Product Description

This incendiary collection of essays about money, religion, war, power, culture and nature adds up to a striking wake-up call about the world's need for social justice, and is now available in paperback. In these incendiary essays, George Monbiot tears apart the fictions of religious conservatives, the claims of those who deny global warming and the lies of the governments and newspapers that led us into war. He takes no prisoners, exposing government corruption in devastating detail while clashing with people as diverse as Bob Geldof, Ann Widdecombe and David Bellamy.But alongside his investigative journalism, Monbiot's book contains some remarkable essays about what it means to be human. Monbiot explores the politics behind Constable's "The Cornfield" that shows how driving cars has changed the way we think and argues that eternal death is a happier prospect than eternal life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45510 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"'A dazzling command of science and a relentless faith in people... I never miss reading him.' Naomi Klein 'Crisply argued and provocative.' Financial Times 'Fluent and engaging... supremely knowledgeable and passionate... There's so much good sense in this book - every sentence makes you reflect deeply and question structures, politics and mindsets as well as one's own life. Monbiot challenges like no other writer.' John Green, Morning Star 'Monbiot is prepared to get his hands dirty with the most seemingly trivial sources in order to expose some sinister contemporary trends... Purposely eclectic and impressively incisive... Bring on the Apocalypse is a rich and abundant source of arguments for social progress.' Mark Brown, Herald"

Naomi Klein
A dazzling command of science and a relentless faith in people... I never miss reading him.'

About the Author
George Monbiot is the author of Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning, The Age of Consent and Captive State. A celebrated eco-activist, he was presented with a United Nations Global 500 Award for outstanding environmental achievement by Nelson Mandela. He is currently Visiting Professor of Planning at Oxford Brookes University.

Customer Reviews

Collection of essays
This book was quite good but I hadn't realised it was a collection of essays from various topics rather than in conventional book format.

Nevertheless the writer is engaging and concise and so the book is easy to read. Some of the issues he reveals will make you very angry....especially at the waster, incompetence and sheer self-centredness of government!

All good stuff but read it all before.......
Difficult to rate this one. I would have to be five stars for anyone who has not read George's articles in the Guardian or on his website. But, being an avid Monbiot fan I was disappointed, having ordered a copy, to realise that it was just a collection of his articles (mostly weekly essays in the Guardian) which I'd already read. This wasn't clear in the blurb I'd read describing the book. But if you haven't read much (or any) of George's excellent writing prepare to learn and be challenged. His writing is vivid, radical and wide ranging.

One argument for reading this book
Thank heavens for George Monbiot. So much journalism is little more than cheap entertainment - celebrity twaddle, spoon-fed PR puffs and endlessly regurgitated versions of last weeks human interest or political scandal story.

Monbiot must irritate so many of his colleagues for showing what can be done, by finding out some interesting facts and putting them together for himself, in a logical and meaningful way.

If you want some insight into how the world really works, read this book, and his weekly columns.