Q. Dear Umbra,<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n I hate to bother I was hoping you Thank you!<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n lilacwine A. Dearest Photo: timetrax23 via FlickrReaders Thusly, Additionally, Margaret Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres<\/em><\/a>, a modern <\/p>\n Ian Vapor Trails<\/em><\/a> by R.P. Siegel and Roger Saillant, about Edward Ishmael<\/em><\/a> by Daniel Quinn, If And Bibliophile-ly, Q. Dear Umbra,<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n You might check out Barry H. A. Dearest Thanks for “Reese Larkin is In her seventh novel, Sounds intriguing!\n<\/p>\n Witherspoonly, Q. Dear Umbra,<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n I’ve heard that If it’s a good Hair Today, Gone A. Dearest UPDATE: Since I wrote the answer below, Matter of Trust has posted the following to its website: “After a few days of mixed messages to the press, Ronald D. Rybarczyk, Props to The It’s You can Thanks Shornly, Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n In wake of Gulf spill, should this be the summer of energy reform?<\/a><\/p>\n Show how much you—and BP—care with a commemorative oil spill T-shirt<\/a><\/p>\n Matthews tells Obama to kill BP’s disaster capitalism<\/a><\/p>\n
\nyou, but I tried doing a Grist search to answer my question and nothing really
\nturned up.<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n
\ncould recommend some environmentally aware fiction writers or books. I love Barbara
\nKingsolver, but have read everything of hers twice already. \ud83d\ude42 (I’d especially
\nappreciate a recommendation for some female writers.)<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n
Evanston, Ill.
<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n
\nlilacwine,\n<\/p>\n
\nare never a bother. Well, not usually. It is occasionally tedious to read about
\nso many people beating themselves up over the teeniest of eco-conundrums—or
\nbeating me up for actually bothering to answer them. But yours is to wonder why,
\nmine is to answer. Or try, as I always say.\n<\/p>\n
\nyour question is a bit of fresh air—a nice momentary breather from heavy,
\nalbeit very important, environmental issues such as the massive Gulf oil spill
\n(see the last question in this week’s column). I did a little searching through
\nthe Grist<\/em> archives as well and came
\nup with this piece from
\nFebruary<\/a>,
\nwhich reviews the novels Far North<\/em><\/a> by Marcel Theroux and Primitive<\/em><\/a> by Mark Nykanen—both are worth a look, for
\nsure.\n<\/p>\n
\nwith a little help from my fellow Gristians, I’ve compiled a list—by no means
\ncomprehensive—of some environmentally tinged fiction by both female and male
\nauthors to whet your eco-literary appetite.\n<\/p>\n
\nAtwood’s Oryx and Crake<\/em><\/a> and its companion novel The
\nYear of the Flood<\/em><\/a>,
\nboth dystopian-future tales with genetic and biotech experiments gone awry and
\na massive eco and health catastrophe threatening humankind<\/p>\n
\nretelling of King Lear<\/em> and a devastating
\nbut beautifully written account of industrial farming<\/p>\n
\nMcEwan’s Solar<\/em><\/a>, in which a Nobel prize-winning physicist
\nstruggles with his fifth failing marriage and attempts to save the planet from
\nenvironmental disaster<\/p>\n
\nan oil exec who is unable to reconcile his financial success with the
\ndestruction he’s caused (hmm…)<\/p>\n
\nAbbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang<\/em><\/a>, about a former
\nGreen Beret who returns from war to find his much-loved desert threatened by
\nindustrial development<\/p>\n
\nwhich is about an extraordinary teacher—a gorilla—with a story to tell about
\nhow humans came to treat the earth the way they do and the possibility of a
\nstill-salvageable future<\/p>\n
\nyou’re looking to simply wade rather than dive into the world of environmental
\nfiction, I’d recommend a short story. A few that are worth a gander: A
\nSound of Thunder<\/em><\/a> by Ray Bradbury, A
\nWhite Heron<\/em><\/a> by Sarah Orne Jewett, and It’s
\nSuch a Beautiful Day<\/em><\/a> by Isaac Asimov.\n<\/p>\n
\nthen there are always the much-loved classics The
\nLittle Prince<\/em><\/a> by Antoine de de Saint-Exupéry <\/em>and The
\nLorax<\/em><\/a> by Dr. Seuss. Never underestimate the power of a quality children’s book:
\n“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get
\nbetter. It’s not.”\n<\/p>\n
Umbra\n<\/p>\n
\na funny novel by Cordelia Strube entitled <\/strong>Planet Reese<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, all about what happens to an environmentalist who
\nshort-circuits.<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n
Toronto, Ontario<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n
\nBarry,\n<\/p>\n
\nthe suggestion. We’ll tack it onto lilacwine’s list above. Readers, here’s the
\nskinny on this tome, per Powell’s Books:\n<\/p>\n
\ndesperate to find the perfect mattress. His job is in jeopardy and he’s been
\nforced to separate from his wife and children, but he believes that if he can
\nfind the ultimate sleep system his life will begin anew.\n<\/p>\n
\nCordelia Strube grabs readers by the neuroses with a dark but wickedly fun
\nstory about a former Greenpeace activist forced to turn marketeer who battles
\nagainst a world in which he is confronted by shift mattress sales clerks, a
\nFred and Ginger-obsessed strip-bar waitress, derisive colleagues, and a wife
\nwho has mysteriously turned cold and is keeping his children from him. Alone in
\nhis damp basement apartment with his daughter’s hamster, he longs for a good
\nnight’s sleep and, though faced with despair, begins each day hopefully as he
\ngrips tighter to the edges of his life.”\n<\/p>\n
Umbra\n<\/p>\n
\npeople are donating their hair to help the oil cleanup of the Gulf Coast. I’m
\nan old-school hair farmer, and I want to know if it’s harvest time for a good
\ncause. What do you think?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n
\nidea, then to whom do I send my bountiful harvest?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n
\nTomorrow (to a good cause)
Seattle<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n
\nHTGT,\n<\/p>\n
\nBP government and public affairs, contacted us at Matter of Trust
\ntonight. Rybarcyzk informed us that they have a plentiful supply of
\nideal boom for their needs and will not be in want of donated boom or
\nrenewable fiber.” Alas, the search for a solution continues. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n
\nyou for your willingness to donate your locks for this hairy situation. And
\nhave I got the organization for you: Matter of Trust<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n
\norganization, known for its oil spill hair mats<\/a>, is collecting
\nnylons, human hair, and animal fur to create hair booms to place in the water
\nto collect oil. Here’s a great article from The Washington Post<\/em><\/a> explaining the
\neffort and its progress.\n<\/p>\n
\nimportant to note, though, that the oil spill has gotten way too massive to think
\nthat this approach can necessarily fix everything, but the grassroots effort
\nhas finally gotten BP’s notice—the company contacted Matter of Trust last week.\n<\/p>\n
\ndonate your own hair, animal fur, and nylons by signing up for Matter of
\nTrust’s Excess Access<\/a> database and then
\nfollowing the instructions<\/a> for sending in
\nyour hair harvest.\n<\/p>\n
\nagain, HTGT. Every little bit helps.\n<\/p>\n
Umbra\n<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/pixel.quantserve.com\/pixel\/p-8bUhLiluj0fAw.gif?labels=pub.29804.rss.News.18590,cat.News.rss\"\/)
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"