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Summary: Cassandra
Review: I believe that the author's points are made in the most beautiul style. Not only does Mr. Atkinsson believe in what he is writing, but he also gives practical solutions for helping our planet. This is a brilliant book, one definitely worth reading. The only criticism I have would be the "following" aspect of the human race. However, I do think that he is correct in saying this... Give this book a read and you will be feeling wonderful afterwards.
Rating:
Summary: Really important books are rare. This is one.
Review: This is a transcript of key points of my review of BELIEVING CASSANDRA on Vermont Public Radio in October:Really important books are rare. I've found one...and it's just been published in Vermont... How often do you read a book that will in some way change you and maybe even change the course of human events? When as a teen, I read GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck, it changed my perception of the world and awoke a social conscience in me. When as a medical educator I read ON DEATH AND DYING by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, it changed the way I taught and changed the way medicine was practiced all over the world. EUROPE ON $5 A DAY changed the way Americans traveled. And Rachel Carson's SILENT SPRING changed some of the ways humans relate to their home planet. Well, I've just finished another book that may alter our relationship with Ma Earth. It's called BELIEVING CASSANDRA: AN OPTIMIST LOOKS AT A PESSIMIST'S WORLD. It was written by Alan AtKisson... The book is about---do not turn off the radio when you hear this word!---SUTAINABILITY. But it's not airy-fairy, not doom and gloom, not all charts and graphs. Instead, it makes clear and important distinctions between, for example, growth and development; growth means increases in quantity while development means improvements in quality. And while there are truly limits to growth, AtKisson believes there are no limits to development. That's what makes him an optimist. BELIEVING CASSANDRA is an unusually readable book. AtKisson has a light touch. (He's also a singer-songwriter and public speaker.) And he spells out, clearly and understandably, what he believes will takes us off the track which we're now on, the one that leads to a horrible crash between humanity and Mother Nature. He's also got a great eye for finding pieces that fit into the big puzzle. He pulls in everything from global warming to codfishing to A HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY to scurvy. Scurvy? "Consider the story of scurvy. In 1601 a British Captain General discovered a cure for scurvy, a disease that routinely struck sailing crews on long voyages. We now know that scurvy, which involves an outbreak of large and painful sores, is caused by a deficiency of vitamin C. By giving lemon juice to sailors and observing the results, he found that the juice would alleviate the sores. He duly reported his discovery to the naval authorities and recommended that lemons be kept on board as a remedy. His findings and recommendations were politely ignored." AtKissons follows the course of the disease and its potential cure. "It was 264 years between the time when the cure was first discovered and the time when any British seaman could go on a long voyage without the fear of the disease. Scurvy's tale is a cautionary one, about the costs to people and society when there are delays in adopting good new ideas." BELIEVING CASSANDRA is a timely execution of a good idea... This is Jules Older in Albany, Vermont, the Soul of the Kingdom.
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