 Alan Weisman quotes an elderly woman, “We’re down to eating our ancestors, what is left?” Weisman is referring to an Ecuadorian woman refusing to eat a bowl of monkey meat, which, when she was younger, was taboo. By page three of “The World without Us,” you’ll be hooked.
Weisman proposes an interesting future. The book begins with a hypothetical end to our society, say, tomorrow. Let’s say that tomorrow, a virus or war or whatever wipes us all out. Something happens that obliterates Homo sapiens once and for all. What’s next? What happens to all of this stuff we’ve created? Houses, cars, roller coasters, skyscrapers, all of those things that seem to define humanity, will still be here tomorrow after we’re gone. But, Weisman asks, how long will it take for all of that stuff to be reclaimed? How long will it take for nature to take over? Will the statue of David remain intact thousands of years from now? What about the Mona Lisa? The Sears tower?
Weisman takes his readers through the hypothetical dissolution of all of our stuff after we go. It starts, he says, with mold. Spores will creep into our homes and little critters will invite themselves in. He estimates that our homes will last maybe fifty years, maybe more.
Page by page, chapter by chapter, Weisman winds his readers through such questions of peril. When you really think about all of the stuff we have: the blinds covering our windows, the plates, the bronze sculptures, the jewelry, the billions of pounds of plastics…the list is truly endless. It’s an enthralling glimpse into a future without us but with our stuff.
This book seems like non-fiction as Weisman weaves experts into the story, explaining how things work. The New York subway system, for example, would be underwater within a few days. Pumps run continuously to keep water out and, once they run out of fuel, water wouldn’t stay out for long. It reads like a history book examining some ancient culture that is pieced together with unearthed relics and broken tablets.
“The World without Us” is a fun, easy, enjoyable, and eerie read. It also makes readers question the stuff around us. While you read this book, you might find yourself obsessed with looking around you and wondering about the fate of any object in your sight. Your watch, your keys, your shoes, your office building, whatever it may be…what will its fate be?
“The World without Us” is a great, addicting, relevant book. As far as environmentalists go, it’s great because it’s apolitical. It’s not trying to talk you into doing anything. Rather, it’s a tale of, as the title suggests, the world without us. That’s it; there’s no obvious agenda, no arguments. It’s just a fabulous descriptive story of what will happen when we’re gone.
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