Bill McKibben is one of my favorite humans on this planet (I think I write that everytime I review one of his books). He is a few years older than I am, but grew up not too far from where I did (he was in Lexington, MA, while I was in Somerville, MA). In this book, McKibben talks about how the world has changed since his childhood, and how his Baby Boomer generation has made a serious hash of things. Politics, religion, the environment...none of this is trending in a good direction here in the US of A (or around the world, really). Is it affluenza? Is it xenophobia and racism? Is it a failure of imagination? Human nature? I don't know. Like the author, I too have seen a lot of changes since my childhood, and while change is the only constant in life, technology, society, just about every damn thing is changing at a bewildering pace. It seems to me that people know more but care less these days. Maybe I am just getting old.

I, too, am a graying American, albeit one on the leading edge of Gen. X and not the trailing end of the Baby Boom, as Mr. McKibben is. With age come perspective, and one of the things that has changed for me is my politics. I was, for a long time, a Republican (admittedly a mild one). That shit is as dead as disco to me now: those people have lost their damn minds.

A good book, well-written and thought-provoking, as Mr. McKibben always is.

I got so much more than I anticipated or expected from this book. I loved how the author tied the topics of patriotism, religion and the environment to a specific time in his upbringing and how it evolved to what is being experienced today. This is my favorite non-fiction book read in 2022.

Environmentalist Bill McKibben reminisces about his idyllic suburban upbringing during a time when it seemed that all might soon share in this prosperity. And, then . . .

". . . what the hell happened? How did we go from an America where that kind of modest paradise seemed destined to spread to more and more of the country to the doubtful nation we inhabit fifty years later: a society strained by bleak racial and economic inequality, where life expectancy was falling even before a pandemic deepened our divisions, on a heating planet whose physical future is dangerously in question?"

In this short book, he explains how we went from a glorious past where it seemed possible for everyone to have "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage" to a country where the average worker takes home less money in real terms than they did in the late seventies. His essays are sobering, and bleak. Did you know that February of 1985 was the last year in which our planet had a cooler-than-average month?

Sigh . . .

My only quibble is that McKibben, who's only a year older than myself, didn't provide a few more childhood memories. I had hoped to bask in his nostalgic glow . . .

I was somewhat familiar with McKibben and knew of his concern for the environment. Yet, after reading this important book, I am a forever fan.
I especially appreciated his honesty and directness regarding the pluses and minuses of the past as well as the present, His incredible writing, from his childhood intertwined with the present and future was a true testament to what has been negatively done and how we can, hopefully, correct or at least, attempt to make the world a better place.
The message for me (being approximately the same age as the author), is to get out there and take a stand for what you believe which should, hopefully benefit all of us. His creation of 350.0rg is a proud accomplishment of his. In view of the state of the country today, this is a must-read.

I pounced on this book from Netgalley because of the author, Bill McKibben. I have read his work almost daily in the New Yorker for years. He has always had a rich, insightful take on American culture and politics.

The book, while very good, is not what I expected from the subtitle: “A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened”. I interpreted that to mean that McKibben would be musing on his life, and the strange turns it took. Within the book, he refers to it as a memoir. It really is not.

Clearly, from very early in his life, the author has been ever conscious of the big picture, from the town green in the place he grew up, ever wider. His passionate engagement with his country, its ideals and its history led to his political engagement and activism. What he explores in this book is how the nascent country developed American ideas of fundamental rights and freedoms in parallel with American ideas of white supremacy and the entrenchment of disadvantage. He does this through the lens of his growing up, but that lens is visited infrequently, in passing. If you are looking for a detailed emotive autobiography, this is not it.

I have always wondered how Americans manage to exist in the cognitive dissonance of a “free” country which is just the opposite, and McKibben explains how they do so marvellously. It is also a call to arm for his readers.

Honestly, I highly recommend this book to anyone wondering why the US is like it is. He marshals facts and data to show his points very effectively and carefully credits his sources. He also makes suggestions as to where to look further. All of this in an immensely entertaining readable book.

This is an excellent and thoughtful book from Bill McKibben. It gave me a lot to think about. I would recommend it to readers who are looking for thoughtful analysis of our present situation and what we can do to try to correct/fix things.

Disclaimer: I am a McKibben fan. I loved this book but I’m not sure I would see someone picking this up that didn’t have the same beliefs as McKibben does (ie believes in climate change, leans progressively, etc). I feel that I also really enjoyed this book as I’m living in the same area McKibben returns to often for comparisons in Lexington, MA. His first section “The Flag” especially spoke to me regarding the The Green and dissecting events and the racial disparities in America.
Although I’m younger than McKibben I appreciate his take that the older generation get involved with righting the ship of our previous mistakes. I am not sure how to outreach better ie The Third Act but I am glad he is trying and leads in orgs like 350.
Really enjoyed his thought process with this book and was happy to learn more about his life as well.