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A review by simone_k
Guardians of the Trees: A Journey of Hope Through Healing the Planet by Kinari Webb
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
What a fascinating read! Kinari Webb's memoir is an engaging insight into how climate change and healthcare are interconnected. I have never really thought about this link before, but now that I've read Guardians of the Trees it seems so obvious. Of course, the welfare of people living near the world's largest forests impacts the forest as well! We as humans are not disconnected from nature, but one with it, and exploring such made for an inspiring and insightful read.
Webb also explored how colonisation and racism were connected to as well as caused climate change. After reading Climate Change is Racist by Jeremy Williams earlier this year, I already understood this, but looking at this case study in such a detailed fashion expanded my understanding thoroughly, by providing concrete examples and evidence. I think that going forward in solving the climate crisis it's vital to understand these links so I deeply appreciated how Webb included this.
One part I found slightly disappointing was Webb's refusal to mention capitalism and how that has impacted climate change. She implied it, and how the system of capitalism drives the people of Indonesia to log their forests, but she never actually said it, and I wonder if even she consciously knows it. At the end of the day, Kinari Webb is still an American, who, like many others who live in the U.S., may blindly accept capitalism as the default. Maybe I'm being presumptuous and if I am, I apologise. However, whether or not Webb realises that capitalism is a major factor - or even the root - of climate change, it still would have been beneficial to mention such in her book. Doing so would provide an even more holistic view of climate change, which is in turn important in tackling the climate crisis. Overall, this absence felt like such an obvious gaping hole in her otherwise intersectional memoir, so it was such a shame for her not to mention capitalism and class.
Another smaller aspect that I didn't enjoy was Webb's spiritual journey and how she came to Indonesia and started the clinic because she felt it was her calling. Personally, I found this quite preachy and irrelevant to the broader narrative. I could also have done without such detailed descriptions of her dreams. This felt quite out of place for a book that otherwise heavily relied on science and statistics. However, as this is not a scientific book, but rather a memoir, I'll (mostly) let this slide. Let and let live and all that.
Yet despite these misgivings, overall I found this book very hopeful. Understanding on a more holistic level the causes of climate change mean we can better combat it, so of course, I felt more hopeful. I would definitely recommend this book as a vital part of understanding the climate crisis as well as a way to mitigate one's own fears of climate change.
Webb also explored how colonisation and racism were connected to as well as caused climate change. After reading Climate Change is Racist by Jeremy Williams earlier this year, I already understood this, but looking at this case study in such a detailed fashion expanded my understanding thoroughly, by providing concrete examples and evidence. I think that going forward in solving the climate crisis it's vital to understand these links so I deeply appreciated how Webb included this.
One part I found slightly disappointing was Webb's refusal to mention capitalism and how that has impacted climate change. She implied it, and how the system of capitalism drives the people of Indonesia to log their forests, but she never actually said it, and I wonder if even she consciously knows it. At the end of the day, Kinari Webb is still an American, who, like many others who live in the U.S., may blindly accept capitalism as the default. Maybe I'm being presumptuous and if I am, I apologise. However, whether or not Webb realises that capitalism is a major factor - or even the root - of climate change, it still would have been beneficial to mention such in her book. Doing so would provide an even more holistic view of climate change, which is in turn important in tackling the climate crisis. Overall, this absence felt like such an obvious gaping hole in her otherwise intersectional memoir, so it was such a shame for her not to mention capitalism and class.
Another smaller aspect that I didn't enjoy was Webb's spiritual journey and how she came to Indonesia and started the clinic because she felt it was her calling. Personally, I found this quite preachy and irrelevant to the broader narrative. I could also have done without such detailed descriptions of her dreams. This felt quite out of place for a book that otherwise heavily relied on science and statistics. However, as this is not a scientific book, but rather a memoir, I'll (mostly) let this slide. Let and let live and all that.
Yet despite these misgivings, overall I found this book very hopeful. Understanding on a more holistic level the causes of climate change mean we can better combat it, so of course, I felt more hopeful. I would definitely recommend this book as a vital part of understanding the climate crisis as well as a way to mitigate one's own fears of climate change.