Bonnie Wright’s “Go Gently” Is an Invitation
After the Harry Potter films wrapped in 2010, Bonnie Wright left her character of Ginny Weasley behind and went on to study sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles. Wright became a Greenpeace ambassador in 2017, and a few years later, she wrote and published her 2022 debut novel: Go Gently: Actionable Steps to Nurture Yourself and the Planet.
Like a Hogwarts letter, Go Gently offers acceptance into a magical community: that of environmental activism and personal wellness. Written in ten parts, the book begins with a macro summary of climate, environmental, and related facts. It then unfolds into a curious peek at the part we play – and warmly invites us to participate.
View this post on Instagram
Many might hesitate to read this book. Conversations about environmental problems are notoriously overwhelming, after all. Yet the opening paragraphs directly address that emotion. Wright quotes a fellow climate author, Mary Annaïse: “The thing about climate is that you can be overwhelmed by the complexity of the problem or fall in love with the creativity of solutions.”
So as you move through the first sections of Go Gently, if you begin to feel distressed or think to yourself, “I already know about fossil fuels and renewables” – be like Hermione and just keep reading.
View this post on Instagram
Yes, our environmental problems are immense, but as Wright points out, so are the almost endless ways in which we can be creative, connected, and helpful. And while Go Gently opens with some familiar topics that will sound elementary to older readers, the pages quickly turn to subjects that most people aren’t aware of (subjects that will shock, inspire, and delight you).
Sure, most readers probably know the basics of greenhouse gases, but they probably don’t know that 90% of all waste is loaded onto ships, carried great distances, and dumped onto the lands of impoverished countries. Most people know the basics of recycling, but they probably don’t know that 40% of the world’s fresh food is thrown in the trash – or why that’s the case. (Wright shares similarly alarming facts about so-called compostable items and labels that claim things like “cruelty-free.”)
After her chapters that explain climate basics and waste-management facts, Wright turns her attention to her own home. She closely evaluates her regular purchases, like what she eats and which products she uses throughout her home. At first, the findings feel a bit dizzying (for instance, when I looked around my own kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom, it was like a plastic jungle on every surface).
View this post on Instagram
There’s so much plastic wrapped around our everyday basics – from a package of squash to chapstick to clothing detergent – it makes a person feel like freezing up.
And Wright knows the feeling. Throughout each chapter, she leaves encouraging reminders: Her book isn’t pressuring its readers to be flawless or change lots of habits at once. Instead, her book is like a friendly invitation to start with something small. Make the small thing a habit. And only then, when it feels really easy and effortless, choose another small thing.
Before you know it, you’re buying detergent only when it comes in a cardboard bin – instead of in a plastic jug that will never be recycled (even though it says “recyclable”). Next, you’re making your own cleaning solutions instead of buying pointless chemicals that come in single-use plastics.
Somewhat surprisingly, Go Gently isn’t just a book about environmental challenges. It’s full of creativity and simple enjoyment, too. There are steps to make your own household items (like chapstick!), recipes for delicious meals, guidance for breathing and stretching, and ideas about how to connect yourself to nature.
View this post on Instagram
Notably, Go Gently stresses that one form of activism might be perfect for one person, but not the next. It emphasizes the importance of pursuing whatever form of activism speaks to you and excites you. If you’re more interested in making your own toothpaste than you are about attending a protest – then focus on the toothpaste. Start there.
An image from Bonnie Wright’s novel, “Go Gently,” shows ingredients that you can use to make your own toothpaste.
There is a huge list of possible environmental actions that Wright describes in this book. Readers shouldn’t feel pressured or overwhelmed by that, because Wright encourages us to participate wherever we feel inspired. She wants us to remove judgment – and just get curious and excited to help, instead.
If there’s one message threading through each chapter, it’s probably this: It’s so much better to feel excited about a simple action or two than to simply feel overwhelmed, frozen, or defeated. We downloaded the Go Gently audiobook to enjoy Wright’s familiar voice, but we recommend a hard copy, too, since it includes useful illustrations and digestible checklists. If you make a change or try something new from the book, tell us in the comments!
