SOCIAL SCIENCES

Queer Lasting: Ecologies of Care for a Dying World

by Sarah Ensor
NYU. Feb. 2025. 280p. ISBN 9781479829477. pap. $30. ;. SOC SCI
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In this thought-provoking, timely book, Ensor (English, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison; coeditor, The Cambridge Companion to American Literature and the Environment) effectively positions queer studies and theory alongside ecocriticism to imagine new ways of addressing environmental crises. She uses selected works from two periods—1890s American literary regionalism and 1980s AIDS literature—to explore the concepts of futurelessness and terminality. Ensor’s book demonstrates instances of queer extinction and the resulting significance of care and collective action. In turn, she applies these writings to develop a vision of environmental stewardship that focuses on inhabiting the present.
VERDICT This compelling, evocative book expertly centers queer writing and resilience to imagine new approaches to living during environmental crises. It’s an excellent choice for scholars, students, and general readers of queer studies and ecocriticism. Pair with The Queerness of Water: Troubled Ecologies in the Eighteenth Century by Jeremy Chow.
Reviewed by Kate Bellody , Jan 01, 2025
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