Altar to an Erupting Sun

Praise for Altar to an Erupting Sun

"Collins not only talks the talk but walks the walk...this is a worthwhile book to read, digest, and share" —Publishers Weekly
 

"Written in a well-crafted, conversational style, Collins’ latest is a gentle yet clear reminder to readers that real change starts by looking outside ourselves and making even the smallest connection with others.” —Booklist

“A call to action for America's wealthy and a warning shot across the bows of their yachts if they fail to act, Born on Third Base offers a clear and compelling case for why the privileged and powerful must act to reverse widening inequality of income, wealth, and political power in America.” —Robert B. Reich, former US Secretary of Labor

“Collins' warm, affecting tale raises an important question, one well worth our pondering: Is there any measure or action that is too radical, too extreme if truly necessary to save the planet and its people? I love this book. Its characters will live with me now.” —James Gustave “Gus” Speth, author, They Knew: The US Federal Government’s Fifty-Year Role in Causing the Climate Crisis, former Dean, Yale School of the Environment

“As one who has long admired Chuck Collins’s superbly documented writing about inequality, I followed him into a fictional past and future with fascination and enjoyment. He is as bold and on-target in this book as in his others. The story may be fanciful, but the issues are the most serious we have ever faced.” —Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold’s Ghost and American Midnight

"This is a very provocative book, dangerous in the way it makes us think hard about what we might need to do to save Earth’s biosphere, our only home, from a mass extinction event that is being caused not by all of us, but by some of us in positions of power.  We need more books like this one."  —Kim Stanley Robinson, author, Ministry for the Future

“This novel is indeed a gift to our remembrance and inspiration for our future. Collins tells a story of a movement, or movements, which need to be told. I know these stories, love them, and have lived many of them with characters bigger than life, more courageous than any heroes of the past, and a commitment to Mother Earth.”  —Winona LaDuke, author, All Our Relations

“Altar To An Erupting Sun starts with the unthinkable and rewinds the clock to explore what leads people to extreme actions, and the consequences of those decisions. . . . An intentionally provocative book, it will leave you with questions. . . . You’ll find yourself discussing what really matters at this critically important time in human history.”  —Rivera Sun, author, The Dandelion Insurrection

“Altar offers a moving history lesson on several decades of social movements through the life of a character that is a lovable cross between an activist Forrest Gump and a modern-day Dietrich Bonhoeffer.”  —Tim DeChristopher, climate activist

“Chuck Collins has inspired me my entire adult life, and this book is no different. We need stories like this to see our way through the media-stoked frenzies and reactivity.”  —Vicki Robin, author, Your Money or Your Life, and host of the podcast "What Could Possibly Go Right?"

“Altar introduces us to Rae Kelliher, a richly drawn heroine who accompanies us through some of the most dynamic and creative social movements of the past half-century, including present-day efforts to avert climate catastrophe. Collins weaves a riveting near-future story about the power of organized people to build resilient communities and thrive in harmony with the earth.” —Tope Folarin

"This is a very provocative book, dangerous in the way it makes us think hard about what we might need to do to save Earth’s biosphere, our only home, from a mass extinction event that is being caused not by all of us, but by some of us in positions of power.  We need more books like this one." —Kim Stanley Robinson, author, Ministry for the Future

“This novel is indeed a gift to our remembrance and inspiration for our future. Collins tells a story of a movement, or movements, which need to be told. I know these stories, love them, and have lived many of them with characters bigger than life, more courageous than any heroes of the past, and a commitment to Mother Earth.” —Winona LaDuke, Honor the Earth, author of All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life

“Altar To An Erupting Sun starts with the unthinkable and rewinds the clock to explore what leads people to extreme actions, and the consequences of those decisions. . . . An intentionally provocative book, it will leave you with questions. . . . You’ll find yourself discussing what really matters at this critically important time in human history.” —Rivera Sun, author, The Dandelion Insurrection

“Altar offers a moving history lesson on several decades of social movements through the life of a character that is a lovable cross between an activist Forrest Gump and a modern-day Dietrich Bonhoeffer.” —Tim DeChristopher, Climate Activist

“Chuck Collins has inspired me my entire adult life, and this book is no different. We need stories like this to see our way through the media-stoked frenzies and reactivity.” —Vicki Robin, author, Your Money or Your Life, and host of the podcast, “What Could Possibly Go Right?”

“A fascinating look at movements and the people who make them up, in the spirit of Kim Stanley Robinson’s Ministry for the Future.” —Bill McKibben, Schuman Distinguished Scholar, Middlebury College, and the author of  The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon

“Altar to An Erupting Sun is not magic or a zombie apocalypse—the writing is beautiful, the people feel real, and the vision is sound. You will fall in love with these characters, and love your friends and yourself a little more. You will remember to revere this planet.” —Frida Berrigan, activist and author of It Runs in the Family: On Being Raised By Radicals and Growing Into Rebellious Motherhood

“I am a longtime fan and great admirer of Chuck Collins’ work. And now a near future novel that charts new territory in envisioning a relocalized, democratic, sustainable, and resilient future. Wow!” —Frances Moore Lappé, author, Diet for a Small Planet, cofounder, Small Planet Institute

“Pressing with passion and energy, Collins takes readers into the heart of the beauty and contradictions of social movements. What does it mean to be an activist when the world is falling apart? And what is the activist's moral responsibility? These are vital questions that Altar helps us explore.” —May Bove, Executive Director, 350.org

“Chuck Collins has inspired me my entire adult life, and this book is no different. We need stories like this, a great tale about brave people who push up against the powers that be and sometimes make them budge.” —Vicki Robin, author, Your Money or Your Life and host of the podcast, “What Could Possibly Go Right?”

“A book for these turbulent times from an author who dares to explore the bigger questions. Amid so much despair and confusion, Chuck Collins can be relied upon as a prophet of truth who never fails to cut to the core. A voice of vision and integrity, courage and reason, he lights the way with his skillful writing and tireless advocacy. Collins also knows how to tell a good story. In Altar to an Erupting Sun, he brings us on a voyage of adventure, understanding, and discovery like no other.” —Ruairí McKiernan, author of Irish Times No. 1 Bestseller, Hitching for Hope: A Journey Into the Heart and Soul of Ireland

“In Altar to an Erupting Sun, Collins offers the reader an insider’s view of five decades of social and political movements brought to life with real and complex characters and an exploration of the tools of self-awareness and solidarity that are the basis for an examined life. A compelling work of speculative fiction, imagining how resilience, resistance, and repression will develop in a world of climate change, economic collapse, and polarization.” —Katherine Power, peace activist, author of a forthcoming memoir, Surrender: A Journey From Guerrilla to Grandmother

"Collins’ book is an important contribution to our urgent, existential battle for the future. It is a good read, thought provoking, informative history and inspiring. Thank you Chuck Collins." —Ted Glick, Dissident Voice