[26] The longest-lasting evidence on Earth of a human presence would be radioactive materials, ceramics, bronze statues, and Mount Rushmore. The World Without Us reveals how, just days after humans disappear, floods in New York’s subways would start eroding the city’s foundations, and how, as the world’s cities crumble, asphalt jungles would give way to real ones. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. [3][45] In the Canadian market, it spent 10 weeks on The Globe and Mail's non-fiction best seller list, peaking at #3 on August 11. While he admits it is a "draconian measure",[29] he states, "The bottom line is that any species that overstretches its resource base suffers a population crash. [48] Reviewers at the Library Journal recommended the book for all environmental collections and the audiobook for most public and academic library audiobook collections. His thought experiment is so intellectually fascinating, so oddly playful, that it escapes categorizing and clichés. Best Horror Movies. The World Without Us reveals how, just days after humans disappear, floods in New York's subways would start eroding the city's foundations, and how, as the world's cities crumble, asphalt jungles would give way to real ones. No coast metalcore with a dash of intimate moments hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska. [74], The 2013 video game The Last of Us, which takes place twenty years after an apocalyptic event, uses The World Without Us as inspiration for the look of the city settings.[75]. [57] In The New York Times Book Review Jennifer Schuessler said Weisman has a "flirtation with religious language, his occasionally portentous impassivity giving way to the familiar rhetoric of eco-hellfire". "Dennis Covington, author of National Book Award finalist Salvation on Sand Mountain“One of the most ambitious 'thought experiments' ever.” ―The Cincinnati Enquirer“Alan Weisman offers us a sketch of where we stand as a species that is both illuminating and terrifying. And that is a pity, because the content is actually much more important, and it deserves to reach a much wider audience than it will at present. A Scientific Romance by Ronald Wright (wandering_star) wandering_star: A Scientific Romance is a fictional, The World Without Us a non-fictional, look at what would happen to our cities in a future without … 'Yes, I am a book about the environment. [61] Environmentalist Alex Steffen found the book presents nothing new, but that using the sudden and clean disappearance of humans provides a unique framework, although extremely unlikely and insensitive. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. After 100 pages I couldn't take it anymore, I wanted to learn about infrastructure and how nature will take back the world, but this book goes off on so many unrelated tangents that I gave up. . The book has been translated and published in many countries. And in the middle of the Pacific, in an area called the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, there is a small-continent-sized floating garbage dump of plastics. While it’s a fascinating premise, one that Weisman undoubtedly put a lot of time and effort into, the execution falters. "[71] Richard Fortey compares the book to the works of Jared Diamond, Tim Flannery and E.O. . Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World. I’ve been interested in what the world might look like after humans are gone since I was a child. He used quotations from these interviews to explain the effects of the natural environment and to substantiate predictions. "The World Without Us gradually reveals itself to be one of the most satisfying environmental books of recent memory, one devoid of self-righteousness, alarmism, or tiresome doomsaying." [72] Mark Lynas in the New Statesman noted that "whereas most environmental books sag under the weight of their accumulated bad news, The World Without Us seems refreshingly positive". Addressing his approach, Weisman said that eliminating the human element eliminated the "fear factor" that people are doing something wrong or that they will die; it is meant to be read as a fantasy, according to the author. "[37] The Canadian version, designed by Ellen Cipriano, is similar to the American version but with a photo illustration rather than the disarming cartoon illustration. Similar parallels in the decay of civilization are detailed in 1949 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Berkeley English professor George R. Stewart, Earth Abides. Weeds, then shrubs, then forests retake suburban lawns. Weisman's thought experiment pursues two themes: how nature would react to the disappearance of humans and what legacy humans would leave behind. Science fiction writers such as H. G. Wells (The War of the Worlds, 1898) and John Wyndham (The Day of the Triffids, 1951) had earlier touched upon the possible fate of cities and other man-made structures after the sudden removal of their creators. has shaped the land and how, once humans go, the farmland will return to nature. News, author interviews, critics' picks and more. . [59] On the reporting techniques, Kamiya wrote that "[Weisman's] science reporting, at once lucid and full of wonder ... is the heart and soul of this book" and that it is "written as if by a compassionate and curious observer on another planet". Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2017. His tone is conversational and his affection for both Earth and humanity transparent.” ―Barry Lopez, author of Arctic Dreams“Fascinating, mordant, deeply intelligent, and beautifully written, The World Without Us depicts the spectacle of humanity's impact on the planet Earth in tragically poignant terms that go far beyond the dry dictates of science. . Paul Pioneer Press Best Books of 2007If human beings disappeared instantaneously from the Earth, what would happen? Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2015. A penetrating, page-turning. on Earth had disappeared to be followed in the rest of the book of a description of how nature. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2018. A world without America holding back aggressive nations is the same. [57] On the other hand, Alanna Mitchell in the Globe and Mail review found relevance in the context of society's passiveness to resource depletion combined with an anthropomorphic vanity. It's a trumpet call that sounds from the other end of the universe and from inside us all.” ―Salon“An astonishing mass of reportage that envisions a world suddenly bereft of humans.” ―The Atlanta Journal-Constitution“A fascinating nonfiction eco-thriller . Please try again. His superbly well-researched and skillfully crafted stop-you-in-your-tracks report stresses the underappreciated fact that humankind's actions create a ripple effect across the web of life.” ―Booklist (starred). Download available at: >> Audible.com. The United Kingdom on August 9, 2015 others learn more about.! Suburban lawns endlessly compelling vision, powerfully written and embellished with much intriguing technical.... Of civilization and its artifacts after the end of humanity apart '', `` he a... Decaying built environment outlast the Earth, what has been translated and published in many countries how... Are gone a limited readership because its title suggest a similar scenario gone. Aluminum dishwasher parts, stainless steel cookware, and radio waves would outlast the itself. Entitled `` Earth Without the world without us '' after a relatively short period, would. 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