A Sound of Thunder: A Green Anthology

Alice Kidd is an editor with The New Catalyst editorial collective in
Lillooet, B.C.

It is a delicate matter introducing young people to new perspectives of
experience through the written word. In this anthology, Ian Mills has
assembled a wonderful collection of inspiring writings by such authors
as D.H. Lawrence, Ray Bradbury, and Doris Lessing, “not simply to
inform and entertain but also to stimulate inquiry and action.”

Mills divides the book into three sections. The first, “The House of
Life,” contains pieces that invite the reader to experience life from
different perspectives (animal, Native, human); each piece brings out
the deep interrelatedness that exists between all forms of life. The
second section, “Unintended Consequences,” focuses on “cause and
effect,” showing that tragedies small and large arise out of
nonthinking everyday behavior.

The final section, “Just One Thing,” contains stories and images
that encourage thinking, connectedness, and above all the love of
ourselves and nature. Its concluding essay, Helen Caldicott’s
“Healing the Planet,” is a call to action, to love/save the plant.
This slim volume is highly recommended for teachers, parents, and
students.