Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Climate Girls Saving Our World: 54 Activists Speak Out by Gayle Kimball Ph.D. is a non-fiction environmental injustice book that focuses on female youth, shedding light on the power of persuasion which Generation Z holds. Kimball has compiled over four dozen interviews from around the globe that chronicle the crisis that has been thrust upon our children by those who came before them, the majority of whom were either ignorant of or, worse still, indifferent to the devastating impact of climate change. Kimball begins with an overview of global environmental ills, with the most commonly understood issues of climate change, global warming, and pollution, but also dives into other catastrophic problems that are often overlooked such as extinction-level events and fossil fuel dependencies. From here the parameters for the young activists interviewed are explained before their own words are brought to life, sectioned by continent with candid photographs and, ultimately, a wrap-up with further resources.

As a mother to an eighteen-year-old young woman entering her first year of university, Climate Girls Saving Our World falling into my lap felt incredibly serendipitous. Doctor Gayle Kimball has done a fantastic job in elevating voices and showing that there truly is hope through the movement of remarkable girls around the world. Out of the many, there were a couple of interviews that really stood out to me. The first was from STEM activist and human/civil/environmental defender Mitzi Jonelle Tan. The connection was slightly familial as the Philippines is my maternal home, where centuries of colonization, corruption, and gender inequality have destroyed so much of the soul of the islands. Her perspective was compassionate toward those who may be less receptive or lack environmental anxiety when she points out issues like: “Regarding climate anxiety, it's hard to be anxious about ten years from now when you don’t have a place to eat...” Another standout was Anna Luísa Beserra, also a STEM activist, who had the opportunity to take a course at MIT. She has since parlayed her incredible education into tangible global environmental progress, bringing clean water to hundreds through her own initiative. This is a fantastically inspiring book and I'm so grateful to have read it.