Review: A New Atlantis

Why hasn't everyone read this book? Jeff Goodell is a master reporter and his findings are important, troubling, persuasive, and eye-opening. Anyone could benefit from reading this book, but those living in coastal communities will find "The Water Will Come" especially moving and prescient. Recommend wholeheartedly, and the sooner you read it, the more value you will get out of this book!

The interviews, stories, data, and numbers presented in this book are all fascinating. Goodell takes the work of scientists and civic leaders around the globe and frames their work in comprehensible fashion. He dismantles dense science and makes it understandable for a middle school reading level, thus exemplifying what all great climate journalists do on a daily basis. The images he paints of sunken cities are apocalyptic, yes, but he backs his speculation up with the moving words of international experts.

I was never bored and rarely doubtful of Goodell's writing. This book does a fantastic job of confronting the issues of sea level rise at its worst, and it was so enlightening to hear honest and well-researched opinions on the effect of sea level rise on legislation, public health, economy, real estate, etc. One of the things I loved about the book was its balancing of a gray area. While Goodell does lean left on America's political spectrum (quite bluntly at some points when he critiques climate inaction), do not let political bias deter you from this book. This is a bipartisan issue. The ocean does not care if you vote Republican or Democrat. It will flood your home, flood the graves of your loved ones, flood your gardens, streets, schools regardless. And Goodell does bring in people who are hesitant to acknowledge climate change -- you will hear the voices of uncomfortable politicans, resistant real estate developers, and uncertain scientists. The inclusion of divergent opinions deepens Goodell's argument while never weakening his thesis: sea level rise is an imminent issue that needs to be addressed now.

I was also impressed by the reach Goodell has. Not only does he take us door-to-door in a Miami suburb, but he takes us to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris and on a stroll near Alaskan icebergs with President Obama. I am left desiring more intimate explorations of second- and third-world communities that will be affected by sea level rise. Goodell does interview members of less privileged communities, including the Marshallese, but as Rob Nixon is keen to point out in his book "Slow Violence," there is still room for more inclusion of the global South in environmental discourse. Regardless, it's clear that Goodell is a clear, powerful, and ambitious voice in climate activism and I will certainly be following his writing in the future.

Notes on the audiobook version - very good reading! I usually turn audiobooks to 1.25x speed because I'm impatient, especially with longer books, but I was so enraptured in the content and rhythm of the voice that I sat the full length of the audiobook. Everything was clear and it felt like a well-informed podcast, if anything. I do recommend having some note-taking option nearby so you can jot down timestamps or surprising facts and figures. You will definitely learn something over the course of this book, and Goodell does write some jaw-dropping one-liners that I would love to go back and review.

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