Two Degrees
A Climate Change Novel
by William Michael Ried
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Pub Date Nov 30 2023 | Archive Date Apr 01 2024
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Description
In a world where the devastating effects of climate change can seem inconsequential to the lives of the wealthy, Daniel Lazaro thrives as a powerful Washington lawyer.
Lobbying for the fossil fuel industry, with a dream life on the Guadalupe River, a loving wife and a young daughter, Daniel is blind to the repercussions of his work. But when a flash flood in the Texas Hill Country sweeps away his home and his family, Daniel is left shattered and haunted by even the sight of water.
Daniel descends into a bleak abyss, burdened by guilt and his debilitating phobia. But a charismatic activist appears and tries to convince Daniel to use his political access to challenge the industry he once championed. Daniel is torn between his own personal grief and his urgent need to make amends. Will he redeem himself or stand aside as the world plunges toward chaos?
In Two Degrees, a gripping tale of redemption and the fight for a dying planet, award-winning author William Michael Ried puts Dan Lazaro at the intersection of power politics and climate change, where a collision is inescapable.
Advance Praise
Author Review:
Rapacity and Resistance in the Anthropocene
Can a man achieve fulfillment by focusing only on himself?
Daniel Lazaro was born into the turbulence of climate politics. When an accident at his father’s mine devastated the local economy and fouled the groundwater, Daniel thought only of how this affected him. This may have been understandable for a teenager whose mother retreated into fanatical religion and father turned to suicide, leaving him to get by on his own. And that he pulled himself together and finished college and graduated from law school spoke to his resilience and determination.
Daniel never dwelled on the environmental impact of the mine disaster, as that was beyond his control and largely out of his line of sight. And when a powerful lobbying firm dangled prosperity before him, it was easy to join a world where greed would always trump conscience, and ignore the global ramifications of his work. He focused instead on building an arcadian sanctuary for a wife who loved him unconditionally and a daughter who filled his home with laughter.
But then tragedy returns to plague Daniel, knocking from beneath him the buttresses of all he has achieved and all he has aspired to, leaving him debilitated and alone.
He wallows in personal grief and guilt until he discovers there are others who look beyond their own comfort and safety, who take upon themselves the burden of a death spiral threatening us all. “The final notice is nailed to the planet’s door, my friend,” Kristof Tyndall tells him. “Foreclosure proceedings have begun.”
“It is a sad commentary,” another activist says, “when a society is more outraged by soup on a painting than about its government investing in fossil fuels.”
But is activism and protest the answer? And where does civil disobedience cross the line to civilizational collapse? Is it possible to sound the global alarm without becoming an agent of destruction, and along the way find redemption and even love?
Two Degrees presents Daniel Lazaro with the big questions, about survival, yes, but also about integrity and responsibility. Seeking answers to these questions may also be his only way forward."
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9781949085891 |
| PRICE | $4.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 332 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Christine T, Reviewer
While reading this you can tell the author is passionate about it and done alot of research. This book touches on a wide range of topics such as family, betrayal, lobbyists, climate change and heartache. It was very well written.
Reviewer 1334443
A thought provoking tale that touches on heavy topics, pulling at the heart strings and leaving you looking to the future with hope that we can turn our own story around before fiction becomes reality. It's a story that grabs your attention and doesn't let up until you're completely immersed, wanting more, but realizing there's nothing left to give.
Amy G, Reviewer
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!
Louise G, Reviewer
This clever book is really a book within a book. It is on the face of it a strong fictional work with an engaging plot line, but it is also a well researched expose of topics and challenges which many of us don’t like to think about. The author has effectively snuck in an analysis of some of society’s biggest challenges so you can’t avoid learning about them even as you enjoy the story itself. I really like that!
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