Discussion Questions for Plastic: An Autobiography

1.     An autobiography is an account of a person’s life written by that person. The title Plastic: An Autobiography suggests that the book could be both an autobiography of the author and of plastic. Why does Cobb use this ambiguous title, and how does this ambiguity play out in the book?

2.     Why do you think Cobb has structured the book as a series of short sections that range far into topics besides plastic, such as the history of chemical dyes, World War II airplanes, and nuclear weapons. What point is the author trying to make with these linkages?

3.     Cobb documents the climate-warming gases resulting from her travel. She also describes her privilege as a white woman, and the ways she has benefited from harmful industries such as nuclear weapons. Why do you think she documents her complicity in these matters? 

4.     Apologies are a prominent topic. Some apologies succeed in the book, and some fail.

What does Cobb suggest is required for an authentic apology?

5.     The book ends with a failed attempt to have the Honda Odyssey factory take back the plastic car part. What point do you think Cobb was trying to make in asking the factory representative to accept the plastic part?

6.     Joy becomes an important theme in the book. What does Cobb suggest about the role of joy in response to environmental crises?

7.     The book has an epigraph from the feminist theorist and physicist Karen Barad: “Knowing does not come from standing at a distance and representing but rather from direct material engagement with the world?” What does the epigraph suggest about Cobb’s approach to writing the book? What kinds of action does it suggest people might take in the face of environmental crises?