Radical Joy for Hard Times

Finding Meaning and Making Beauty in Earth's Broken Places

By: Trebbe Johnson, Susan Griffin - introduction

Narrated by: Laura Copland

In a time of uncertainty and devastation--from pandemics to environmental catastrophe--a call to action for finding beauty, creating art, and healing in community.

When a beloved place is decimated by physical damage, many may hit the donate button or call their congressperson. But award-winning author Trebbe Johnson argues that we need new methods for coping with these losses and invites readers to reconsider what constitutes “worthwhile action.” She discusses real wounded places ranging from weapons-testing grounds at Eglin Air Force Base, to Appalachian mountain tops destroyed by mining. These stories, along with tools for community engagement—ceremony, vigil, apology, and the creation of art with on-site materials—show us how we can find beauty in these places and discover new sources of meaning and community.

Grinding, unfocused account of ?

I got the book feeling the need for some joy. Instead I got an unfocused, meandering story that found on and on on the horror and hopelessness of our ecological situation.
Very short on hope, monotonous. I got through 3/4 and gave up on it.

Radical Mindfulness Approaches for our Changed World

I was drawn to this book as I was coming to grips with the logging & subsequent development of a subdivision in rural land in Maine I cherished. With neighbors a group of locals attempted to prevent a large development over a long hard year of work- we were able to limit the scope but not prevent gentrification & habitat loss. The approaches presented in this book are not fragmented and hopeless, as a previous reviewer suggests. In fact, her novel ideas to create rituals in damaged places, to be with what IS rather than turn away from the clear cut, can lead to healing of the land & acceptance of living within a changed world, developing resilience and community in the face of the great change we now live into. The concepts present a road map well worth embracing, though the hard truth of the “story”is not a 5 star happy ending for our home planet- don't shoot the messenger- hear the message. 🌎🌍🌏