Operating at the crossroads of memoir, academia, and literature, You Had to Be There offers a fresh, hopeful perspective on the seemingly hopeless subject of climate grief. Over the course of eleven essays, interrogations, and reflections, the author invites readers to examine the ways in which the media influences our reaction to the events befalling us, not only in how we feel, but in how we behave in the face of such overwhelming circumstances. From TED Talks to Camus, from My Octopus Teacher to the New York Times, Jess Bugg examines what the culture is serving us about climate change; what we should be discarding and what we should be taking to heart. One of a vanishingly small number of graduates from RISD’s Nature, Culture, and Sustainability program the author has spent years considering the question of where to turn once you pass the tipping point and writes about the small acts that might keep us afloat even if they don’t promise to save us.
“Jess Bugg is our canary in the coal mine. A true empath, she absorbs the environmental insults around us and implores us to share in her ecological grief. But all is not lost. Bugg’s profound insights and actionable wisdom compel us to confront our ecological responsibilities head-on, reminding us that collective action holds the key to a sustainable future.”—Michael J. Ryan, author of A Taste for the Beautiful
“You Had to Be There is a beautifully rendered personal experience of humanity’s kinship with non-human animals and the planet. With captivating honesty, Jess interprets environmental crises with empathy for all those affected in a style that is both straightforward and poetic, philosophical yet down-to-Earth. This book has reinspired my own dedication to speak for those who cannot.”—Bill Hatcher, author of The Red Planet
“Adorno viewed the essay form as the embodiment of contradictions, and in this impressively substantial and thoughtful collection of linked essays Jess Bugg does exactly that, with reference to her/our confused/confusing response/non-response to the Anthropocene. Depressing/exhilarating.”—David Shields, author of The Very Last Interview
“You Had to Be There felt like a conversation I’ve been yearning to have for the past 20 years. I haven’t observed anyone explain veganism in all its facets with such depth and truth.”—Dr. Lauren Sanchez, ND
“Engaging and beautifully written, You Had to Be There reveals Jess Bugg’s talent for finding simplicity in the philosophical.”—Drew Nellins Smith, author of Arcade
“The etymology of grief is to burden. The burden the Anthropocene puts on nature, our collective biology we grieve. Jess Bugg is an emergent personal voice to the viscerality of that grief; her essays an ethos of care as a way forward.”—Joel Fleschman, LCSW
