The Best Stuff I Read This Week

“She always knew that she was too small and stupid to lead a revolution, but she had hoped she could at least imagine one. She takes a deep breath, attacked by an awareness of how impossible it is to learn and accomplish all that she needs to learn and accomplish before she dies.”

— Tess Gunty / The Rabbit Hutch

“we watch the red birds in the morning
we hope for the quiet
daytime together
the year turns into air”

— W.S. Merwin / “The Solstice”

“‘We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth.’ We had all simultaneously realised that our home was not limitless — there was an edge to our existence.”

— David Attenborough / A Life On Our Planet

“I miss who I was. I miss who we all were,
before we were this: half-alive to the brightening sky,
half-dead already. I place my hand on the unscarred
bark that is cool and unsullied, and because I cannot
apologize to the tree, to my own self I say, I am sorry.
I am sorry I have been so reckless with your life.”

— Ada Limón / “Salvage”

“The science is clear: animal-based foods account for 57% of agricultural greenhouse gases versus 29% for food from plants. By cooking meat, people are cooking themselves.”

— The Guardian Editorial

“That is the trouble with writing a book about climate breakdown … By the time it is published it is already out of date. That is how fast things are moving.”

— Bill McGuire / The Guardian

“‘I live here!’ Ida yells. ‘And I think a person who’s lived here for over thirty years has a right to a peaceful home! A right to a balcony without any corpses on it!’”

— Tess Gunty / The Rabbit Hutch

What I’m Listening To:

“Do you want to make tea at the BBC?
Do you want to be, do you really want to be a cop?”

— The Clash / “Career Opportunities”