The Last Refuge: Patriotism, Politics, and the Environment in an Age of Terror [Hardcover]

David W. Orr (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1559635282 | ISBN-13: 978-1559635288 | Publication Date: March 15, 2004 | Edition: 1

Updated and revised following the 2004 elections, "The Last Refuge" describes the current state of American politics against the backdrop of mounting ecological and social problems, the corrosive influence of money, the corruption of language, and the misuse of terrorism as a political issue. Setting out an agenda that transcends conventional ideological labels, David Orr contends that partisan wrangling is only a symptom of a deeper dysfunction: The whole political machinery that connects Americans' fundamentally honorable ideals with public policy is broken. The book offers a withering critique of the failings of the Bush administration, supplemented by new essays that look at the national-level dominance of the Republican Party and examine the fallacy that the evangelical right represents a Christian majority. After analyzing the challenges of reforming the current system, Orr offers an empowering vision of a second American Revolution that peaceably achieves sustainability and charts a hopeful course for forward-looking citizens.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 13 essays, Orr, professor of environmental studies and politics at Oberlin, critiques what he says is the current Bush administration's lack of environmental policy and calls for a more engaged citizenry. Orr sets the scene by relating a 2001 meeting with noncommittal White House staffers in which he and other leading environmentalists presented an environmental status report, entitled "Common Ground/Common Futures." "The news was delivered," he writes. "But no one was home." The present state of environmental affairs, he says, reflects "an unconstrained managerial and well-armed plutocracy intent on global plunder." Orr advocates a coherent environmental agenda, vigorous public information, restored political leadership and increased emphasis on environmental study in higher education. Specific essays focus on particular figures in the debate: one exposes Bjorn Lomberg, a favorite author of Dick Cheney's, as "scientifically dishonest," while another praises writer Wendell Berry's commitment to agrarian ideals. Perhaps the most informative essay in the collection, entitled "Leverage," examines the meager patchwork of U.S. environmental regulations and the nation's libertarian tendencies. Orr's politics will be familiar to all left-wing readers. There is little originality in his criticisms of the right and its attitude toward natural resources and energy efficiency. Orr's writing is steeped in sometimes utopian antimodern longings for small family farms, ecologically sound urban planning, increased public transportation and ecological diversity. While it's not hard to imagine how these essays might energize a readership committed to Orr's brand of politics, their rhetoric is too repetitive and ponderously moralizing to win wider audiences for their ideas.
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Review

"Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels" - SAMUEL JOHNSON, 1775 "a tightly reasoned, excellently written book that should be lethally effective in helping readers who aren't experts understand the contours of the crisis." - TOLEDO BLADE"

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (March 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559635282
• ISBN-13: 978-1559635288
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,187,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best nonfiction book I've ever read, July 27, 2004

By 

John L. Hartmann "enviro guy" (Louisville, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Refuge: Patriotism, Politics, and the Environment in an Age of Terror (Hardcover)

The Last Refuge is indeed the best nonfiction book I've ever read, and all I read is nonfiction, and a lot of it. I am now into my second reading of this valuable book! David Orr is my favorite environmental author. Known by some as the "sane environmentalist", Orr is not one to do anything other than tell it to us straight. With a wonderful writing style, Orr writes for the laymen. Covering everthing from campaign finance change necessities to control of corporate charters to a proposed environmental amendment to the Constitution, Orr gives a forthright, authentic, and thorough overview of the "Great Work" (Citing Thomas Berry's wonderful book)and the things that must be doone in politics to achieve a world where poverty, hunger, pollution, species extinction and more are dealt with and ended. David Orr cites our need to update our Constiitution (A living document, meaning able to be changed) to allow for the reeling in of corporate mega abuse of our world so that suceeding generations can have a world that enables the pursuit of happiness. This book is full of great ideas and wisdom and again, it is written in a way that anyone can understand it. This book needs to be read by folks all over the country!!! I would give it 10 stars if I could!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars its a good book, April 15, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Refuge: Patriotism, Politics, and the Environment in an Age of Terror (Hardcover)

In stark contrast to his earlier book, "Earth in Mind", Orr rids himself of any hesitancy to appease, and states the true state of American politics from an environmentalist perspectives. The essays are clear and lucid. It is a good book.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important, But Not Up to Orr's Usual Standards, February 28, 2005

By 

Jeremy Raymondjack (Roslindale, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Refuge: Patriotism, Politics, and the Environment in an Age of Terror (Hardcover)

There are really only a couple of dynamite essays in this book. The rest are, sad to say, fairly middle of the road. I had read two of Orr's other books, "Earth in Mind" and "Ecological Literacy," which were absolutely stunning. But this effort is uneven. There are certainly many practical and revolutionary suggestions for turning our earth's fate around, but most of them have been taken up with more conviction and detail by other authors. There is a nagging sense here that Orr is kind of late to the game in some of his ideas, like undermining the idea of corporate personhood, or amending the constitution to include ecological concerns for our descendents.

So while I do recommend this book, especially because Orr is such a graceful writer, I would suggest supplementing it with some harder hitting recent material (maybe "Unequal Protection" by Thom Hartmann, "Beyond Civilization," by Daniel Quinn, or the collection of work done by POCLAD, "Defying Corporations, Defining Democracy," available on www.poclad.org).