Episode · Behind the Bastards · 2022-01-08
Books mentioned on It Could Happen Here Weekly 16
All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. Join us on 2/17 for a live digital experience of Behind the Bastards (plus Q&A) featuring Robert Evans, Propaganda, & Sophie Lichterman.
Robert Evans recommended In the garden of beasts by Erik Larson, The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson and others, and Food Not Lawns by Heather Jo Flores, and discussed Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flyn. Also mentioned: The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and others, Walkaway by Cory Doctorow, Plantopedia by Lauren Camilleri and others, and Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Islands of Abandonment
Discussed“I picked up a really a book I've wanted to get for a long time called Islands of Abandonment, which is about people Well, no, it's about places that have kind of been forgotten and regrown”
Where to get it
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In the garden of beasts
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson is a historical nonfiction narrative that chronicles the experiences of William E.
Recommended“I read the last book I finished in 2021 was In the Garden of Beasts, which is by God, what is his name? I think it's Eric Larson.”
Where to get it
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The Ministry for the Future
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson is a gripping speculative science fiction novel that chronicles a near-future world grappling with the escalating and devastating consequences of climate change through the efforts of a newly established UN subsidiary.
Recommended“And the last book I started in 2021 and the first book I finished in 2022 was called Ministry of the Future uh by Kim Stanley Robinson who is an interesting science fiction author in part because Ministry of the Future is about climate change.”
Where to get it
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The Dawn of Everything
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow is a sweeping archaeological and anthropological study that challenges conventional narratives about social evolution, inequality, and the origins of human civilization.
Discussed“So the not of everything is this is the last book David Greyber ever wrote and it's uh David Wingro also uh they they wrote it together and it's this basically an attempt to reassemble I guess early human history.”
Where to get it
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Walkaway
Walkaway is a science-fiction novel by Cory Doctorow that explores themes of solarpunk living, automation, and communities establishing themselves far away from existing government structures.
Recommended“The last thing I would tell people to listen to if they're looking for a fictional optimistic thing is Corey Doctoro's Walkway. Um yes, give give it a read.”
Where to get it
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Plantopedia
Plantopedia by Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan is an exhaustive and beautifully photographed guide designed to help readers care for a wide variety of houseplants.
Recommended“I have this beautiful book called the planipedia and it's really helpful for caring for your house plants and it's just like aesthetically just such the photographs are beautiful and it's one of my favorite things to gift friends and family.”
Where to get it
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Wicked Plants
Amy Stewart's Wicked Plants is an engaging exploration of the dangerous, toxic, and lethal flora that can be found in nature and even cultivated in domestic gardens.
Recommended“Another plant book that I just got for somebody that I really like. I think it's called Wicked Plants. It's about all the poisonous plants that you can get and the ones all the poisonous plants you can cultivate in your own garden.”
Where to get it
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Food Not Lawns
Food Not Lawns by Heather Jo Flores is an informative and practical guide that advocates for replacing traditional, resource-intensive lawns with sustainable food-producing gardens and community green spaces.
Recommended“Recommend everyone the book uh food not lawns. Yeah. Um uh there's it's that that would not be a meaningless change and it is something that people can have an impact on because it is the kind of thing that if were it were to get popular enough there's a Pokemon point”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (4) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“I'm still making it through Hyper Objects for an upcoming episode.”
“He's a guy who's written, he wrote like Devil in the White City and a couple of other books that people have probably read.”
“Oh, Robert, do you want to give an update on After the Revolution? That was asked a couple times. Yeah, After the Revolution sequel. I'm three chapters in.”
“JK Rowling is going to release a book on gender. Oh god. Or she'll fund a YouTube channel. Something. I think there's a decent chance she has been writing a book about gender and she's going to release it in 2022.”