Reviewed by Trevor Ahearn.

What made you read this book?

The front cover has the line, “How to Change the World’s Trickiest Problems”. I liked the sound of it and was drawn to the part that spoke to Climate Change. This is an area I want to understand more.

What did you find out that you didn’t know?

The book in many ways is not about telling you stuff you didn’t know as much as showing you a way to look at it differently. There are few references in the book I haven’t come across before, but I felt many of the new perspectives shown were very compelling. His illustration of how the Malthusian perspective was trashed by the Industrial Revolution and the implications this has for us today is excellent. It’s a lesson we all should hear as often as possible.

What did you like most about it?

I loved the simplicity of some arguments. The ‘Problem of the Commons’ was used so well. During the beginning of the book I had my doubts, but as I read it got less didactic and I found it compelling. It’s not a suspense thriller, but the ideas have an elegance that gives them a very strong voice and you get the sense you are reading something worthwhile.

Who would you give it to?

This would be of interest to anyone who is alert to current world issues. Politically it struck me as unpartisan, so people who can keep an open mind and are genuinely curious about the issues he touches on will find it informative and useful. It tools you up, the reframe ‘technique’ is definitely worth keeping in your back pocket.

Reviewed by Trevor Ahearn.

What made you read this book?

I’m interested in the subject of active resistance against powerful authoritarian forces (and even non-menacing powers when they bring in stupid laws like bicycle helmets) and the cover caught my eye.

What did you find out that you didn’t know?

I loved the story about the televisions in Poland. To show they weren’t watching and taking heed of government propaganda, whose main vehicle was the nightly news, the people of Swidnik in east Poland would put their TV’s facing out of their windows (obviously off), or, into prams or strap them to bicycles and walk them around the city during the news.

What did you like most about it?

Mostly how courageous seemingly ordinary people can be. The story of Fritz Kolbe, described by the allies as having supplied the most important intelligence of World War 2. The story of the people who kept the newspaper Oslobodjenje in print and circulation in Sarajevo during the bombings. The book is full of them.

Who would you give it to?

Kim Jong-Un