The Awful Truths

I noticed The Awful Truths: Famous Myths, Hilariously Debunked by Brian Thomsen at Powell's the other day and thought it might be a nice quick summer read. It was ok.

Some of the "myths" I wasn't even aware of... so their debunking wasn't all that "hilarious" ... or I wasn't familiar with the famous people involved.

An example: "The Awful Truth is that these famous cartoon characters...Tigger and Dick Dastardly were voiced by Paul Winchell (inventor of the artificial heart)."

My reaction to some of these was, "Oh, that's neat."

And I do have to point out one mistake in the book. In a chapter devoted to explaining how many teen movies were actually based on older works of literature (I didn't think that was a secret), Thomsen states that the movie 10 Things I Hate About You (based on The Taming of the Shrew) takes place in a "Califorian 90210 high school." Anyone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest knows that the movie actually took place in Seattle... and the high school in question is located in Tacoma.

Recommendation: More of a browser.

A Reenchanted World

I heard the author, James William Gibson, of A Reenchanted World: The Quest for a New Kinship with Nature speak on a podcast of To The Best of Our Knowledge a week or two ago. The topic was radical gardening. Gibson's words about reconnecting to the natural world convinced me to find his latest book at the library.

A Reenchanted World makes the case that as a society we need to rediscover the vital connection between humans and nature while nature still exists. Gibson explains how many key players in environmental activism came to value nature. In many instances, the person encountered a large mammal be it whale, wolf, or bear... and suddenly realized the awe of nature, the power of nature, the importance of nature.

My favorite section of the book is entitled "Troubles in Paradise." It details the ways in which humans "love nature to death" ... for example, enthusiasts for off-road vehicles love nature so much they tear it up and often refuse to stay out of protected areas. Another chapter describes imitation wilderness like zoos or wildlife parks. Also fascinating was the look at some Native American casinos... did you know that some tribes have found loopholes in their treaties that allow them to trade their sacred land for land better suited to casino profits? (Wow, I can't even count the number of issues involved there...)

The book ends with these words: "The reenchantment of nature-- if coupled with the political courage to act-- offers a chance to remake the world." Gosh.

Recommendation: It's always interesting to hear about successes and failures of the environmental movement. Plenty of inspiration between the pages.