What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Future We Choose’

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Updated 08 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Future We Choose’

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  • The book outlines two possible scenarios for the future

Authors: Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac

Published in 2020, “The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis” by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac climate change and what could happen in the future based on mankind’s actions.

As two leading individuals in international climate policy, the authors’ insights are a result of extensive experience and profound commitment to addressing one of the most critical challenges mankind has ever faced.

The book outlines two possible scenarios for the future. In the first, humanity takes decisive action to mitigate climate change, in the second, we do not.

These two different hypotheses serve not only as a reminder of the stakes involved but also as a call to arms for individuals, communities, and nations alike.

The authors stress that the choices people make right now will determine how future generations will live, and whether the planet as we know it will survive.

One of the great strengths of this book is the authors’ ability to combine personal thoughts with vivid imagery, making the information easy to understand and relatable for their readers.

In addition, they highlight the connection between climate action, social justice, economic stability, and public health to deliver a critical message: namely that a sustainable future is not just possible but vital.

Figueres and Rivett-Carnac advocate for policy changes to adopt sustainable lifestyle choices, reminding readers that collective action can lead to actual change.

They also challenge readers to reevaluate their relationship with the planet, as its future rests not just on reducing emissions, but on fostering a sense of responsibility. This mindset is key to creating a culture that prioritizes sustainability and the health of human beings in the future.

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Doctors by Nature’ by Jaap De Roode

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Doctors by Nature’ by Jaap De Roode
Updated 21 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Doctors by Nature’ by Jaap De Roode

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Doctors by Nature’ by Jaap De Roode

Ages before the dawn of modern medicine, wild animals were harnessing the power of nature’s pharmacy to heal themselves.

“Doctors by Nature” reveals what researchers are now learning about the medical wonders of the animal world. In this visionary book, Jaap de Roode argues that we have underestimated the healing potential of nature for too long and shows how the study of self-medicating animals could impact the practice of human medicine.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Once More to the Lake’

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Updated 21 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Once More to the Lake’

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  • What makes the essay unforgettable is its quiet dread

E.B. White’s 1941 essay “Once More to the Lake” (from his collection “One Man’s Meat”) is a masterclass in how nostalgia can warp our grip on time.

Returning to a childhood vacation spot in Maine — now with his son in tow — White confronts a haunting truth: Places outlive people, even as they mirror our mortality.

At its heart, the essay is about doubling. Watching his son fish and swim in the same waters, White slips into a surreal haze torn between seeing himself as father and child. The lake’s stillness tricks him into believing nothing has changed — until modernity intrudes.

Those once-quiet mornings? Now punctured by motorboats, their “restless” engines churning the peace he remembers.

What makes the essay unforgettable is its quiet dread. White’s prose drips with tactile details: The “sweet chill” of a dawn swim, the scent of pine needles and the creak of old rowboats.

But this vividness sharpens the sting of his realization. In the final lines, a sudden rainstorm snaps the illusion. As his son buttons a raincoat, White feels time’s verdict: “Suddenly my groin felt the cold chill of death.”

Stylistically, White avoids grand pronouncements. Instead, he lets small moments — a dragonfly’s hover, the click of a fishing rod — carry the weight of existential awe.

Decades later, the essay still resonates. Why? Because we have all clung to a memory-place, willing it to defy time. White’s genius lies in showing how that very act binds us to life’s fleetingness.

For me, the most haunting takeaway is this: We are all temporary visitors to “fade-proof” landscapes. The lake remains. We do not.

 


What We Are Reading Today: John and Paul by Ian Leslie

What We Are Reading Today: John and Paul by Ian Leslie
Updated 20 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: John and Paul by Ian Leslie

What We Are Reading Today: John and Paul by Ian Leslie

Ian Leslie’s “John and Paul” traces the shared journey of John Lennon and Paul McCartney before, during and after The Beatles, offering us both a new look at two of the greatest icons in music history, and rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration, and human intimacy.

The two shared a private language, rooted in the stories, comedy and songs they both loved as teenagers, and later, in the lyrics of Beatles songs.


What We Are Reading Today: The Revolution to Come

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Updated 19 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: The Revolution to Come

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  • “The Revolution to Come” traces how evolving conceptions of history ushered in a faith in the power of revolution to create more just and reasonable societies

Author: Dan Edelstein

Political thinkers from Plato to John Adams saw revolutions as a grave threat to society and advocated for a constitution that prevented them by balancing social interests and forms of government.
“The Revolution to Come” traces how evolving conceptions of history ushered in a faith in the power of revolution to create more just and reasonable societies.
Taking readers from Greek antiquity to Leninist Russia, Dan Edelstein describes how classical philosophers viewed history as chaotic and directionless, and sought to keep historical change, especially revolutions, at bay.

 


What We Are Reading Today: Pronoun Trouble

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Updated 18 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: Pronoun Trouble

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  • A prolific author of books on language, McWhorter continues to captivate readers with his trademark humour and flair

Author: John McWhorter

This concise overview of English pronouns covers various linguistic topics in an accessible manner. Author John McWhorter maintains a straightforward approach but incorporates engaging elements to keep the book captivating.

McWhorter’s writing style is consistently enjoyable.

He possesses a talent for simplifying complex concepts through humour and relatable examples from popular culture.

A prolific author of books on language, McWhorter continues to captivate readers with his trademark humour and flair. In this book, the renowned linguist and professor debunks myths and illuminates the history of the most contentious language topic: pronouns. McWhorter‚ presentation of linguistics and language evolution is clear, entertaining, and persuasive.