From Publishers Weekly
A cofounder of the German Green Party in 1979 and member of the West German parliament from 1984 to 1990, Kelly was a leader of European peace and human rights campaigns. Her mysterious death and that of her partner, Gert Bastion, in 1992 shocked social activists. This collection of her speeches and writings is eloquent testimony to Kelly's commitment to peace. Here she discusses women and power, the arms race and nonviolent social defense. She accuses Western democracies of upholding human rights only when it suits their strategies or politics. Kelly was bitterly disappointed in the outcome of German reunification because of the ensuing discontent, intolerance, fear and the rise of neo-Nazism. She condemns the German weapons industry and calls on fellow Germans to come to terms with their past. This compilation leaves an inspiring message to activists fighting for human rights, environmental safety and peace.
Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This slim posthumous volume is both a compilation of the author's works and a celebration of her life as the dedicated, passionate activist for peace and social justice who co-founded the West German Green Party and served as a member of the Bundestag from 1983 to 1990. The collection opens with an introduction by nature writer Peter Matthiessen and a biographical sketch by Mark Hertsgaard, originally published in Vanity Fair; it closes with tributes from representatives of local green and women's groups. The chapters that form the book's core are constructed from Kelly's many speeches, articles, and interviews and cover her major concerns-preservation of ecosystems, nonviolence, feminism, and grass-roots democracy. She insists on a "clear and profound relationship between militarism, environmental degradation and sexism." Equally significant is the connection she makes between the transformation of social structures and changes in individual behavior and ways of thinking. The portrait of Kelly's courageous and compassionate life that emerges from these pages should appeal to a wide audience. For most public and academic libraries.
Joan S. Elbers, formerly with Montgomery Coll., Rockville, Md.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Joan S. Elbers, formerly with Montgomery Coll., Rockville, Md.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
