On Fire

The Case for the Green New Deal

By: Naomi Klein

Narrated by: Naomi Klein - introduction, Rebecca Lowman

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Number one New York Times and internationally best-selling author Naomi Klein makes the case for a Green New Deal in this “keenly argued, well-researched, and impassioned” manifesto (The Washington Post).

An instant best seller, On Fire shows Klein at her most prophetic and philosophical, investigating the climate crisis not only as a profound political challenge but also as a spiritual and imaginative one. Delving into topics ranging from the clash between ecological time and our culture of “perpetual now,” to the soaring history of humans changing and evolving rapidly in the face of grave threats, to rising white supremacy and fortressed borders as a form of “climate barbarism,” this is a rousing call to action for a planet on the brink. An expansive, far-ranging exploration that sees the battle for a greener world as indistinguishable from the fight for our lives, On Fire captures the burning urgency of the climate crisis, as well as the fiery energy of a rising political movement demanding a catalytic Green New Deal. 

“Naomi Klein’s work has always moved and guided me. She is the great chronicler of our age of climate emergency, an inspirer of generations.” (Greta Thunberg, climate activist) 

"If I were a rich man, I’d buy 245 million copies of Naomi Klein’s On Fire and hand-deliver them to every eligible voter in America.... Klein is a skilled writer." (Jeff Goodell, The New York Times)

©2019 Naomi Klein (P)2019 Simon & Schuster Audio

Preaching to the choir, but nobody else.

It is telling that Klein admits early in the book that, in the global warming debate, "Facts and arguments are seen as little more than further attacks, easily deflected," because this book is meant to preach to the choir. It will get those already taking part in the things like #climatestrike a bit more riled up, but anyone with differing views will be put off by the tone, as there is no attempt made to persuade them to further explore the man-made global warming side. This is a missed opportunity, because books are one of the best media for fostering the discovery process as a person questions his or her beliefs while being guided by the author.

I did appreciate two very important points that, at least to my knowledge, are unique to Klein's approach to the topic:

1) She admits that individuals cannot do anything to affect climate change on their own. One person recycling, or going vegetarian, or getting solar panels, or riding a bike instead of driving IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE ANYTHING. Klein's focus on people starting mass movements is refreshing, even to those who may disagree with her proposed methods for averting a climate crisis.
2) She admits that climate change is a godsend for liberals, and that the most popularly proposed methods for fighting it look like a liberal wish list. That does not necessarily mean the proposals are right or wrong, but it helps explain why this has become a partisan issue.

Other than my disappointment at the missed opportunity to at least attempt to convince climate skeptics to reexamine their views - and no, sprinkling in a few statistics and sharing anecdotes about smoke from forest fires interfering with your life for a few weeks are not going to do it - I do have a few other concerns.

I haven't read Klein's other books, though I would like to get to "This Changes Everything" before too long, but I understand she blends social activism throughout her writing. This social activism leads to a few strong biases, which reduce this book's effectiveness on a general audience. Whether or not one believes white men are the cause of most of the world's problems, unions jobs are the ideal to strive for, free markets are evil, we are experiencing "late capitalism", "elites" are the enemy, and wealthy conservatives are ruining the world (with no talk of billionaire liberals who balance them out), relying on these positions and constantly referring to them throughout the book does nothing to promote a unified vision to pass the Green New Deal or anything else bipartisan to confront climate change.

Finally, I will not go so far as to call her economic arguments ignorant, but she does present a VERY one-sided viewpoint regarding the economic aspects of climate change. There are so many ways economic freedom can result in beneficial environmental outcomes, but Klein's approach is always planning and regulation. When she brings up Adam Smith or neoliberalism, it seems as though it is done so with a very cursory knowledge, specifically twisted to make her points (e.g. She mentions the "Wealth of Nations" as something that ushered in slavery, except that Smith has an entire section explaining that slavery is a bad idea from even an economic standpoint).

Many of the people who get this book will do so simply to make themselves feel even more strongly that the world is in huge danger and that we need what Klein calls a "system reboot". This is fine, and these are the people who are going to give this book 4 or 5 stars. There are others who will read it while double-checking every statement against articles by the Heartland Institute and give it a 1. For the rest of us, I think it's fair to place it right in the middle.

Historic

Inspiration for an urgent movement. Naomi Klein is one of the most influential thinkers of our time. And this book rises to the occasion.

Another excellent thought provoking book by Naomi Klein

Interesting, well-researched, thoughtful, terrifying yet comforting. Highly recommend along with the rest of Klein’s books.

good read

well written, as usual. restates large parts of This Changes Everything. probably comes as partisan to readers not in her crowd

Important

I highly recommend this compilation and update of a series of essays by Naomi Klein. I have one comment about accuracy. She states in the essay about the Green New Deal that there is a small carbon tax being proposed that returns the revenue as a dividend. She says that this proposal is insufficient to address the climate crisis. Actually this is an increasing tax that would continue to increase annually until emissions are reduced by 90%, and indeed the revenue is returned to households equally. Most people, especially most low income people, would be money ahead. And there is a bill in the House now (November 2019) HR 763 the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act with 70 co-sponsors including one Republican. I think in the end we need all of us to pull in the same direction. I’m for the Green New Deal and it’s many components. These essays paint a compelling picture of the need and the solutions. I think Klein is a very important voice in the discussion.

On Fire

Inspirational. Naomi provides guidelines to mitigate climate change.
Well researched, realistic rather than false hope.

Hope

Naomi Klein gives us all hope that a better future is possible. I am so grateful for her work. 🙏

Very compelling work. Klein is doing God’s work

Very informative and a damning case anticipated for the Green New Deal. Eloquently articulated, On Fire is a damning piece of ART.

Worst possible way to advocate for GND

If you hated an Inconvenient Truth due to its reliance on emotional pleas for MUST ACT NOW without offering any concrete pragmatic approaches, this book is also not for you. It wasn't written for me.

I'm honestly not sure for whom it was written, or whether it's fair to call it a book. When you go into publishing amd you can't write a book, you publish a series of short stories, articles, or essays together that collectively meets the length expectations of a book. That is what this is--a collection of dated essays.

I am an ardent supporter of the GND. I got this book specifically to help strengthen arguments for it and counterarguments against anti-GND. I wanted and expected an economic case to be made. Instead I got a collection of speeches and puff pieces and activist emotional pleas.

Again, no idea who this book is for. If you didn't support GND coming in, this book is nonstop vapid emotional pleas. If you did, it didn't tell you anything about the GND.

I would argue the premise of the book is only effectively touched on in the epilpgue. The epilogue!!

I would rate it zero stars if I could. Narration was fine though.

Grief and hope

Klein makes the clear case that an all-encompassing, deadly global change is here, and that it will get massively worse. We can cease to exist as a species, with black and brown people, as usual bearing the pain first and worst, but from which no one will escape. Alternatively, if we face facts and embrace justice (finally!) we can make a sustainable world.

Stark choice.

And we are out of time.