Fighting in a World on Fire: The Next Generation’s Guide to Protecting the Climate and Saving Our Future

Gr 10 Up–A YA adaptation of a controversial missive on climate activism that encourages drastic measures to save the planet’s—and this generation’s—future. It focuses on why past movements haven’t been sufficient to change the tide in environmental justice; nonviolence and civil disobedience are just not enough. The author explains that many movements became successful once they began employing practices like property violence, riots, and self-defense. These include suffragettes Emmeline Pankurst and her daughters, civil rights activists SNCC, and anti-apartheid Spear of the Nation. Recent movements that readers will be familiar with include the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock and the Arab Spring. Though the structure and information is the same as the original, this edition attempts to give substantial background to make its arguments more accessible to young people. Frequent inserts define core concepts and are set off by gray boxes. Terms include divestment and fossil capital. They sometimes take up more than two pages. However, the definitions are important, because otherwise, young readers will find this difficult to digest. The work is most engaging when presenting past activist movements that centered around the work of young people and marginalized communities. Black-and-white photos, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading are also featured.