The Urgency of Now: This book will make you angry

Bex Wiles reviews The Urgency of Now

It's not big and scary Members of the Machuara Sangathan fishing co-operative pulling in a good catch. A co-operative has helped local fishers gain control over their local ponds and so their earnings, rather than working for rich landlords

Picking up ‘The Urgency of Now’, my first though was “At last – a book on poverty that’s unthreatening enough to recommend to friends.” Indeed, it’s practically pocket-size – not quite a pamphlet but with its buttercup yellow cover it’s definitely not a textbook. The way that it is presented inside, with a clear font and lots of illustrations, makes it accessible and appealing. The insistence of the title combined with the attractive design compels one to pick it up.

The content itself is also gripping; combining shocking facts, such as “The total income of the world’s 500 richest billionaires is higher than that of its 416 million poorest people” – with a vision for how things could be. Its six chapters – Inequality explored, Redistributing power, Sharing wealth, Reducing fear and anxiety, Changing the rules and Let’s get urgent – each outline a barrier to eradicating poverty, and give examples of why things are currently so dismal. The bleak picture it paints of how things are now– in terms of injustice, climate change and selfishness – is depressing, and I think sometimes the author draws the reader a bit too close to the line separating passion to bring about change, and despondency that the problem is simply too big. The situation is rescued by the examples of situations where citizens have brought about extraordinary change, leaving the reader with the knowledge that “things can be different.”

What surprised me most about ‘The Urgency of Now’ – albeit in a positive way - is that this book does not take a preaching tone. In fact, I was expecting to be “told what to do” more. Rather than dictating what we “should” be doing, the aim appears to be changing attitudes and perspectives on poverty - hoping that a paradigm shift will bring about more change than a spontaneous but short-lived attempt to make a difference. Each chapter lays out the facts on the issue – but makes no commentary. It lets the statistics – for example “up to a fifth of the population could be homeless by 2050 due to rising sea levels” - speak for themselves. In a society where we are always being told what to do – I found the simple presentation of facts a refreshing approach.

So who is this book suitable for? I’d say everyone. It’s short, simple, unpatronising and unthreatening. It’s small enough for people who just want a quick read, but provides references for those who want to find out more. The back cover is made of a postcard that can be sent to Oxfam to order a replacement copy if you have given your own away – so there really is no excuse not to share it around.

I’d like to tell you that this is a “feel good” book, but that would be a blatant lie. This book will make you angry – but my hope is that we can channel this anger into becoming a force for good. There isn’t any time left for ambivalence – things are urgent now.