Description:

Two of America's most talented activists team up to deliver a bold and hilarious satire of modern environmental policy in this fully illustrated graphic novel. The U.S. government gives robot machines from space permission to eat the earth in exchange for bricks of gold. A one-eyed bunny rescues his friends from a corporate animal-testing laboratory. And two little girls figure out the secret to saving the world from both of its enemies (and it isn't by using energy-efficient light bulbs or biodiesel fuel). As the World Burns will inspire you to do whatever it takes to stop ecocide before it’s too late.

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From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–This simply drawn graphic satire is largely message-driven, but the message is still entertaining and thought-provoking. As the lighthearted lead character shares what governments, corporations, and activists tell individual Americans to do to save the Earth, her cynical counterpart exposes the futility of these simple solutions. The truth is, even if each and every one of us switched to compact fluorescent bulbs and became vegetarians it would only be a drop in the bucket compared to the damage corporate and government policies are doing to the world environment. The story that binds these notions together is an upcoming alien invasion and a renegade bunny trying to end animal experimentation. The characters are crudely drawn with bare sets, but this style works in a tale in which the words are carrying so much weight. (The politicians have sharper teeth than the bears.) This book doesn't offer up any real answers to what is clearly portrayed as a frightening state of affairs–it includes an animal uprising. However, it will inflame teens' passion about the environment and possibly open more eyes.–Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD
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Review

"McMillan's expressive style, pared down to the basics and intensified over the years, allows for instant communication of thoughtful rage. . . a fast-moving page-turner."–The Comics Journal

"In As the World Burns the large scope and indictment of every facet of society is, to say the least, thought-provoking."–Cleveland Free Times

"Readers exasperated with, or just plain tired of, simplistic guides offering purportedly quick and easy ways to resolve global warming and other momentous concerns of the day will delight in this razor-sharp critique packaged as a cute-kid-and-funny-animal cartoon... Jensen and McMillan roll critical thinking and well-structured graphic-novel storytelling into a compelling whole."–Booklist

"A compelling message and an expressive artwork."–The Sylvanian

"As the product of the creative marriage of activist philosopher Derrick Jensen and political cartoonist Stephanie McMillan, As the World Burns displays trademark qualities of both professions:the big ideas and calculated statistics of Jensen's and the witticism and quirky characterization of McMillan's."–World Literature Today

"A sharply worded satire that delivers a litany of reasons why our culture's alienation from the wild is literally paving the way to global destruction."–North Coast Journal

"Jensen takes the complexity of anti-civilization philosophy and distills it down to one important message. If we can't stop destroying everything, soon we’ll have destroyed everything."–Slingshot

"In As The World Burns, satire bites through the sharp vampire-pointed teeth of McMillan's corporate overlords...initially, the graphic novel's underlying message may seem heavy-handed and preachy, but the writing is so acutely entertaining that the message doesn't feel force-fed...Plus, the drawings are so darn cute."–Broward/Palm Beach New Times