. Critics call it a classic unforgettable tale of moral isolation in a 1930s small Georgia mill town; Tennesee Williams called McCullers “the greatest prose writer that the South [has] produced.”

If I enjoy The Heart is a Lonely Hunter as much as I expect to, I’ll have to read some of her other works such as: Reflections in a Golden Eye, Clock Without Hands, and The Member of the Wedding.

Here are some of the discussion questions I’ll keep in mind as I read:

• The title of the book comes from a poem by William Sharp, with the lines “But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts / On a lonely hill.” What is the significance of the title? Is each character in the novel hunting the same thing, or is each in search of something different? McCullers‘s original title for the book was The Mute. Why do you suppose the change was made?
• McCullers describes John Singer as “an emotional catalyst for all the other characters.” What does his presence inspire in others? Do you believe that he remains inert, as a catalyst by definition should, or is he himself affected by his interactions with the others? Why or why not?
• McCullers once described the central characters in the novel as “heroic, though ordinary.” How does each character show elements of heroism? Is there a character you find more heroic than the rest?
• In the book’s first section, Biff’s wife, Alice, quotes Mark 1:16–18: “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” How does this quote resonate throughout the novel? What role does spirituality play in the novel? Do the characters strive for communion with a higher spiritual force or unifying principle, something greater than themselves?
• Music has great importance in the book, from Mick’s aspirations to become a pianist to Willie’s ever-present harmonica. McCullers, who had once hoped to study music at Juilliard, even described the structure of the novel as a three-part fugue, and explained, “Like a voice in a fugue, each one of the main characters is an entity in himself — but his personality takes on a new richness when contrasted and woven in with the other characters in the book.” In what other ways does this musicality assert itself in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter? What does music symbolize in the novel? How, too, is silence used?
• The novel has been widely praised for its ability to illustrate how social, economic, and racial factors serve to isolate people from one another. In what way is each character isolated? What efforts does each make to overcome this alienation? Are the efforts successful or ultimately futile?
• John Singer dreams he is kneeling before Antonapoulos, who stands at the head of a set of stairs. Behind Singer kneel the four other main characters: Mick, Biff, Jake, and Copeland. How does Singer’s dream reflect the relationships among the main characters? To what extent is Singer’s love of Antonapoulos similar to the attention paid to Singer by Mick, Biff, Jake, and Copeland? Are these characters capable of loving one another? Of receiving love? Are some characters better emotionally equipped than others? Why or why not?
• Mick Kelly is considered the most autobiographical character McCullers ever created. Mick’s tomboyishness, her musical aspirations, and her dream to escape small-town life parallel the author’s own. When Mick realizes she cannot afford a violin, she tries to build her own. What does the violin symbolize? What does this act tell you about Mick’s character? Do you have sympathy for her when she fails? Do you feel closer to Mick than you do to the other narrators?
• Mick compartmentalizes her thoughts into what she calls an inner room and an outer room. Why does she do this? Do other characters show this same type of duality? How does it manifest itself?
• When Jake Blount finds a Bible passage written on a wall, he responds with his own message and then searches for the person who wrote the original message. Why is it important to him to find that person?
• Dr. Copeland has great dreams for his family and for his community, but he is unable to gain much support for his ideas. Do you think Copeland’s self-perception that he is a failure is valid? How many of his frustrations are a result of racial bias in society? Why do you suppose his relationships with his children are fraught?
• The Heart is a Lonely Hunter has been praised for its sensitive and realistic portrayal of racial tensions in the Depression-era South. What relevance does the novel have today? How much has changed since the 1930s?

Check out Oprah’s Book Club for specific discussion questions for each Part of the book.

A New Earth: awakening to your life's purpose by Eckhart Tolle

Just finished chapter 4 (out of 10) of Eckhart Tolle‘s A New Earth and so far it all seems very familiar.

I mentioned earlier today that Tolle synthesizes ideas from Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Daoism, and other spiritual traditions in A New Earth. I think this book seems very familiar because I’ve read many books about Buddhism and several about practicing Buddhism such as:

• Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh 03/26/2004
• Music in the Sky : the life, art & teachings of the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje by Michele Martin 10/11/2003
• Anger by Thich Nhat Hanh 12/30/2003
• The Monk & the Philosopher: father & son discuss the meaning of life by Jean-Francois Revel & Matthieu Ricard (forward by miles) 06/18/2004
• The Best Buddhist Writing 2005 by Melvin McLeod 02/27/2006
• Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Real Happiness by Robert A. F. Thurman 01/24/2007

He also makes me think of some of Deepak Chopra‘s books:

• The Path to Love: spiritual strategies for healing 01/02/2005
• The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: a practical guide to the fulfillment of your dreams 10/07/2007
• How to Know God: the soul’s journey into the mystery of mysteries 10/07/2007

And of these uplifting books:

• Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (winner of the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award in 1991)
• The Story of B by Daniel Quinn
• My Ishamel by Daniel Quinn
• The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
• The Art of Possibility: transforming professional & personal life by Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander 01/05/2005

So far, I think A New Earth is a good book for those who are frustrated with established religion and looking for spirituality and meaning in life.