A fearless and original writer, Scranton has won comparisons with Orwell for his depiction of the Iraq war in his debut novel, War Porn, and his presentation of climate change in the framework of both geological history and Zen in Learning to Die in the Anthropocene. His new collection of essays builds on his previous work to explore the realities of violence, loss, and the uncertainties of a volatile world. Writing for “the children of the Anthropocene, who will build a new world among our ruins,” Scranton applies his signature mix of memoir, philosophy, and iconoclasm to some of the most urgent problems humanity has ever faced. “Accepting the fatality of our situation isn’t nihilism,” he says, “but rather the necessary first step in forging a new way of life.”
