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thecandlelightlibrary 's review for:
Erosion: Essays of Undoing
by Terry Tempest Williams
Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Crichton Books for sending me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Erosion: Essays of Undoing, is a collection of environmental essays written by the author between 2012 and 2019. I was first drawn to this book because of the concept, which sounded promising: the essays were to explore “the concept of erosion: of the land, of the self, of belief, of fear”. I was also looking forward to reading pro-environment work on current issues. Unfortunately, I found the over 300 page collection to be very disappointing and it took me two months to finish (an abysmally slow rate for me).
First, though, let’s start with what I enjoyed most from Erosion. Of the 32 essays (not including the preface), I really enjoyed only 3. Paper, Rock, Scissors was my favorite essay: it was lyrical and compelling and made me realize just how much the other essays were lacking. A Public Bench Made of White Bark Pine was a beautiful short poem that I will continue to return to, and The Park of the Future was a fascinating short speculative piece on what Canyonlands National Park might look like in 2155. While I immensely enjoyed this third essay, it really didn’t seem to fit the rest of the collection.
However, as environmental essays go, this book isn’t riveting. I think Erosion covers too many topics in too short a space; I would have enjoyed spending more time on fewer issues and ensuring each essay complemented the others. In The Council of Pronghorn Tempest takes the time to explain how words matter, but fails to follow her own advice throughout Erosion. The synopsis promised a look “at the current state of American politics: the dire social and environmental implications of recent choices to gut Bears Ears National Monument, sacred lands to Native People of the American Southwest, and undermine the Endangered Species Act. She testifies that climate change is not an abstraction, citing the drought outside her door and at times, within herself.” but I had difficulty finding material to take away.
Overall, I’m sad with how underwhelming I found this book. Erosion releases October 8th; thank you again to NetGalley and Sarah Crichton Books for the privilege of reviewing an ARC.
Erosion: Essays of Undoing, is a collection of environmental essays written by the author between 2012 and 2019. I was first drawn to this book because of the concept, which sounded promising: the essays were to explore “the concept of erosion: of the land, of the self, of belief, of fear”. I was also looking forward to reading pro-environment work on current issues. Unfortunately, I found the over 300 page collection to be very disappointing and it took me two months to finish (an abysmally slow rate for me).
First, though, let’s start with what I enjoyed most from Erosion. Of the 32 essays (not including the preface), I really enjoyed only 3. Paper, Rock, Scissors was my favorite essay: it was lyrical and compelling and made me realize just how much the other essays were lacking. A Public Bench Made of White Bark Pine was a beautiful short poem that I will continue to return to, and The Park of the Future was a fascinating short speculative piece on what Canyonlands National Park might look like in 2155. While I immensely enjoyed this third essay, it really didn’t seem to fit the rest of the collection.
However, as environmental essays go, this book isn’t riveting. I think Erosion covers too many topics in too short a space; I would have enjoyed spending more time on fewer issues and ensuring each essay complemented the others. In The Council of Pronghorn Tempest takes the time to explain how words matter, but fails to follow her own advice throughout Erosion. The synopsis promised a look “at the current state of American politics: the dire social and environmental implications of recent choices to gut Bears Ears National Monument, sacred lands to Native People of the American Southwest, and undermine the Endangered Species Act. She testifies that climate change is not an abstraction, citing the drought outside her door and at times, within herself.” but I had difficulty finding material to take away.
Overall, I’m sad with how underwhelming I found this book. Erosion releases October 8th; thank you again to NetGalley and Sarah Crichton Books for the privilege of reviewing an ARC.