A review by misslexisaurus
This Is Not A Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook by Extinction Rebellion

challenging hopeful informative inspiring slow-paced

4.5

Everyone needs to read this book. Packed with facts, science and first hand stories, not only does it arm you with the information you need to really understand the climate crisis, but also with real solutions for it and the hope that we can make a difference.

The first half of the book provides a hard look at the reality of climate change and how it's affecting everyone and everything right now. It speaks to the many, many warnings that have been ignored and shares the lived experiences of those on the front lines.
The second half of the book was hard work for me, a couple of the essays were a little dry and preachy, but the final essays offered hope, motivation and action steps, something I appreciate. It's all too easy to simply state that the world is on fire and leave everyone to panic and figure it out themselves; presenting solutions in an accessible way helped to counter my climate anxiety and enable me to do something productive.

 On a personal note, the book helped me see my own place in the fight for climate justice and the changes I can make to make me a better activist. Specifically that hope is not my strong suit, meaning discussions with others quickly turn into me becoming upset and filled with fear and reacting accordingly. I realise it's important for me to surround myself with hopeful people and information most of the time in order to engage in discussions in a productive way - I can't share a message of hope and achievable change if I am hopeless and afraid.