For many years I have strayed away from reading fiction in favour of factual books on the topics of climate change, biodiversity and ethical fashion. In a sense, I had convinced myself that reading fiction was a waste of time when there we so many real life subjects that I wanted to learn about.

Then came an opportunity to read and review a fictional book based on climate change and the future of humanity! I was very kindly gifted a copy of a newly published book titled ‘Call Me Joe’ written by Martin Van Es and Andrew Crofts. The book is published by Red Door Press who are really interesting independent publishing company with a small and selective range of interesting books and they donate £1 to charity for every book sold through their website which is just a lovely thing to do!

Call me Joe book cover and a plant

So on to the book! The strap line on the back cover drew me in instantly, “The world is on the brink of disaster”, a statement that seems truer each and every day! The plot is focused on the concept of Jesus coming back to earth in the present day in a quest to unite humanity in the fight against climate change and the associated break down of society. As an atheist, I would not normally be drawn to this concept, however, the challenge presented by climate change is so huge that I am willing to read or listen to any potential ideas or solutions however crazy they may seem!

The book is written in a really captivating style, so much so that I found it hard to put down. The story is split into fifty five very short chapters, some only three or four pages long, which makes it a perfect book to read whilst commuting or on a lunch break as you can dip in and out very quickly.

An open book page

The story is engaging all the way through, filled with very accurate reflections of the current state of affairs across the world. Its funny in places, clever in its ability to describe real life figures without naming them, and also desperately sad at times. The characters are really relatable and easy to connect with, and could easily be representative of many present day people that the reader knows or sees in popular culture.

I really enjoyed reading this because it re-ignited my love for fiction, whilst also challenging my opinions and ideas around climate change and religion. On finishing the book I’d have to say that I am not convinced that the concept of Jesus coming back to earth now is the answer to fight against climate change but the idea is articulated well and it has important lessons within it that certainly could help in uniting people in creating a vision of a better world.

If you want a read a book about climate change with a unique twist then I’d highly recommend giving this one a go.

Avoid Amazon and buy the book directly from the publisher: Red Door Press.

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