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Title: Believing Cassandra: An Optimist Looks at a Pessimist's World by Alan AtKisson ISBN: 1-890132-16-0 Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Company Pub. Date: September, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.75 (8 reviews)

Rating: 3
Summary: Hip Shooter with a Big Heart
Comment: Believing in Cassandra has terrific quotes; the story about how long it took to lick scurvy was fascinating and the central message is hard to argue with.

Here are a couple of editorial observations:

Shooting from the Hip
The book is sprinkled with loose analogies that weaken the author's credibility. For example, on page 141 AtKisson says people are in a "lemming-like stampede over the cliffs of history." This is a weak analogy because lemmings don't jump off cliffs. What's more, AtKisson missed an opportunity to dig into the possibility that population crashes are a part of nature. According to the Canadian Science Journal, Lemmings don't jump off cliffs and their population increases up to 500 times then crashes to almost nothing as part of a natural cycle. Dr. Charley Krebs figured this out and came up with something called the Krebs Effect or Fence Effect.

Economic Translation
AtKisson doesn't talk much about debt. The US consumer is more in debt than at any time since WWII. Most of the bad, unsustainable consumerism that he talks about is made possible by car loans, home equity loans, cheap mortgages and credit cards. Raising interest rates is very simple way to kill wasteful consumer spending, conserve natural resources -- and keep the world in an economic depression. The Fed could do it tomorrow.

Getting to the Point
AtKisson writes at length about the sustainable lifestyle, but waits until page 173 (Seven Principles of Sustainability) to describe what the lifestyle is.

Unnecessary Paraphrasing
Karl-Henrik Robert's 23rd draft of System Conditions was good enough to send to every household and school in Sweden but for some reason, AtKisson rephrased it for his readers. Surprisingly, when I looked up the actual wording in the footnotes, it turns out to be precise, agreeable and actionable.

Irony and Sarcasm
I don't know why AtKisson closes with a quote from Henry Ford.

I believe in AtKisson's central message. If the book were more tightly written I'd give it more stars.

Rating: 5
Summary: Believe AtKisson
Comment: Don't stop, don't even slow down - hit the button right now to add this book to your shopping cart. You'll be glad you did. Once you have read it, be sure to pass it on. It combines a message of urgency with an outlook of hope. It made me cry, but it made me think. Alan AtKisson holds a mirror up to all of us, and makes us look at ourselves. He never indicts us, or judges us, and he shares the blame, the sorrow, and the hope right along with us. He brings a positive message into a gloom and doom movement.

Rating: 5
Summary: Believing Cassandra
Comment: Excellent review of the global warming issue, including history and current aspects, and a good introduction for those new to this concern. Addresses the points raised by those who do not consider this a serious concern. While raising awareness, also points to possible actions individuals can take. Very positive approach to a very serious contemporary issue.

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