Tales of Two Planets: Stories of Climate Change and Inequality in a Divided World
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Relevant disciplines (not an exhaustive list)
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Additional Resources
About the Book
Building from his acclaimed anthology Tales of Two Americas, beloved writer and editor John Freeman draws together a group of our greatest writers from around the world to help us see how the environmental crisis is hitting some of the most vulnerable communities where they live.
In the past five years, John Freeman, previously editor of Granta, has launched a celebrated international literary magazine, Freeman’s, and compiled two acclaimed anthologies that deal with income inequality as it is experienced. In the course of this work, one major theme came up repeatedly: Climate change is making already dire inequalities much worse, devastating further the already devastated. But the problems of climate change are not restricted to those from the less developed world.
Galvanized by his conversations with writers and activists around the world, Freeman engaged with some of today’s most eloquent storytellers, many of whom hail from the places under the most acute stress–from the capital of Burundi to Bangkok, Thailand. The response has been extraordinary. Margaret Atwood conjures with a dys¬topian future in a remarkable poem. Lauren Groff whisks us to Florida; Edwidge Danticat to Haiti; Tahmima Anam to Bangladesh; Yasmine El Rashidi to Egypt, while Eka Kurniawan brings us to Indonesia, Chinelo Okparanta to Nigeria, and Anuradha Roy to the Himalayas in the wake of floods, dam building, and drought. This is a literary all-points bulletin of fiction, essays, poems, and reportage about the most important crisis of our times.
Paperback - ISBN 9780143133926
Ebook - ISBN 9780525505716
Audiobook - ISBN 9780593168745
About the Author
John Freeman is the editor of Freeman’s, a literary annual of new writing, and executive editor at Alfred A. Knopf. His books include How to Read a Novelist and Dictionary of the Undoing, as well as Tales of Two Americas, an anthology about income inequality in America, and Tales of Two Planets, an anthology of new writing about inequality and the climate crisis globally. He is also the author of two poetry collections, Maps and The Park. His work is translated into more than twenty languages, and has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and The New York Times. The former editor of Granta, he teaches writing at New York University.
Activities/Assignments
Accountability Activities/Assignments
- Literary Analysis
- How does this teach accountability? Having students analyze different essays, stories and poems allow them to reflect on the environmental challenges facing our planet and the potential solutions discussed. This not only educates them, but promotes awareness about climate change, environmentalism and its consequences.
- Focus on: Individual responsibility, corporate accountability, government policies and regulations, global corporation, environmental justice, interdisciplinary solutions, and long-term planning and adaptation.
- Assign students to reading certain essays, stories or poems in the book. Ask them to analyze the issue and the proposed solution.
- Can be done as research, essays, or presentations.
- Community Engagement Projects
- How does this teach accountability? Community Engagement Projects often involve setting specific goals and objectives, teaching students to establish clear expectations and holds them accountable for their contributions and progress towards achieving the desired outcome. Overall shows a sense of collective responsibility and ownership for the projects outcome within the community.
- Focus on: Transparency and communication, building trust and relationships with community members and project leaders, and importantly celebrating achievements to acknowledge successes and milestones of their commitment in order to motivate students to continue their involvement and efforts.
- Can have students work together and research projects that might relate to certain issues in the book
- Can incorporate critical thinking questions such as “What are some actions that you can take as a student to make a difference?” or “Why do you think people ignore the reality of environmentalism/climate change or cover it up?” or “How can environmental education be more embedded into our daily lives?”
- Can range from small in-class projects to campus projects, to community projects outside of A-State.
- This type of project could easily be leveraged into the Academic Expo!
- Journal and Reflective Writing
- How does this teach accountability? It fosters a deeper understanding of accountability as a personal and societal value. It allows students to reflect on their emotions and empathize and keep them engaged while reading the book. Emotional connection helps students recognize human impact of environmental issues and can strengthen their commitment to accountability in addressing these challenges.
- Focus on: Creative expression and emotional engagement
- Assign prompts or reflective essays where student can connect the themes of the book to real life situations/experiences.
- Have students reflect on when they have felt accountable for situations and/or witnessed accountability in action.
- Have students focus on their emotions and connect with the book to empathize with the writers or each essay, story, or poem and explain what stands out? How does it make them feel? How can we expect change? Can we expect change?
- Creative Response Projects
- Can be done instead of journal writing as a form of having students express their own understanding of the book themes through creative mediums such as art, music, poetry, film, presentations, etc.
