Reviews - The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration

547 reviews for:

The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration

Jake Bittle

4.31 AVERAGE

eloise_krabbenhoft's review against another edition

3.5

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

something i really appreciated about this book was the way it used displacement to frame the narrative of climate change and the incredibly devastating and real impacts it has on people. i also appreciated the narrative nature of the book, and i would easily recommend this book to people who are newer to reading nonfiction. highly recommend!

oyangfaye's review against another edition

4.0

informative medium-paced

deedoo's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 56%

This is not a book about climate change. It's a book about racial and class injustice with a little sprinkle of

"storms are getting worse." Actually, from what l've read (56%), the book is more about stupid/ignorant people making bad choices on top of racial and class injustice.

I can't really feel bad about the people in the Keys getting flooded out of their homes when you start the story about how the Keys are barely 3 feet above sea level and no one should have built anything there. None of the houses are built to withstand storms or flooding and the majority of residents ignore weather warnings and evacuation notices. But tell me again how sorry we should feel for these folks who ignore all the warnings and don't take precautions.

The story about the suburbs of Houston wasn't about climate change at all. Construction companies filled bayous to build where they shouldn't and then when any storm comes in the place gets flooded. We're told repeatedly how there were no regulations about flood zones and construction nor were there any requirements to disclose flooding when selling a house.

Plain old greed and lack of foresight. This would be happening whether or not there were stronger storms or drought, etc..

This is absolutely an important topic to discuss and learn more about. However, with a subtitle like "Climate Change and the Next American Migration" I expect the book to focus more on "climate change."

madserendipity's review against another edition

4.0

Read Harder 2024: Read a book that went under the radar in 2023.

lstratma's review against another edition

3.0

Informative: provides cases in different states in the United States from fire to water to drought storms and other catastrophes. Author failed to mention his place/role in his ability to visit areas destroyed by disaster, and interviewing people affected by climate disasters. Lacked nuance in analysis; first stressing importance of neighborhoods and community but then it fizzles out. I did like the comparison made in the final chapter between physics and movement patterns, at the beginning entropy, and eventually negentropy.