Book Review - A Language Older than Words

A Language Older Than Words
by Derrick Jensen

I don't remember how I learned of this book but it sounded as though it was right up my alley. After a quick review of the table of contents, the philosophical chapter titles (Cultural Eyeglasses, Safety of Metaphor, Metamorphosis, Instability) intrigued me and I decided to get it. (As an artist these are concepts I am interested in.) I wanted to like it, although, the further I read the more I began to have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I could appreciate the poetic form of the writing  and Jensen makes some good points about the delusions of mankind, paralleling his abusive childhood to the abuse of our world. On the other hand, however, it is all talk and little substance. He disdainfully points his finger yet doesn't accept responsibility for his own actions (or lack of action). But the thing that really bothers me most about this book is the absence of source citations! With all the numbers and statistics Jensen refers to he should have a complete list of citations available for the reader to reference. In the back of the book he has a vague "Notes on Sources" section which only furthers my suspicion about the validity of his information and virtually discredits the entire book. Although I didn't completely hate it- there are some gems in there worth reading- I would suggest reading it with a discerning and critical eye.