Rave reviews for The Angry Earth
This is wonderful… this novel touches your heart in all the right places. An emotional connection . A seemingly simple story revealing its profoundness. Entirely engaging. It’s written with the skill and sureness of a born storyteller. The author, Jyothi Menon, has a gift for writing… I will remember for years to come.
Our generation is the one which has seen the transition from typewriter to mobile phone to AI, but would be remembered by posterity for what we actually did to the environment… a book like this is a clarion call for each one of us to do our bit to reverse our wrongdoings in the rest of our lives… this book would be a new beginning for each one of us… thanks JM for penning down such a masterpiece.
At this time in human history the landscape reflects human consciousness. When we see, appreciate and value the amazing symbiotic nature of all life living and breathing together, we see paradise. When we look at the works of humans we see whether it is beautiful or ugly and this shows to what extent to which we are conscious. At this moment in history it is critical that we learn to collaborate as a species on a planetary scale. Our future is being determined by how fully we understand both our ability and our responsibility. We are all called to save human civilization and to serve our Mother Earth. Each of us has this responsibility and it will determine the quality of life for all life coming after us. My hope is that Jyothi Menon’s book “The Angry Earth” can help young people see beyond the illusion of the materialistic world to a world of life throughout time and space. A world of joy, beauty and kindness. A world where light and love conquers fear and greed. A world in which we walk softly on the beautiful paths of the only planet we know of with an oxygenated atmosphere, a fresh water system, fertile soils and miraculous biodiversity.
The Angry Earth is a phenomenal, unputdownable read. The wisdom captured in these pages is both deep and comprehensible. I wish the younger generation will really take to the message in this book… the decimation of natural habitat, the wanton pollution of the air and the absolute degradation of the soil has left us human beings bankrupt of a social conscience. We owe it to our children that they are told about the status quo of the Earth… we must gently nudge them to take action. Else it will be an Angry Earth that they will face… I wish this work all the success it deserves.
Dear Children of Mother Earth,
We have to save its natural beauty, which we started destroying with the industrial revolution of a few centuries ago. We have to know that we exist only by reconnecting the broken relationship with Mother Earth. Jyothi Menon’s work Angry Earth will speak to you about the need to restore that relationship.
Jyoti Menonn’s work is a simple read but asks you tough questions. I oscillated between two statements that she makes somewhere in the narrative. What you’ve planted is a tree. What you’ve destroyed is an ecosystem. The conversations between the protagonist & the special character (the Being) seemed to me like the conversations between the atma & the paramatma, the conscience & the divine… the narrative is lucid. It is indeed brave of the author to tackle a dreary and preachy subject like environmental awareness and climate change through a friendly spiritual narrative… one is forced to look inwards and feel the air outside at the same time. We need many more such books…
This is the only home we all have. We owe it to ensure that we leave behind a better place for our children. Jyothi Menon’s work The Angry Earth is not just another book on climate change and global warming. It is a plea. To each of us who can change the very fate of this Earth…
It is going to take a long time to heal. But the healing must begin NOW. That is her clear-cut message and I would like to underline that message.
At the Solitude Farms in Auroville, we work with children and people of all ages. We teach them the importance of Nutrional Health, an ancient wisdom that we were blessed with. But in the modernization of the World we lost that wisdom… We must develop a paramount respect to the quality of the air we breathe, a deeper respect for the water we drink and a far greater reverence for the soil.
This cultural identity is the foundation of our lives and reflects our relationship with Mother Nature. That is where our food comes from. Preservation of our culture is Preservation of our Earth.
I wish this book the very best so that it reaches far and wide with its impactful message.
The Angry Earth is a wake-up call. In the final analysis of the Earth’s balance sheet, we are all losers. The only asset we have that is worth keeping is being systematically destroyed right in front of our own eyes and we are mute spectators. This beautiful planet of ours.
It is time to act. If not for ourselves, then surely for our children. Because the Earth is the Only Inheritance worth leaving for them. I cannot imagine a future where children and indeed adults have to wear backpacks – containing oxygen – to just breathe normally!
I wish there is active education for our children that instils Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). We owe this to Mother Earth, we should not be that millennia of people who are infamous in History for the wanton destruction that we have wrought upon her.
Thank you for this message, Jyothi. May it spread wide to the farthest corners of this world.
The Angry Earth took me back a few years. During that time I had begun my career as a forester… it left an ever-lasting impression. Because at the end of the day – Nature is the only Supreme Strength on this entire planet… we cannot escape the umbilical connection we have with Mother Earth.
When we are taken into places where Nature flaunts her true prowess – like far away mountains, lush deep forests, gurgling waters of a spring – we are magically re-connected with that something which is beyond anything that we can ever describe. This sacrosanct connectivity must be sustained…
There is also a great reference to the Indigenous People’s fate – almost interwoven with the fate of the Forest. They called themselves the Keepers of The Land… they are on the verge of extinction. Along with it, the wisdom that has been accumulated over the years, passed down from generation to generation…
Jyothi Menon’s book The Angry Earth is a clarion call to each one of us. It asks us a very powerful question: what exactly is the True Wealth we are leaving for our children? A clean environment, safe air to breathe, clean water and nutritious soil which can grow our dietary needs—isn’t that worth investing our time and energies upon?
This metaphysical story that combines macrocosmic influences with microcosmic realities, old books of wisdom with modern knowledge, takes us through a journey of discovery – of ourselves and the world around us. At its heart, it poses the question – do we know ourselves enough to care about the world that takes care of us?
