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Ecotopia Emerging [Paperback]

Ernest Callenbach
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)

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Book Description

June 1, 1981
This prequel to Callenbach's classic Ecotopia is a multi-stranded novel that dramatizes the rise and triumph of a powerful American movement to preserve the earth as a safe, sustainable environment.

The story springs from harsh realities: Toxic contamination of air, water, and food has become intolerable. Nuclear meltdowns threaten. Military spending burdens the economy. Politicians squabble over outdated agendas while the country declines. But then dedicated people begin to respond in their own ways to the crisis, and a fresh hope arises.

A panorama of history about to happen, Ecotopia Emerging weaves many individual destinies into an absorbing epic: the birthing pains of a new nation.


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Ecotopia Emerging + Ecotopia
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Editorial Reviews

Review

''The newest name after Wells, Huxley, and Orwell.''--Los Angeles Times

''No one I've given this book to has been able to put it down.'' --Renewal

About the Author

Ernest Callenbach, who also wrote Ecotopia, grew up in rural central Pennsylvania, attended the University of Chicago, and has lived in Berkeley, California, since 1954. He edited natural history, science, art, and film books for the University of California Press. He now devotes full time to writing (his newest book is Ecology: A Pocket Guide) and lecturing; he gardens ardently, has two compost bins, and walks a lot.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 334 pages
  • Publisher: Heyday Books; First Edition edition (June 1, 1981)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0960432035
  • ISBN-13: 978-0960432035
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #678,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A Greener Future April 24, 2002
By J.W.K
Format:Paperback
Callenbach's book does not come without flaws, but it was a fun read, with many practical ideas about constructing an ecologically friendly world. Not a work of literature per se, but an imaginative leap into a greener future, based squarely on contemporary problems that effect us all. Perhaps that is what I liked best about this book: Callenbach gives us a good look at things as they already exist. For that reason, I would even hesitate to call it a utopia. A well-grounded and researched work of ecological imagination. Worth your time.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A Green Globe May 2, 2005
Format:Paperback
Ecotopia Emerging is a novel of ideas written by Ernest Callenbach. The main idea of this book is, Callenbach uses a setting like our modern day civilized world, with pollutions, contaminations of streams, rivers, and ground waters by industrial toxic wastes. Doubtfully, after several years of this continuous contaminated way of living, he came up with a powerful and dedicated movement to preserve our future generations. In the book, the used Vera Allwen, a legislator as the organizer and the leader of the movement, assisted by a devoted Marissa D'Amico, her mother Laura, who organizes a group of Cancer victims to fight against plants making Carcinogenic chemicals. Finally, Lou Swift, a bright physics student who invented a unique Solar cell that would end the dependence on polluting fossil energy. Never the less, this movement was also joined by thousand of people, mostly commoners, who shared the same vision and values of their natural and traditional environment.

In the first three chapters of Ecotopia Emerging, the movement came up with rules similar to the Ten Commandments and the Bill of Rights called the "No More" list. It reads: No extinction of species, nuclear plants, manufacturing of carcinogenic or mutagenic substances. No adulterating in food, no discrimination of sex, race, age, religion or ethnic group. No private cars, and advertiser controllers, no limited liability corporations, no absentee ownership, no growth in population. Some of the rules were thought to be considered controversial in the public eyes, by some of the movement's members. For example, no private cars and growth in population. However, they stick to their rules and went to work by exposing government and private industries' evil deeds to the public for not making the earth a safer place to dwell. Drastically, the movement was popular due to it appearances on major TVs and in newspapers. In fact, they made their won TV channel for the convenience of their members who were in remote places

Lou was a bright physics student who love dating, having sex, and working on her cell. One day after school, she opened her lab door and discovered that one of her cell had magical ingredients, which was rain and seawater, chlorides, and bromides. She couldn't find the replica of that exact magical cell, after series of experiments. She became frustrated and kicked the legs of the cell. She opened the cell's hut to look for any damage; one of the switches had fallen closed. Then she remembered that when she discovered the original cell, a switch had also fallen closed also, and one of the cells had salt water in it, it creates electrolytic reaction like chlorine, sodium hydroxide, and other compounds. Finally she did the experiment over, and then came up with the results like the original cell. She rushed the news to her father, Roger, he was proud of her. Since Lou wanted the cell to be do-it-yourself, to the public, it scared the hell out of companies who had been spending money on similar research and couldn't find the answer. Many threats from the FBI, oil companies were to Lou and her family.

In the end, after continuous battle with the government and other organizations, the survivalist party finally separated themselves from the union, but it wasn't easy, the only reason why they won and successfully gained their independent country was the U.S military troops that were camped in Nevada was moved to the Middle East, due to immediate needs for troops over there.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Ecotopia: how to get there from here December 21, 1998
Format:Paperback
Once you have read Callenbach's other famous book, Ecotopia, you're bound to feel frustrated. He holds out a vision of a wonderful country - but the path there involves breaking off from the U.S. and a short war.

Surely the road to heaven doesn't have to be paved with bad intentions; Ecotopia Emerging shows a way. This "prequel" is about the period of formation of Ecotopia, but in this revised version, the new nation manages to find its way without blood being shed, or severing communications with the rest of the United States.

In addition, Ecotopia Emerging is an engaging tale in its own right, particular its telling of the coming of age of the main character, Lou Swift. It would be worth reading even without the message - a rare accomplishment for a utopian novel.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly relevant to today's problems
This book presents a compelling vision of a possible future. Sadly many of the problems the author presented back in 1981 are still with us today. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Cecilia
5.0 out of 5 stars A mostly realistic approach to the choices that need to be made
I loved this book because it is an entertaining and thoughtful approach to the eminent threats of environmental destruction. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Alexis
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the few visions of a positive collective future, more timely...
The Greeks knew, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Ecotopia and its prequel remain the sole novels of any kind I know of that present a coherent, detailed positive... Read more
Published on December 23, 2010 by Bruce A. Dickson
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
I read Ecotopia first. This was good prequel but personally think first was better. That being said, I was a lot younger when I read the first one and it had more impact on me. Read more
Published on April 11, 2010 by Bit Twiddler
3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Idea...
Great ideas are brought up, and is a definite must-read for any environmentalist. The only drawback is that some plots are not well developed. Read more
Published on July 9, 2006 by Miles V. Mcdaniel
5.0 out of 5 stars Most reviews from Statesboro Georgia
Most of the Amazon reviews on this book are curiously from Statesboro Georgia. Perhaps the same individual writing multiple bad reviews. Read more
Published on June 22, 2006 by H. Davis
1.0 out of 5 stars Ecotopia, I don't think so
In this particular novel Ernest Callenbach tries to really show his interest in how much better the world would be as an Ecotopia, but I feel as though many of his points would... Read more
Published on May 4, 2005 by Brandy Wise
2.0 out of 5 stars Jordan Walter English 1102
Imagine a world so politically divided that there is talk about secession. A world where environmentalists could gain enough support through a political party to secede from the... Read more
Published on May 3, 2005 by Jordan Walter
2.0 out of 5 stars A True Ecotopia Emerging?
Ernest Callenbach dreams of a revolution is manifested in his book, Ecotopia Emerging. The book is more of a daytime soap opera with its characters and plots. Read more
Published on May 2, 2005 by Kevin Longino
2.0 out of 5 stars A work of fiction
Ernest Callenbach presents his views in this book in a different way then any other book I have read. Read more
Published on May 2, 2005 by Jaye Nichols
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