Nature's allies Eight conservationists who changed our world

Nature's Allies is a collection of stories about the lives of eight people courageous in their quests to protect the environment. Some are well-known environmental champions, such as John Muir, Aldo Leopold, and Rachel Carson. Less well-known individuals include Ding Darling, Chico Mendes, Billy Frank Jr., Wangari Maathai, and Gro Harlem Brundtland. All faced intense opposition. For example, Frank was arrested while fighting for Native Americans' right to fish for salmon in the Pacific Northwest (a right guaranteed by treaty long ago), and Maathai was arrested for fighting to protect the Karura Forest (in her native Kenya) from corrupt government officials eager to obtain the land for themselves and their friends. Mendes gave his life fighting for Indigenous rubber tappers in the Brazilian Amazon against those who wanted to cut down the forest. This book stands out for the ethnic and gender diversity of its subjects. Nielsen (natural resources, North Carolina State Univ.) showcases the passion and dedication the activists had for their causes and presents these profiles as a way to inspire dedication to activism in others. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Frank T. Kuserk, Moravian College

Nielsen, a fisheries biologist and dean of the College of Natural Resources at N.C. State, celebrates the work of eight conservationists in the U.S. and abroad in this engaging series of biographical sketches. The work, which is "loosely patterned after" John F. Kennedy and Theodore Sorensen's Pulitzer Prize-winning Profiles in Courage, aims to inspire readers through work done "on behalf of the sustainability of our world." Nielsen unsurprisingly focuses on Rachel Carson, whose 1962 classic Silent Spring "awakened the country-and the world-to the dangers of broadcast pesticides," and John Muir, long considered the father of the environmental movement. But he also highlights lesser-known people such as Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling, an editorial cartoonist for Iowa's Des Moines Register who helped to form and lead the National Wildlife Federation, and Billy Frank Jr., who fought tirelessly for Native American fishing rights and salmon conservation. Nielsen also looks abroad, highlighting contributions from Chico Mendes, a rubber tapper and "Gandhi of the Amazon," and Wangari Maathai, who was honored with the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her work on sustainable development, democracy, human rights, and women's rights in Kenya. Paying tribute to their battles and accomplishments, Nielsen effectively showcases the passion and persistence of a remarkable group of individuals. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.