258: The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman
After recording three episodes (248, 250, and 251) on Alan Weisman’s Countdown, I read his earlier book, The World Without Us, which I found equally tremendous. In it, he considers what would happen to the Earth if humans suddenly disappeared. How isn’t the point, but what the difference between a world without us from that world with us tells us about ourselves.
The book and author won many awards and became a New York Times bestseller about a decade ago when it came out. I remember when it came out but not why I took so long to read it.
His writing I found a joy to read. He researched people, animals, plants, places, and so on beyond what you’d expect. You can tell he loves reporting what he’s learned and making it useful.