José Speaks Out

"Josâe Mujica: former revolutionary, past president of Uruguay and contemporary climate activist. In Josâe's 2013 speech to the UN Assembly, he criticizes the contemporary economy, the inequalities of the world and the consumerism that drives our daily lives and pushes us to buy more and more. In his endearing and forceful style of speaking, Josâe condemns our wasteful way of life, explaining that if we all lived like the average American, then we would need three earths. Today, he says, it is time to create a world without borders, where we consider the planet as a home where we are all equal. Only through governing ourselves as a species will we be able to make way for a world that focuses on what is truly important: our relationships with each other, and how we relate to the world we all live in. Josâe's famous speech, translated for middle-grade readers, is strikingly illustrated by acclaimed illustrator Guridi and followed by an analysis written by Dolors Camats. The Speak Out series publishes the most inspiring speeches of our times, then deconstructs them to give young readers a deeper understanding of global issues and the power of language to influence them."--