I was very much looking forward to Christina Rivera's essay collection "My Oceans." I was wondering if it might be similar in tone to Diane Ackerman's or Elisabeth Tova Bailey's writing. Sadly, I was disappointed. While Rivera has a wealth of knowledge to share, and has lived and worked in some incredible locations, her concerns for the environment appear to border on obsessive and are almost off-putting.
Our planet is threatened; this is a fact proven by scientists. Climate change is destroying habitats and ecosystems, some may be beyond repair. The state of the planet is something everyone should be concerned about, and I do feel that everyone should do their part to preserve as many of our natural resources as possible. Thus, I and my family try to produce as little permanent waste as possible. We recycle; we reuse as much as we can. We are not perfect, and there is probably more we can do. I do wonder what kind of world my great grandchildren will inherit. I do not, however, wake up with nightmares about the micro plastics that are in my drinking water. I buy my children and grandchildren plastic brick building sets and do not flagellate myself with guilt for months after the fact.
Christina Rivera is a talented writer, and her prose is well-worded. However, her anxiety absolutely leaps off the pages and takes attention away from her message. I finished her book, but it was a struggle, and felt a palpable sense of relief when I finished it. I do recommend this book, but I advise readers to step away from it every so often not because of the subject matter (though Rivera does share some truly gut-wrenching heartache and I honestly felt for her), but to just take a breather from her stress.

A looping, recursive, lyrical contemplation of the waters of motherhood and womanhood. I really appreciated getting to learn so much about the oceans at the same time as I got such a personal window into the author's life. My Oceans reminds me a bit of Undrowned by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, one of my favorite books.

Where to begin? This book was wonderful and full of such beautiful and poetic yet powerful words and was a delight to read. It covers such an array of topics and I thoroughly recommend to anyone who wishes to check it out

Over on my booktube channel (Hannah's Books), I shared this book in my description of exciting books forthcoming in late March. Link to the particular discussion: https://youtu.be/2N50TsBGu7g?si=DeouHm_Y5x3jb2Ia&t=52

Nothing I say about this book will do it justice is absolute perfection on every page, just stunningly written with some of the best Essays I have ever read on topics that have really made me think. This book will stay with me for a long time

How to describe this book? How to provide a short summary?
Rivera’s writing is like her surname, a riverbank, with water always in sight, always at hand, the fauna and the flora, the ecosystems living in harmony, the sounds echoing in their natural rhythm.
This is one of the best essay books and one of the few on the junction of climate science and motherhood that I have ever read.
Rivera’s writing style and how she shapes her essays into stories that connect and inform each other are impressive.
She masterfully blends topics involving the ecosystems, the climate crisis, the collective errrs when we see someone subject to violence and injustice, grief, her anecdotes, important facts about whales and oceans and gives us this relevant. engaging and important book.
Any minor and brief disengagement for a smaller part of a much larger topic, maybe a couple of paragraphs or so were due to my own disinterest. Even in those moments, I kept reading, and had a reflective, informing, illuminating experience.
Rivera’s wonderful at her craft and she is able to evoke emotion, and invite the reader to critical and analytical thinking without the tediousness of fact heavy writing.