To Save the Earth: The American Environmental Movement

by Jules Archer, Officer at New Orleans (Foreword by)

Overview

With today's climate change, our environmental problems aren’t going away any time soon.

To Save the Earth looks at the lives of four extraordinary Americans who fought to save our earth. John Muir, a pioneer of conservationism, was the founder of our national park system. Rachel Carson, biologist and author, educated our country about the effects of pesticides and chemical waste. David McTaggart, the organizer of Greenpeace, introduced nonviolent protest into the struggle, while Dave Foreman, cofounder and former leader of the activist group Earth First!, shook up a movement that had grown complacent.

The biographies of each of these figures, as well as personal interviews with David McTaggart and Dave Foreman, help us to understand the environmental movement specific to the United States. With current issues of excessive pollution and climate change, this is an excellent resource for introducing young readers to the cause. Upon first publication, To Save the Earth was chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection, and now, this fascinating and important book is back in print to teach a whole new generation of readers the importance of environmental conservation and preservation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781634501965
Publisher:	Sky Pony Press
Publication date:	04/12/2016
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Jules Archer was one of the most respected names in nonfiction for young people. During his lifetime he published more than seventy books, which have been translated into twelve languages throughout the world. He lived in Scotts Valley, California, until his death in 2008.

Erin Peabody loves getting young people excited about the fascinating and quirky workings of our natural world. She’s worked as a park ranger in the National Mall in Washington, DC, the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico, and Yellowstone. Among her favorite topics are grizzly bears, sea turtles, carnivorous crickets, and geysers that spout once a century. Erin lives with her husband, daughter, and yellow lab, Luna, in the leafy hills of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Introduction xv

John Muir 1

Rachel Carson 45

David McTaggart of Greenpeace 85

Dave Foreman of Earth First! 125

A Short History of the Environmental Movement 159

The Fight to Save the Earth Today and Tomorrow 175

About the Author 187

Environmental Organizations You Can Join 188

Bibliography and Suggested Further Reading 189

Index 193

Editorial Reviews

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Firsthand interviews with McTaggert and Foreman yielded lively and exciting coverage....For those doing research, the volume has a good bibliography."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Archer tells the history of this movement through the lives of four individuals who swam against social and political currents, challenging—and to some extent changing—our attitudes toward the natural world."
—School Library Journal

"Readers step into the minds, lives, dreams, and struggles of all the subjects for a fascinating look at their careers as well as various facets of the environmental movement."
—Booklist

"Archer offers compelling accounts of the pioneering efforts of John Muir and Rachel Carson and the more radical tactics of David McTaggart of Greenpeace and Dave Foreman, founder of Earth First! A short history of the environmental movement and an overview of the current situation encourage readers to keep the issues at the forefront of public consciousness."
—School Library Journal

"Pivotal to our growing environmental awareness."
—Book Report

From the Publisher

In a very readable, balanced and informative way, the author presents four brave Americans, John Muir, Rachel Carson, David McTaggart and Dave Foreman, and shows us how they devoted a good part of their lives to trying to "save the earth." The sections on McTaggart and Foreman include material gathered from interviews by the author. Two final chapters deal with the history of the American Environmental Movement and the fight to save the earth today and in the future. An introduction, index, bibliography and list of environmental organizations and their addresses are included.

Children's Literature - Gisela Jernigan

Archer's book contains biographies of four "movers and shakers" of the environmental movement, beginning with John Muir, founder of the National Park System, who worked to prevent developers from destroying our country's natural beauty. Rachel Carson alerted the world to the dangers of pesticides and insecticides through her writing and speeches. David McTaggart founded the Greenpeace movement, which espoused non-violent resistance as a means of preserving our seas and its creatures. Earth First!'s founder, Dave Forman, and its members took more provocative and confrontational actions, such as chaining themselves to trees and blocking company vehicles to prevent government and business from cutting down forests and drilling for oil. Each biography is approximately forty pages long and begins with information about the pioneer's personal life, but emphasis is on the passionate and tenacious work necessary to prevent both industry and government from destroying our environment out of ignorance or a drive for profit. This book is a good starting point for young people who wish to become knowledgeable about the environmental movement. Appealing black-and-white photos enrich the text. A very informative history beginning in the nineteenth century follows the biographies. The book concludes with a brief chapter about present day problems and possible citizen action. Archer speaks from the environmentalist's point of view only-defense of government actions or business interests, if there is any, will have to be found elsewhere. Index. Photos. Biblio. Further Reading. VOYA Codes: 3Q 2P M J S (Readable without serious defects, For the YA reader with a special interest in the subject, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).

VOYA - Carol Buchanan

Archer (A House Divided, 1994, etc.) offers brief biographies of four people he considers "central to the American Environmental Movement" along with succinct coverage of the history of that movement. The lives of John Muir, founder of the National Park System; Rachel Carson, scientist and author of Silent Spring and other titles; Canadian David McTaggert, organizer of Greenpeace; and Dave Foreman, former head of Earth First! are covered in approximately 60 pages each. While the sections on Muir and Carson (a shy, methodical scientist who might be surprised to find herself in the company of such extroverted eccentrics) are pedestrian compared to other available accounts, firsthand interviews with McTaggert and Foreman yielded lively and exciting coverage. That coverage, however, is one-sided as McTaggert recounts his battles to save the animals and the environment from hunters, poachers, and nuclear explosions, and Foreman is linked to spiking trees and sabotaging logging equipment while hotly denying accusations of conspiracy to cut the power lines to the Central Arizona Power plant. Archer relies on such reports, leaving readers to search elsewhere for more balanced information. The title is already dated with references to Love Canal as largely a ghost town, and the last threat of nuclear explosion ending with France in 1995. For those doing research, the volume has a good bibliography but is limited by vague sourcing: "Also consulted were PBS TV documentaries, and articles in and news from: ACLU; Alternatives; American Forests; American Historical Review "þa list that includes House Beautiful, Utne Reader, and 75 others. (b&w photos, index, not seen) (Nonfiction.10-12)

Kirkus Reviews