I am writing this honest review after reading a digital ARC (advanced reader copy) which I received from Netgalley for free.

This book is a collection of essays that explain how different schools of philosophy support taking care of nature. It also discusses how these ideas are more important than every in the face of climate change and mass extinction. It discusses Native American, Dao, and more schools of philosophy. It also explains how Western philosophy and ideas have lead to the depletion of natural resources and incredible destruction of the environment.

I really enjoyed reading the essays and different ideas I had not heard of before. It is very philosophy heavy and I wish there was more focus on the environmental/ecological aspect. However, I really enjoyed the book and am hoping to buy it for a few of my environmental major friends who are graduating this year!

'A Book of Ecological Virtues' is an admirable collection of essays, although not all of them are accessible as they could be, at least for readers beyond the academic philosophy/ethics sphere.

The most effective essays were those grounded in the flesh and blood of reality. For example, the very first essay, on the sustainable use of certain natural resources in British Columbia by indigenous peoples, was beautiful, illuminating, and instructive; it also came with photos that came out well on my e-reader. The very final essay is a beautiful bookend complementing the first, an examination of place by two Canadians, poetry interspersing prose.

Other essays were much more abstract and written in a heavily academic style, and as such I sometimes struggled to remain attentive and absorb the authors' points. The essays worked best when they focused on lived examples, on emotional moments, like the building of a little house out of driftwood and seaweed, or being astonished by the beauty of Mount Fairweather (again in British Columbia). Some passages struck deep chords within me.

I wonder if this book's purpose ultimately will be to inspire yet more writers (in the style of Naomi Klein or David Wallace-Wells, perhaps), ones who can bring more accessible texts to the wider public; as noted, the heavy academic tone of many of the essays may be an obstacle to the lay reader. The book is most definitely not a tool for changing behaviour around environmental practices; overall, it's too abstract for that. Some of the essays are already fading from my memory, but others will remain, and I am certainly glad to have read the book.

(With thanks to NYU Press and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)

I was interested in this book because I’ve tried to live my life in ways inspired by Thoreau, the Tao Te Ching, deep ecology, and experiences with nature and animals. All of those are at least mentioned in this collection which ranges from philosophical and historic analysis to personal anecdotes.

I found it best to not read more than one essay a day in order to approach each one freshly. As always with a book featuring many authors, topics, and writing styles, people will have different favorites. For me, Jan Zwicky’s essay was by far the most compelling—I thought it offered a realistic and honest assessment of where we are regarding climate change followed by discussion of the qualities or virtues needed to cope with the situation. It inspired a lot of thinking as I was reading it, and I will be reading it again. I also enjoyed David Chang’s essay.

Some chapters did read like an academic paper, and being included in an introductory course on the subject seemed like the best use of the book to me. But what a better world it would be if enough people were interested in the subject to land it on the bestsellers list.

Thanks to NYU Press and NetGalley for a review copy.