Ever wonder what your house would do without you? How about New York City, Chicago, or the world? That’s the premise of The World Without Us, a book that presents a brilliant twist on the debate over the fate of our planet. Author Alan Weisman has married scientific evidence and classic storytelling in a nonfiction look at how the Earth would cope without man. Bit by bit, Weisman explores how homes would deteriorate, cities would crumble and burn, plant life would take over, cockroaches would die in frozen cities plunged into an ice age, and wildlife would regenerate on the earth. Critics seem to echo the feeling that readers are comforted to think the planet would regroup if we took our toys and went home. Still, it’s a creepy thing to watch the animations of the house without us or New York City after man. The buzz on this book is huge—I’ve heard about it at every turn over the past week. So, pick it up. It may be the biggest book since Harry Potter!
The Earth on its Own
