Truly superb

Malm has been getting himself a reputation as one of the foremost authors on the intersection of climate change and politics. This book is part of that. The sweep of the narrative is broad, and at its best it refreshes and updates British social history of the kind that every history undergrad reads, such as EP Thompson’s Making of the English Working Class. The accounts of the battles between labour and capital, the explanation of the uses of the state and the illumination of other potential paths (particularly hydro-power rather than steam power in the early industrial revolution) are a worthwhile listen, especially because it’s a period so poorly served by high school history. It engages with political economy, especially Marx, in historical context - which is great. The author doesn’t hesitate to disagree, and is clear when laying out what other theorists have said and why he disagrees. Best of all, it absolutely skewers some recurrent myths; the evisceration of terms like “Anthropocene”, as if all anthropoi (humans) are equally to blame for the carbon cycle, is brilliant. Malm nails his own colours to the mast, preferring “Capitalocene”, as it expresses how capital, not labour, is responsible for the carbon cycle. Less collective guilt, more collective action - quite right too.

Excellent book. I didn’t mind the narrator, I know that some others have been put off, but the book itself is riveting if you let it take hold - especially if you know the UK well, and so it’s telling you the history of places where you live, especially around Manchester.

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great book, disappointing audiobook

the narrator reads out every footnote/citation in full, very annoying to have to hear e.g. 'Andrew Uhr, The Philosophy of Manufactures, eighteen thirty-five' every other sentence

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Unlistenable

I really wanted to listen to this no doubt fantastic book but the eagerly upbeat chipper actor/narrator should be in children’s TV but not this important book. I haven’t yet been able to take one word of it in...so disappointed

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2 people found this helpful