There was a lot in this book that was thought provoking and I really enjoyed Weisman’s ability to project thousands of years into the future of what would happen if people disappeared. However, a large part of this book was preachy about current environmental issues, and I found myself skipping over entire chapters. I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if it had been edited to about a third of its current length.

posted Oct 15, 2007 at 12:52PM

What if the entire human race simply disappeared from the planet one day without warning? This scenario is exactly what Alan Weisman posits in this book as he speculates in detail how Earth might cope with what we’ve left behind and recover from our activities. How long would a skyscraper stand? What would happen to suddenly unmanned nuclear power plants? How would the environment recover? What types of human artifacts would linger longest?

I was enthralled by the detail and research Weisman presents, and wished the book could have been even more in-depth. However, by far the strongest sentiment I took away was that of dismay at how poorly we have treated our home. It would probably serve us right to get evicted!

posted Jul 17, 2008 at 3:15PM

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