Women Pioneers For The Environment [Paperback]

Mary Joy Breton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2000

As the torchbearers of environmental activism, women from around the world have created profound changes that are helping to ensure a healthier planet for all living things. Whether it is Judi Bari, who was crippled by a car bomb because of her efforts to save California's ancient redwood forests; Dai Qing, who was imprisoned for her opposition to an environmentally destructive dam on China's Yangtze River; or Dr. Tatynana Artyomkina, who defied KGB threats and exposed health and environmental risks in the Soviet Union, women have put their lives on the line and persevered against daunting odds to restore and protect the environment.

Mary Joy Breton provides absorbing sketches of these and other women activists in the Americas, Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, and Asia. Breton interweaves her accounts with narrative on the ecological hazards that drove these women to spearhead various environmental campaigns, examining why and how they challenged, and often defeated, the power structures of government and industry.

Although these remarkable women come from various geographical regions and represent a wide range of economic, ethnic, and political backgrounds, they share insights, values, and a particular sensitivity to the Earth that led them to change the course of history. Their courageous efforts illuminate the crucial role of women in the environmental movement, and provide inspiration for a new generation of activists.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Breton effectively profiles 42 19th- and 20th-century women from around the world who broke with traditional subservient roles as housewives and mothers and became dynamic environmental activists. A few of her subjects worked behind the scenes, such as Harriet Hemenway, a founder of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and Katharine Ordway, preserver of tallgrass prairies. Most, however, have been outspoken and highly visible: Lois Gibbs mobilized the Love Canal Homeowners' Association; Cathy Hinds fought for the cleanup of a toxic-waste dump site in Maine; Michiko Ishimuri crusaded for the victims of methyl mercury near Minamata Bay in Japan; Hazel Henderson, an authority on global economics and human development issues, was labeled by corporate CEOs the "most dangerous woman in America." Some?such as Judi Bari, crippled by a car bomb while fighting to save the California redwood forests, and Dai Qing, imprisoned for her opposition to the Three Gorges Dam in China?have risked their lives. Breton, a former vice-president of the National Audubon Society, has created stirring portraits that describe the ecological problems that motivated these women, show how they challenged male-dominated power structures and emphasize the special insights they brought as women to the issues. They are inspirations for anyone bucking the odds to protect the environment. Photos. Editors, Scott Brassart and John Weingartner.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-An introduction to women who struggled to maintain and improve the environment during the last 300 years. Each one is briefly profiled in a larger chapter of similar activists. An effort is made to show the political and social context in which each individual had to work. Amrita Devi, for instance, clung to a tree to prevent a maharajah's soldiers from destroying a sacred forest. She was axed to death along with her three daughters and 350 other protesters before the day ended. Rachel Carson and her present-day counterpart, Theo Colborn, are given full treatment, as are Lois Gibbs and Bella Abzug. Breton also describes Tatyana Artyomkina's quest to educate the Russian people in eco-issues and Dai Qing's efforts to prevent the building of an ecologically destructive dam in China. A readable book that introduces important issues.
Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Northeastern (March 9, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555534260
• ISBN-13: 978-1555534264
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #509,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book for environmentalist and for women causes., October 3, 1998

By 

Antonio Granados (Levittown, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Women Pioneers For The Environment (Hardcover)

I thought the book was an excellent review of some very powerful women who, in most cases had scant means, but who have risked much to keep our planet whole and protect it from being exploited for short term gains. I would recommend it strongly to anyone interested in preserving the environment and/or in realizing how much work has been done by some outstanding women to protect and restore our planet.