The Great Displacement

Starred review from December 12, 2022
Journalist Bittle debuts with a captivating exploration of how climate change will “reshape the demographic geography of the United States.” Drawing on interviews, Bittle vividly documents the experiences of people impacted by hurricanes, wildfires, soil erosion, flooding, and other disasters. In Big Pine Key, Fla., Patrick Garvey recounts how his tropical fruit grove and nursery were decimated by Hurricane Irma, while residents of Kinston, N.C., which suffered two catastrophic floods in the span of four years in the 1990s, shed light on the “sense of mourning” that comes with abandoning neighborhoods in a process known as “managed retreat.” Elsewhere, Bittle spotlights the experiences of white Cajuns and Indigenous tribespeople in the Louisiana bayou to show “how much culture and history stands to be lost when movement becomes a necessity.” Throughout, Bittle analyzes how economic disparity, institutional racism, and other factors contribute to the uneven impact of climate disasters, from which some can easily rebound while others find themselves in “a churning vortex of displacement and instability.” The foregrounding of individual voices adds to the book’s power and sense of urgency, and Bittle is an expert explainer of policy matters. This is a captivating look at a pressing issue. Agent: Sarah Fuentes, Fletcher and Co.

Starred review from May 1, 2023

Journalist Bittle humanizes the plight of domestic climate migrants in this audio treatment of his portentous and urgent debut. In a series of location-focused chapters, Bittle weaves the gripping personal stories of those displaced by disaster with sparkling descriptions of the sometimes abstruse local and national policies that often lead to perverse outcomes. His rigorous reporting gives voice to a fruit grower displaced in the hurricane-ravaged Florida Keys, the angry citizens of an entire town bought out because of flood risk, and disheartened renters priced out by the destruction of Northern California wildfires. Bittle's choice to let the stories of these victims drive his narrative makes this a compelling listen, and narrator Matt Godfrey's reedy rasp is well suited to the serious subject. Subchapters and brisk pacing will make this a popular choice for listening on the go. VERDICT The audience for Bittle's important book goes well beyond policy wonks or climate activists, and this gripping audio is the perfect way to enjoy this notable book. Recommend to readers of Dahr Jamail's The End of Ice or Elizabeth A. Rush's Rising.--Mark Swails

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