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The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue

A Story of Climate and Hope on One American Street

ebook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 4 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 4 weeks

A riveting and elegant story of climate change on one city street, full of surprises and true stories of human struggle and dying local trees – all against the national backdrop of 2023's record heat domes and raging wildfires and, simultaneously, rising hopes for clean energy.
In 2023, author and activist Mike Tidwell decided to keep a record for a full year of the growing impacts of climate change on his one urban block right on the border with Washington, DC. A love letter to the magnificent oaks and other trees dying from record heat waves and bizarre rain, Tidwell's story depicts the neighborhood's battle to save the trees and combat climate change: The midwife who builds a geothermal energy system on the block, the Congressman who battles cancer and climate change at the same time, and the Chinese-American climate scientist who wants to bury billions of the world's dying trees to store their carbon and help stabilize the atmosphere.
The story goes beyond ailing trees as Tidwell chronicles people on his block coping with Lyme disease, a church with solar panels on its roof and floodwater in its basement, and young people anguishing over whether to have kids –all in the same neighborhood and all against the backdrop of 2023's record global temperatures and raging wildfires and hurricanes. Then there's Tidwell himself who explores the ethical and scientific questions surrounding the idea of "geoengineering" as a last-ditch way to save the world's trees – and human communities everywhere – by reflecting sunlight away from the planet.
No book has told the story of climate change this way: hyper-local, full of surprises, full of true stories of life and death in one neighborhood. The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue is a harrowing and hopeful proxy for every street in America and every place on Earth.

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    • Kirkus

      February 1, 2025
      Fighting for the giants among us. Tidwell, an author and climate activist, does not think that any one single action, machine, or plant will save the earth from environmental disaster. But if he had to put his faith in one living thing, it would be trees, and probably the kinds of majestic oaks that graced his own street in Takoma Park, Maryland, until many of them died and left him and his neighbors in shock and grief. "The oaks on my street are a fair measurement of our collective progress on global warming," he writes. "Wherever mature oak trees are found, in urban forests or wilderness settings, they are a keystone species, indicating ecological health." Tidwell's absorbing book pays tribute to the oaks that provided canopy, cool shade, enduring beauty, and homes for birds, squirrels, and insects. It also honors Tidwell's family members and fellow citizens, including his wife, Beth, and his climate scientist friend Ning Zeng--a doctor born in China during the Cultural Revolution--who buries the dead trees in the ground, hoping that others will take their spot. Tidwell also pays homage to Jamie Raskin; the crusading Democratic Maryland congressman emerges as a genuine hero who loves trees and has defended American democracy fiercely, especially in the wake of Jan. 6, 2021. Other heroes: the Kilbys, two resilient farmers who recycle and renew their pastures. There are also heartwarming moments in the book, as when the author heralds the thousands of acorns that fall from an ancient oak, burrow into the ground, take root, and begin the cycle of life all over again. An impassioned book that might well inspire readers to think globally and act locally--maybe planting a tree or two.

      COPYRIGHT(2025) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      February 7, 2025

      Winner of the Lowell Thomas Award, Tidwell explores climate change with a hyper-local focus, one block of his neighborhood as it tries to save its old trees. Along the way, he explores the lives and hopes of his neighbors as they contend with a changing environment. Prepub Alert.

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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