The Green Revolution: The American Environmental Movement, 1962-1992 (A Critical Issue)

Anyone who wants to get a better understanding of the evolution of the Green movement in the United States will find this short, concise book a worthwile read. The book covers the first three decades of the movement, which essentially began when Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962. Environmentalism really established itself quickly after the publication of this book; the threats that Carson discussed struck a nerve with the American people. This growing concern led to the establishment of a number of organizations like the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, as well as forcing politicians to start paying attention to environmental issues. But as Sale points out, the environmental movement has experienced numerous setbacks. First off, the political establishment has persisted in its resistance to legislating truly effective environmental policies. Second, there has been a considerable backlash from big business. Thirdly, many of the idealistic organizations of the 1960s and 1970s have essentially sold out in their effort to play hardball with the big boys, thus diluting the revolutionary aspect of environmentalism and, hence, giving rise to "radical" environmentalists. All in all, this is a good book, very well and clearly written and bountiful in relevant information for those wanting a better understanding of the environmental movement in the United States.

While Sale demonstrates a sound background on the subject, the book reads more like a rough draft. The chapters are divided into seperate periods within the environmental movement but the events within each chapter are not presented in chronological order. Sale tends to jump back and forth between events which makes it somewhat difficult to bring the entire picture together. In short the information is fairly complete but rather disjointed in its presentation. This is a bit disappointing for a book whose purpose is specifically to present a historical overview of the era. All things considered, for a few more pages there are other books on the subject that are much better.

Kirkpatrick Sale does a fine job discussing the environmental movement in America, launched by Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962. His book, published in 1993, takes us up to 1992 with the beginning of the Clinton-Gore administration. With the main body of the text at 108 pages, excluding bibliography and index, The Green Revolution can be read in one day. I haven't come across a better historical discussion on the first three decades of environmental movement history in such a short, readable book. Five stars.