Book Review: “Who Cares Wins” by Lily Cole

Lily Cole is perhaps known more for her work on screen than in literature. A model, an actress and a filmmaker, Lily Cole has explored a wide range of her talents throughout the media industry and continues to expand to this day. Her book “Who Cares Wins” is all about our own problems today but, different to other books of its kind it does not depict it as an apocalyptic nightmare to bring down the reader into a deep hole of eco-depression. Instead, Lily Cole’s book seeks to show us that there are interesting and vast ways to solve these problems if we care enough and if we concentrate on what really matters. Her skills at showing us massive problems with our own world and then telling us that we have the solution to them at our fingertips if we work together is something that I find incredibly interesting about this text. The optimism and the clarity in writing style really make you want to stick through the book and read what she has to say. Why? Well, it is the only real book you’ll find about the environment that does not lead to the end of the world.

One thing I have to say was incredible about this book is Lily Cole’s way of explaining her point. Even though she has an MA and a honorary Doctor of Letters, she is not pretentious. She knows her audience and responds to her points with evidence and clarity - making sure her and her readers are all on the same page. She fills in the gaps with humorous personal anecdotes and is able to connect with her reader on a deep and meaningful level as she tells us about her childhood and her cousins, her father and the start of her modelling career. She uses others to illustrate her point as well - my personal favourite being the quotation from Oscar Wilde’s “The Soul of a Man Under Socialism” that was used to start a section within the text. Her insight into the two arguments she makes is vast and there is an amazing amount of research done - but the clarity is still there. For example: she talks about the way in which we could regress to farming in order to save the planet and she also talks about the ways in which we could innovate into the future to do the same - neither of these are explained using esoteric language and all are easily understood by any reader.

Another thing I found important about this book is that Lily Cole admits that this is a learning curve for her as well as the reader. She explains how we have been conditioned to accept certain things and that we need to actively notice them in order to change them. She sees the difficulty in doing this but explains to the reader that she too, is taking those first steps into her journey - it is less about preaching to the reader and rather more about inviting the reader to come on this journey with her and we can experience a better world together.

Her grasp on the English Language showcases her intelligence as her clarity and her ability to explain complex subjects in easier terms makes the reader notice how much she cares about her readership and her topic choices. Her skills within making human connections are also there and help the process of explanation. By the end of the text, you really feel like not only have you learnt something - but you have also experienced a new way of thinking about the world. From David Attenborough to the McCartney family, Lily Cole has learnt new information from everyone and you really do feel like you are on the journey with her rather than distant from the process.

Personally, I would love Lily Cole to write another book - not only am I a huge fan of hers but also because she has proven that optimism can save us. Naturally, when we read books about the destruction of the planet, we feel very upset, but Lily Cole invites us to think differently about it and possibly, if we maintain some optimism, we can save the planet together - one step at a time.