Believing Cassandra: the Jacket Cover

The Story of Cassandra

Cassandra was the young and beautiful daughter of Priam, the last king of Troy. Apollo bestowed upon Cassandra a special gift -- the ability to see the future. But when she refused his favors, he twisted her gift with a curse, so no one would believe her prophecies.

The Story of Alan AtKisson

Consultant, raconteur, and musical performer Alan AtKisson sees a parallel between Cassandra's situation and that of today's environmentalists--concerned citizens and scientists who see the world hurtling toward self-destruction. Is it true that most of the human race could care less about their dire warnings? But stop the hand wringing and let's get to work, says AtKisson. One way or another, by choice or catastrophe, our civilization will discover a sustainable way of life. We can either shape the future with our own creativity and innovation, or let "nature's strong hand" bring on the consequences. In a style that's refreshingly candid and vivid with unforgettable personal anecdotes, AtKisson provides us with a bridge passing over the brink of despair to the crest of an enticing future. He enables the reader to join the pioneers who embrace the ideas, techniques, and practices of sustainable living--the people who are "believing Cassandra."

Believing Cassandra: Reviews

"Believing Cassandra is a treatise of hope.... The book is a brilliant display of the author's ability to combine fact, wit, observation, common sense, history, math, and art in one great blend, an unexpected antidote for anyone worried about the demise of planet Earth."
— NAPRA ReView

"[Believing Cassandra is] a book that will in some way change you, and maybe even change the course of human events."
— Jules Older, Vermont Public Radio

"Alan AtKisson is the freshest and wisest voice to emerge from the sustainability movement in many years. Believing Cassandra manages to be incisive, humorous, and hopeful. It renews our sense of the possible and expands the dimensions of our collective intelligence, transforming our sense of the future from a curse to a blessing."
— Paul Hawken, author, The Ecology of Commerce and co-author, Natural Capitalism

"This book is clarifying and inspiring. Read it and you'll not only know how to think sustainability and do sustainability -- you'll know how to dance, sing and laugh it as well."
— Vicki Robin, co-author, Your Money or Your Life

"On one hand, Believing Cassandra is a clear, sober catalog of the warnings being issued at this turn of this century and millennium. On the other hand, it's a cheerful argument about why none of those warnings has to come true.... And everywhere Alan goes, he sings. He wards off doom and gloom with his head, as a writer and consultant, and with his heart, as a singer and composer. More than once I've seen him sum up a conference on endocrine disrupters or sustainability indicators with a rollicking ditty that he wrote overnight and that gets the point across much better than the scientific report."
— Donella H. Meadows, co-author of "Beyond the Limits" and nationally syndicated columnist

"Candid, humorous and full of memorable anecdotes. AtKisson acknowledges that he has a 'restless idealistic hunger ... and that irrepressible desire to change the world,' and this comes through throughout. Providing valuable products and services to a society that will increasingly demand sustainability is one of the biggest challenges for leaders in the next century. This book gives valuable insights into that challenge."
— WorldLink, the Magazine of the World Economic Forum

"Illuminates the differences between development as growth and development as advancements in the human condition ... Important reading for business managers and owners ... Upbeat and encouraging ... A quick read that approaches a difficult and confusing subject with humor and insight. It offers hope for the future and the potential of sustainability."
— Richard Walthers, Green@Work

"[Believing Cassandra is] a prescription to ease our environmental blunderings ... The answer is to stop the growth of population, waste, and resource use, and accelerate the kinds of development that lead to improvements in human technology and advances in the human condition. AtKisson hasn't the unbridled faith in technology of a Julian Simon, but he does believe it can be harnessed to do good by the earth.... Human ingenuity is the key, and sustainability the goal."
— Kirkus Reviews

"BOOK OF THE YEAR" ... "In Believing Cassandra, Alan AtKisson offers a realistic analysis of the global situation with upbeat examples of past social change successes and current brilliant pragmatic responses to our species' greatest challenge. This book is cajoling, joyous and entertaining. It is chocolate for the soul, offering a way to consider our future with a constructive attitude. You will laugh, you will understand, and you will start to develop an appetite for solutions."
— Sandy Bradley, The Seattle Press

"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" ... "Believing Cassandra is a pivotal book, a breakthrough. It is an informed and accurate analysis of where humanity currently stands in relation to planetary ecosystems, and what we can do to avoid disastrous overshoot and achieve sustainability. And it is wonderful reading, serious but also upbeat, personal, and witty. It is a source for honest hope."
— Nancy Jack Todd, Annals of Earth

"Believing Cassandra is highly readable, very insightful, and rich in both ideas and strategy. Definitely a MUST READ."
— Anthony Cortese, President, Second Nature

"[Believing Cassandra is] an original -- and for some people, controversial -- take on environmentalism.... AtKisson challenges businesspeople to understand the difference between 'growth' and 'development' and why the world needs less growth and more development. Amidst the seriousness is the author's love of life, especially music. He's also a raconteur, and his book is written in a fresh, candid and sometimes humorous style, spiced with personal anecdotes."
— Natural Life

"[Believing Cassandra is] light-hearted but well-documented ... [AtKisson] explains why no one pays any attention to the ecological horror story we're collectively writing -- even as he convincingly argues that the final chapter might still be revised."
— Craig Cox, Utne Reader

"The best environmental book I've read in ten years."
— John Schaeffer, CEO, Real Goods