Earth:The Parrot and the Igloo

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Short description: 2023 book by David Lipsky
The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial
AuthorDavid Lipsky
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectClimate Change
GenreNonfiction
PublisherW. W. Norton
Publication date
July 11, 2023
Media typePrint, e-book
Pages496 pp. (hardcover)
ISBNISBN:978-0393866704 (Hardcover)
Preceded byAlthough of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself 

The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial is the third nonfiction book by National Magazine Award-winning American writer David Lipsky.[1] The book tells the story of two parallel histories: the development of climate science and its dangerous inversion by climate deniers. It was published on July 11, 2023 by Norton.[2] The book is a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2023,[3] an Amazon Best Book of 2023,[4] a New Yorker Best Book of 2023,[5] and a New York Times Editors' Choice.[6]

Theme

The book concentrates on the overall story of the people who discovered and attempted to conceal climate change: "Lipsky succinctly summarizes The Parrot and the Igloo as follows: 'The story this book tells is about the people who made our world; then the people who realized there might be a problem; then the people who lied about that problem.'”[7]

Reception

In their starred review, Kirkus Reviews called the book "captivating and disturbing": "An important book that will leave your head shaking."[8] Publishers Weekly, in its own starred review, called the work "revelatory."[9] Zoë Schlanger of The New York Times wrote, "David Lipsky spins top-flight climate literature into cliffhanger entertainment…Lipsky’s book is a project of maximum ambition. He retells the entire climate story, from the dawn of electricity to the dire straits of our present day [and] makes it appropriately infuriating and page turning. He says it up front: He wants this to be like a Netflix series, bingeable."[10] David Shribman of The Boston Globe called it, "An excellent, approachable primer on the science of global warming and a dizzying account of how long we have known so much about an issue that means so much."[11] Jason Mark of Sierra Magazine described the work as "This is not a book lacking in ambition. Lipsky wants to tell the whole, sprawling, messy tale of climate change: how modern technology made it all happen, how scientists figured it out, and how a network of hustlers and hucksters distracted the public from the threat before our eyes. In the end he pulls it off, delivering a propulsive read that has the snap of a screenplay. Lipsky is a major talent…My only quibble with this fantastic book is that it ends too soon."[12]Brian Koppelman on The Moment called it, "One of the best books I’ve read in a decade…I promise you this book is worth it. David Lipsky has delivered on the promise of his brilliance in this book."[13] And historian Douglas Brinkley called the work "incredible," adding "you all have to read it." On C-Span he explained, "One fear that I had, as a historian―I was worried that these climate-deniers weren't going to pay for it in history. And this book nails them."[14]

Honors

  • Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2023[15]
  • Amazon Best Books of 2023[16]
  • The New Yorker Best Books of 2023[17]
  • Chicago Tribune Best Books of 2023[18]
  • Vanity Fair Favorite 2023 Authors[19]
  • Open Letters Best Books of 2023[20]
  • The New York Times Editors' Choice[21]

References

  1. Miller, Stuart (11 July 2023). "We Knew About Climate Change in the ’50s. Why An Author Tracked the History of Denial". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2023-07-11/we-knew-about-climate-change-in-the-50s-why-an-author-tracked-the-history-of-denial. 
  2. Lipsky, David (20 August 2023). "How Sun Myung Moon ‘Digested the Scientists’ and Fueled Climate-Change Denial". https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/sun-myung-moon-unification-church-climate-change-denial-1234808552/. 
  3. "Best Books of 2023". 27 October 2023. https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2023/nonfiction. 
  4. "Best Books of 2023". 1 December 2023. https://www.amazon.com/best-science-2023/b?ie=UTF8&node=17296236011. 
  5. "Best Books of 2023: Our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about reads.". 25 October 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/best-books-2023. 
  6. "Nine New Books We Recommend This Week - The New York Times". 31 August 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/31/books/review/new-books-recommendations.html. 
  7. Nathans-Kelly, Steve (11 July 2023). "The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial". THe New York Journal of Books. https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/parrot-and-igloo-climate. 
  8. "THE PARROT AND THE IGLOO: Climate and the Science of Denial". Kirkus Reviews. November 1, 2022. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-lipsky/the-parrot-and-the-igloo/. Retrieved October 28, 2023. 
  9. "The Parrot And The Igloo". Publishers Weekly. October 31, 2022. https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780393866704. Retrieved October 28, 2023. 
  10. Schlanger, Zoë (10 July 2023). "A Global Warming Book for the Streaming Age: In "The Parrot and the Igloo," the novelist and journalist David Lipsky spins top-flight climate literature into cliffhanger entertainment.". https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/10/books/review/the-parrot-and-the-igloo-david-lipsky.html. 
  11. Shribman, David (July 6, 2023). "David Lipsky's 'The Parrot and the Igloo' details forces behind climate change denial". https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/06/arts/david-lipskys-parrot-igloo-details-forces-behind-decades-climate-change-denial//. 
  12. Mark, Jason (August 8, 2023). "The Usual Suspects". https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/book-review-parrot-igloo-lipsky//. 
  13. Koppelman, Brian (August 8, 2023). ""The Moment with Brian Koppelman" David Lipsky — 07/18/23". https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/david-lipsky-07-18-23/id814550071?i=1000621484813&l=ro. 
  14. Brinkley, Douglas (August 12, 2023). "Author Discussion on Environmental Activism and Climate Change". https://www.c-span.org/video/?529568-6/author-discussion-environmental-activism-climate-change. 
  15. "Best Books of 2023". 27 October 2023. https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2023/nonfiction. 
  16. "Best Books of 2023". 1 December 2023. https://www.amazon.com/best-science-2023/b?ie=UTF8&node=17296236011. 
  17. "Best Books of 2023: Our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about reads.". 25 October 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/best-books-2023. 
  18. "Ten Best Books of 2023". 11 December 2023. https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-best-books-2003-20231211-szawkpylzrfsxm7ourx5uv52za-story.html. 
  19. "8 of Our Favorite 2023 Authors Recommend Gifts for Readers". 1 December 2023. https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/11/authors-recommend-gifts-for-readers. 
  20. "The Best Books of 2023". 10 December 2023. https://openlettersreview.com/posts/the-best-books-of-2023-science. 
  21. "Nine New Books We Recommend This Week - The New York Times". 31 August 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/31/books/review/new-books-recommendations.html. 

External links