Andrea Barnet

I loved this nonfiction about four women whose work in the 1960s truly changed the trajectory of how we interact with our environments. The book has an opening section that lays the groundwork for how the four, who didn't know each other, are connected. The gist is that they all were outsiders in their respective fields (mainly because they were women and not allowed in through traditional means) and all saw the beauty of the natural world or natural order of human interaction in contrast to the more widely held beliefs of technology running roughshod over nature to "improve" it.

Each woman has a section that is a biography to highlight her contributions and there are references made to how their approaches were similar to each other. There is an end section that ties it all up neatly.

I really loved this book. It was readable and interesting and had some new ideas, at least to me. Highly recommended.… (lisätietoja)

I thought I’d enjoy this book more than I did. The author chose four women whose life’s work peaked or made significant inroads in the early 60’s. Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Jane Goodall and Alice Waters. She attempted to show the connection between the four, but it read more like an academic book that was straining to make a point. The biographies were interesting and well written in a narrative style that made for easy digestion. The information was solid, but it didn’t reach the height of a must read for me. This may be a good recommendation for high schoolers just learning about that time in our history. File under feminist history.… (lisätietoja)