Jyothi Menon’s book The Angry Earth touches upon a very fundamental question: What is the world we want to leave behind for our future generations? Through the art of storytelling she illustrates how humans & nature coexisted harmoniously from ancient times. Our actions over time have resulted in over exploitation of our natural resources far beyond the needs. Through interesting anecdotes and stories she creates awareness that as custodians of this mother earth all of us have a shared responsibility of leaving this planet a better place when we hand it over to the next generation. Conservation and Sustainability are the only way forward. I am sure it will leave readers with a pledge to appreciate and respect the gifts of this wonderful planet and its creation.
Amitav Ghosh, in his book The Great Derangement laments at the lack of fiction writing on climate change even though its impact on humanity is far greater than other events. The major crisis facing humanity, and Planet Earth, is human-induced climate change coupled with biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. Mere scientific and complex communication will not be effective.
Jyothi Menon’s book The Angry Earth fills a void as it weaves together a tale of the need to retain and revive the link with nature, which our indigenous people already have. Behavioral and cultural change largely comes through stories, and therefore stories (or kathas) are essential to simplify and amplify the communication on climate change. The book’s message is enriched with the paintings done by the author and her daughter Pooja.
Jyothi Menon’s thought provoking book is highly relevant as each of us today are directly impacted by climate change, landslides, soil erosion, floods, etc. The book is written in simple prose, which at times though, reads like beautiful poetry!
In a very intriguing way Jyothi tosses a deeply significant subject at the reader, engaging us, yet making us pause and ponder. Narrated by Pooja, a gifted savant, Jyothi delivers a chilling commentary on the reckless ravages that humans have wrought on our Earth. She gives an interesting twist by casting current world leaders in her book! The book leaves us with a sobering thought : What a damaged place we leave behind as legacy for our children.
Read on and prepare to be rattled!!
The Angry Earth by Jyothi Menon is a fantastic read about the environmental challenges that our planet faces today.
Set in the hills of Kerala’s Munnar region and narrated by a young girl called Pooja, it is about how she and her best friend Hari are made aware of the degradation of the Earth’s ecosystems through a charming tale involving shamans, aliens and lots of good food.
Our world is faced with an unprecedented disaster. Our children have to clean up the mess that we adults have created. Jyothi’s story is a compelling plea that cohesive action needs to be taken by the children of today. A hope where there seems to be none.
Jyothi is a fabulous painter and the book is dotted with some of her stunning paintings that somehow manage to bring her story to vibrant life.
This book is a must read for all. Global warming & climate change are real and everyone needs to know about what’s going on. One person’s mindset transformed is one more voice in the change that so desperately needs to happen. One tree saved is one minuscule step in the right direction.
Khurshed & Dinesh
From the buzzing bees to the towering trees, from the sparkling streams to the soaring eagles – everything is connected in a magical dance of life. This is what you are shown in Jyothi Menon’s The Angry Earth.
With passing time and human greed, we have become blinded by the luxury the world offers today but at what cost? Is the air we breathe pure enough for our lungs?
We are unaware of our surroundings. Our resources are depleting quickly… irreparable soil degradation… We have a special mission as guardians of our planet… by using less plastic, conserving water, and planting trees… The youth of today needs to be educated about the change they can bring into this world.
Imagine a world where the oceans sparkle with clean water, where forests are lush and teeming with life, and where all creatures, big and small, live happily together.
Even the tiniest actions can make a huge difference. Turning off lights when we leave a room, recycling our toys and being kind to animals… each small act is like a puzzle piece to complete the big picture… That is the other message in Jyothi Menon’s The Angry Earth. Sustainability and Preservation. Her message is Powerful. It is your World.
Through the book Angry Earth, Jyothi Meonn delves into a subject of paramount importance to life on this planet. Ever since we invented agriculture 12,000 years ago, we have been detaching ourselves from nature. The pace of this detachment hastened in tandem with the industrial revolution and the technological advances we have been making subsequently. Jyothi Menon with her simple and easy-flowing narrative style touches upon various nuances of how our life was so intensely connected with nature and how those threads of connection have been systematically snapped over the millennia due to our unquenchable thirst for over consumption. Thank you Jyothi Menon for this book!
Jyothi Menon’s The Angry Earth does not rely on statistics about climate change
It comes from the knowledge of the world she grew up in – where the bounty of nature seemed inexhaustible.
We know now that it isn’t. Much like the fable of the woodcutter who chops the very branch he’s sitting on.
She goes back into her own childhood to seek the answers to questions.
And invites readers to do the same.
She asks questions that are simple on the surface but deeply felt within.
Here are a couple of them: Do you believe that wisdom is accrued over generations? Can wisdom be passed down as a genetic trait?
Do you have an answer?
It’s as if we’ve looked at our reflection in the mirror and don’t recognise the person we see.
Peppered through the book are her lovely paintings. And glimpses of a rich tapestry of life lived in a gentler, ruminative time.
And that is the strongest plea in the book. That it is up to us to do what we can.
It’s almost impossible to understand the collective impact that a few billion humans have had on fragile ecosystems that have evolved over eons of time.
It’s as if we were handed a jewel to safeguard and we’ve plundered it.
The way back from the precipice is long and arduous. We’ve chosen to believe that we can outthink nature instead of co-existing with what was there long before we were allowed to become a part of it.
And in our own fairy tales, we must discover the hero from the villains within.
We don’t need the Metaverse. And the Universe does not need us.
And Nature’s patience is beginning to run out.
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