The Great Displacement is a fascinating look at how America has changed, and will continue to change, as climate change wreaks havoc on the nation and the people who live there. Bittle ends the book on a hopeful note, but still recognizes the extent of the damage already done: "When a community disappears, so does a map that orients us in the world."

An urgent, perceptive analysis of how climate change is already changing where Americans live. Though most readers worry about climate change, many assume that it will arrive in full force later in the century and wreak greatest havoc elsewhere in the world. They will quickly learn their error as journalist Bittle delivers expert accounts of seven humanitarian disasters, all within the U.S. and currently in progress.... Most experts agree on a plan of action, but it requires decisive government action and spending money today to save it in future decades. Given the current political climate, this action may not be swift or expansive enough.
A simultaneously fascinating and unnerving report brilliantly delivered.

This multifaceted examination of the effects of climate change considers numerous U.S. communities that have been wiped out by changing weather patterns and foretells a future filled with additional displacements. Environmental journalist Bittle effectively uses a combination of science reporting and personal stories to explain the fates of entire towns deemed uninhabitable, either by government agencies or by the stark realities of insurmountable loss.... Presenting powerful and moving evidence, the author ends with a plea for comprehensive environmental policy change and urgent action.