An Incinvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming

BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:

An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming. Gore, Al. Viking, New York. ISBN 798-0-670-06272-0

PLOT SUMMARY:

Global warming is an inconvenient truth of the world we live in today. The effect of greenhouse gases on our planet is evident. The glaciers and ice caps are melting at an alarmingly high rate. Why are they melting? The increase in greenhouse gases is causing the Earth’s temperature to rise. That rise in average temperature is affecting the whole planet. We have been experiencing fierce storms like Hurricane Katrina and massive droughts, all due to global warming. The increased temperature of the earth is also affecting the oceans and wildlife. The Earth’s population has quadrupled over the last 100 years. That has caused an increased demand on natural resources and energy. Trees are what help clean the CO2 out of our air. The more trees we cut down the more pollutants remain in the air we breathe. The United States emits 30% of all greenhouse gas pollution. That is more than any other country in the world. Crisis=Opportunity. More and more people and businesses are moving in the right direction, things like solar panels, florescent light bulbs, and hybrid cars all make a difference. We all need to take steps to help save our planet. Every little bit help, little things like recycling and turning off lights when they are not in use will help.

CRITICAL EVALUATION:

Al Gore has been an environmentalist for a long time. It is important that teens have an understanding of the effect that we have on our planet. An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming is an adaptation of Gore’s original book An Inconvenient Truth. This version is aimed at the younger generation. I think the book is written for the younger teen, yet older teens will benefit from reading it as well. It a simplified, condensed version of the original book. Also though the information is condensed, this book has all of the same important facts that the original book has. It is direct and to the point, not only citing scientific facts but also relating those facts to events over the last few years. This is an important topic for teens and this book contains much of the information teens need about global warming. The one thing that does seem to be missing is the affect that the meat industry has on our planet and global warming. Other than that, I think it is book that every person should read.

READER’S ANNOTATION:

Everything you need to know about global warming; why it’s happening and what we can do about it.

AUTHOR:

Former Vice President Al Gore is cofounder and Chairman of Generation Investment Management, a firm that is focused on a new approach to Sustainable Investing. Gore is also cofounder and Chairman of Current TV, an independently owned cable and satellite television network for young people based on viewer-created content and citizen journalism. A member of the Board of Directors of Apple Computer, Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Google, Inc. Gore is also Visiting Professor at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Since his earliest days in the U. S. Congress 30 years ago, Al Gore has been the leading advocate for confronting the threat of global warming. His pioneering efforts were outlined in his best-selling book Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit (1992). He led the Clinton-Gore Administration's efforts to protect the environment in a way that also strengthens the economy.

Al Gore was born on March 31, 1948, the son of former U.S. Senator Albert Gore, Sr. and Pauline Gore. Raised in Carthage, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., he received a degree in government with honors from Harvard University in 1969. After graduation, he volunteered for enlistment in the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War. Upon returning from Vietnam, Al Gore became an investigative reporter with the Tennessean in Nashville, where he also attended Vanderbilt University's Divinity School and then Law School.

Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, reside in Nashville, Tennessee. They have four children and and three grandchildren.

GENRE:

Non-fiction

CURRICULUM TIES:

New York State: Science

BOOK TALKING IDEAS:

What is global warming and what can we do about it?

READING LEVEL/INTEREST AGE:

Age 13 and up

CHALLENGE ISSUES:

None.

In order to prepare yourself should this book be challenged you may wish to take the following steps:

•Read the book or familiarize yourself with the book and its contents.
•Refer to the library’s collection development policy.
•Read the book reviews from sources such as Booklist, School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), Publisher’s Weekly, or BookSpot.com
•Seek the opinion of teen readers that have read the book.

Should this book be challenged you should follow the additional steps below:

•Advise the senior staff of the challenge.
•Let the patron know that their challenge will be filed and that senior library management will review their request and notify them once a decision has been made.
•Offer any further assistance should the patron have additional questions.

WHY DID I INCLUDE THIS BOOK?

I saw it on the shelf in the teen room. I think it is an important topic for teens.