Eve Driver, author of “What We Can’t Burn,” will discuss her new memoir at Vroman’s Bookstore, at 695 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena on Tuesday, Sept. 3, starting at 7 p.m.
Driver’s book, described as “a memoir in two voices,” chronicles her friendship with Tom Osborn, whom she met as a junior at Harvard. Their conflicting perspectives on addressing the climate crisis almost tore their unlikely friendship apart.
The memoir explores the tension between Driver’s background as a fossil fuel divestment activist from Massachusetts and Osborn’s experience as a clean energy entrepreneur from rural Kenya. Driver was coming to believe capitalism was at the root of the climate crisis.
Osborn believed the activist approach was suspended from the real-world experiences of those facing the worst of the crisis’ effects. “What We Can’t Burn” is described as a “raw, funny, and lyrical” account of coming of age amid global climate concerns.
Driver, a writer and strategist focused on the energy transition, has been published in various outlets including the Tusculum Review, Harvard Magazine, Grist, Mongabay, Quartz, and Undark. She has worked as a journalist in Nairobi, a strategy consultant in New York, and as a climate policy advisor in the U.S. Department of Energy.
Osborn is a community-oriented entrepreneur and co-founder of the Shamiri Institute, a public benefit organization that develops mental healthcare solutions for young people across Africa. He is a 2021 TED Fellow, a Forbes’ 30 Under 30 social entrepreneur, and has won numerous accolades, including World Deliver Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016 and the Donors’ Circle for Africa Energy Prize.
The book is presented as a singular testament to “the power of dialogue, humor, and friendship” in navigating the complexities of global change-making efforts. It offers perspectives from both the United States and Kenya on addressing climate challenges.
The discussion at Vroman’s Bookstore provides an opportunity for readers to engage with Driver about her experiences and insights shared in the memoir.
For more information, visit https://www.vromansbookstore.com/event/eve-driver-discusses-what-we-can%E2%80%99t-burn.
