The World Without Us

By: Alan Weisman

Narrated by: Adam Grupper

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

In this far-reaching narrative, Weisman explains how our massive infrastructure would collapse and vanish without human presence; which everyday items may become immortalized as fossils; why some of our earliest buildings might be the last architecture left; and how plastic, bronze sculpture, and man-made molecules may be our lasting gifts to the universe.

Just days after humans disappear, floods in New York's subways would start eroding the city's foundations and the world's cities would crumble, asphalt jungles giving way to real ones. Drawing on the expertise of engineers, atmospheric scientists, art conservators, zoologists, oil refiners, marine biologists, astrophysicists, religious leaders from rabbis to the Dalai Lama, and paleontologists, who describe a prehuman world inhabited by megafauna (like giants sloths that stood taller than mammoths), Weisman illustrates what the planet might be like today, if not for us.

Weisman reveals Earth's tremendous capacity for self-healing and shows which human devastations are indelible and what of our highest art and culture would endure longest. Ultimately reaching a radical but persuasive solution to our planet's problems - one that needn't depend on our demise - this is narrative nonfiction at its finest, taking on an irresistible concept with gravity but a highly accessible touch.

©2007 Alan Weisman (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

"Weisman's enthralling tour of the world of tomorrow explores what little will remain of ancient times while anticipating, often poetically, what a planet without us would be like." ( Publishers Weekly)

Old prophecies in modern skin

Reading Alan Weisman "The World Without Us" is a terrific experience. The book contemplates the state of the earth after the human race is gone... The author is not giving us the another catastrophic theory - instead he speculates on how and what can happen to our mother earth if we are no longer there....

The prevailing conclusion is that the nature will manage the world with us much faster we could ever imagine. He gives examples that are so convincing - like the example of Puszcza Bialowieska in Poland - the last forest primeval in Europe, Chernobyl abandoned areas, Korean DMZ - the places where the power of nature prevails - only because we are not there.....

The author also suggests, that what could happen to us, in some sense already happened in the history - in the case of Maya civilisation. Although on a micro scale, what happened to Maya's - can happen to us - on much larger scale.

The book is fascinating and captivating - once you started - you can not stop reading.

It also relates to "end-of-time" predictions of major world religions.

The only criticism I may have - is in the "Coda" where author apparently apotheoses the idea of "one-couple - one child" idea. On this point, I dare to disagree, but I also think, the fantastic book would be much better if we could not identify other agendas.

Sciene Non-fiction Fiction

Excellent content flow. If you enjoy learning ecology and biology, this book will keep your attention and eagerlly waiting to listen further. I will recommend this book to friends and relatives.

Wonderful

I loved the written book and really like the audio book as well.

It sounds really dark - humanity is gone. But, it turns out to be a very hopeful book. Highly recommended.

mixed feelings

I found this book to be entertaining and thought provoking at times, yet also vague and not focused at others. All considered, the book wasn't the objective science-based vision of the future
that I expected, but more a meandering commentary on environmental injustices since the industrial revolution. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't looking for cheery utopian visions here. I would probably save my download credit if I could go back, and see what my world without it would be like. A good abridgement skillfully edited might change my mind though...

Terrifying and Facinating

Both terrifying and fascinating at once, this journey from glacial continents to violent tsunamis, supervolcanoes and planets covers a breathtaking amount of ground - and space.

Good book, more people need to listen to

This book gave a good view on some of humanity's effect on earth.

The things mentioned in this book are scarcely encountered in everyday life. How life was before us, how it will be after us and some thought on what humans should do for the planet.

It however, did it in a somewhat boring way. I kind of struggled to finish this book. The narrator made the topics sound a bit dull.

I think more people should listen to this book in order to be able to appreciate the greatness of human civilization & how it affect other species.

Amazing Book

I was a student in AP Environmental Science when I was assigned to read this book. I was not excited in he least. However, once I started listening I got hooked! The story telling paired with the science is amazing. It’s now one of my favorite books. Who knew North America use to have giant sloths!

Slow

Very interesting topic but the book was slow and cumbersome to read. Better editing perhaps was needed.

An important story, well told.

I love Audible Books, especially when narrated by author. This one is not, but is insanely infotmative. Required reading for the history and future of humankind on this planet.

Generally a good book

As some others have said, a lot of this book is not about the world without us, but the world with us. Still, I think some of that content is necessary in order to point out how we've changed the world in building our civilizations. In some ways, the world could go back to the way it was without us relatively quickly, and in others, we've left a much longer-term mark.

In listing what we've done to the place, there are elements I read in Jarred Diamond's "Collapse".

It was quite thought provoking. Some sections were really fascinating - such as that on what happens to NYC if we vanish, or the oil refining area around Houston, or nuclear power plants.