The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard is singlehandedly the most informative book I think I have ever read. This book teaches us about the overconsumption that has occurred on our planet and how the effects and damage are irreversible. There are five chapters that discuss the manners in which this overconsumption has happened, including "Extraction","Production", "Distribution", "Consumption", and "Disposal". These chapters are so full of information, it will make your head spin.
I took a class during college called "Environmental Conservation", during which we discussed how the resources on our planet have utilized and wasted. That was 15 years ago. It is so much worse now. The Story of Stuff should be the textbook for that same course nowadays! Honestly, I found myself a little anxious at times after reading certain facts because they were simply devastating and it doesn't appear that things are going to change any time soon. Although I also felt a sense of hopelessness at times, I realized that there are many things I have already been doing in order to "do my part". However, there are so many other things I can do, such as using more nontoxic products. I can't wait to share what I have learned with my family and friends and hopefully, we can do more by spreading more knowledge.
It took me a while to read this book because I wanted the facts to sink in. The book is extremely well-written and it is quite obvious that Annie Leonard is an expert in her field.
More about Annie Leonard:
Annie Leonard is the creator of the Internet film The Story of Stuff and is currently the Director of The Story of Stuff Project. "Annie has spent nearly two decades investigating and organizing on environmental health and justice issues. She has traveled to 40 countries, visiting literally hundreds of factories where our stuff is made and dumps where our stuff is dumped. Witnessing first hand the horrendous impacts of both over- and under- consumption around the world, Annie is fiercely dedicated to reclaiming and transforming our industrial and economic systems so they serve, rather than undermine, ecological sustainability and social equity".
You can read more about Annie Leonard and The Story of Stuff Poject HERE!
Thank you very much to Free Press Blog Tours for allowing me the opportunity to review this book.
*Disclaimer: I was not provided monetary compensation for this post. I was provided with a free copy of this book to keep for the purposes of the review. The opinions expressed here are soley my own.
You were so wise to work your way through this book slowly: There's just too much distressing information here to swallow it whole! I too wrote a review of The Story of Stuff today, and I even offered a few suggestions for future readers on how to keep engaged with this book when the content gets overwhelming. (As a teacher, I've developed a few strategies for my students that work for just about anybody.)
ReplyDeleteI admire the focus of your blog here, and look forward to reading more of your reviews.
Great post, I agree it would make a terrific textbook!
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