The American Environmental Movement (Social Reform Movements) [Hardcover]

Rebecca Stefoff (Author), Rebecca Stefoff (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up?In a sympathetic, yet objective manner, Stefoff presents the history and prospects of the American environmental movement in somewhat greater depth than comparable books on the topic. Her chronological approach effectively outlines the development of Euro-American attitudes toward the land. Contrasting Native Americans' lifestyles with those of the rapacious colonists and settlers, she also introduces such early conservationists as Thomas Jefferson. Other chapters depict the development of American industry and the devastated landscapes it created; early naturalists; the rise of the wilderness movement and its champion, Theodore Roosevelt; and later conservationists. Particularly insightful are the author's accounts of Rachel Carson's work and of the origins and evolution of the National Wildlife Federation and other organizations. She covers the rise and apparent decline of the newer forms of environmental organizations quite objectively, with portraits of some of the most prominent leaders and effective quotes from some opponents. The author's style is clear and accessible, and she documents all quotations. An excellent annotated bibliography and a list of agencies and organizations are included, but there are only a few rather dark black-and-white photographs and reproductions. Sylvia Whitman's This Land Is Your Land (Lerner, 1994), aimed at a slightly lower grade level, is a more "visual" treatment, with even more action-oriented language. Cathryn Jakobson's Think about the Environment (Walker, 1992) has two chapters that briefly discuss some of the issues Stefoff treats, like changes in the frontier mentality and monkey-wrenching. Stefoff fills out and updates both of these books quite well.?Jonathan Betz-Zall, Sno-Isle Regional Library System, Edmonds, WA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7^-10. The prologue focuses on the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, but Stefoff's perspective on environmental activism in America is much broader, from the fifteenth century to the present. Nineteenth-and twentieth-century activities receive most of the attention, and Stefoff has done a good job of discussing prominent figures and incidents in the environmental movement. She's also larded the text with quotes and book titles and included an extensive listing of further readings. Unfortunately, photographs are few and the notation system (no superscripts but a list of "notes" at a chapter's end) is confusing. Mary Harris Veeder

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Facts on File (January 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816030464
• ISBN-13: 978-0816030460
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,557,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rebecca Stefoff published her first books when she was in college and has been writing ever since. She is the author of more than 150 books, with more on the way. Her writing motto: "Ideas are easy. Pages are hard."

Rebecca has written many nonfiction books for children and young adults, with an emphasis on science and history. Through her books teenage readers can explore topics as varied as ghosts, robots, bacteria, evolution, women pioneers, the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, and forensic crime solving.

Over the course of her freelance writing career Rebecca has also published romance novels, celebrity biographies, reference works, and even a self-help book. In addition, she has adapted the works of historian Howard Zinn, science writer Charles C. Mann, and ethnic studies pioneer Ronald Takaki for young audiences.

After growing up in Indiana, Rebecca moved to Philadelphia for graduate school. Later she moved to the Pacific Northwest and now lives in Portland, Oregon.

When Rebecca was in the fifth grade she picked up a copy of Robert A. Heinlein's novel Space Cadet in her school library. That got her hooked on speculative fiction: science fiction at first, then fantasy and later horror. As a grad student in English at the University of Pennsylvania, she developed and taught the school's first undergraduate classes in science fiction and fantasy. She still loves speculative fiction and reads a lot of nonfiction as well. Her interests include evolutionary biology, Himalayan travel and polar exploration, and archaeology.