Zelko's deeply researched and well-written book represents an important and invigorating contribution to the historiography of modern environmentalism. Make It a Green Peace!...should encourage more historians to adopt a transnational approach to the subject. The book's impressive research, thoughtful analysis, and accessible prose will entertain and enlighten any reader interested in the history of environmentalism.
Finis Dunaway, Environmental History ... Read more
Make It a Green Peace! is a valuable addition to the history of twentieth-century environmentalism and the development of a particularly robust form of world civic politics. ... Greenpeace has been surprisingly underanalyzed by environmental historians; Frank Zelko fills this void. ... Zelko paints a vibrant portrait of the characters, episodes, and social contexts that defined Greenpeace to 1980. The book will change the way we teach and understand the interplay between the counterculture, the peace movement, global environmentalism, and environmental direct action. ... [T]his book is the rare scholarly text that is informative, a pleasure to read, and even occasionally funny.
Journal of American History
Readers...will find Make It a Green Peace!...an intimately researched and refreshingly enjoyable read... What stands out most is the magnificent writing. This book has enough excitement to be considered for a television docudrama series... Most chapters have passages that could be mistaken for dramatic fiction, and Zelko has recorded all of the tension, frustration, and comedy that ensue with each turn of events. Many of the core members had radical (and often opposing) views, and Zelko flawlessly captures these dynamics.
Brock Ternes, Environmental Politics
Wonderfully written and deeply researched, at its core Make It a Green Peace! is an institutional history tracing the creation, evolution, and finally establishment of the renowned environmental organization Greenpeace... Zelko tells this story by focusing on the complex relationships among an array of individuals who played a part in Greenpeace's evolution from a grassroots group born out of the anti-nuclear movement of the 1950s into a professionalized environmental organization with thousands of members and a global reach.
Michael Childers, American Historical Review
Early Greenpeace pioneers have written their own entertaining memoirs, but this densely sourced narrative is the definitive independent account, especially of the early years - and is highly readable.
New Scientist
Make it a Green Peace! is the best kind of history. Frank Zelko has managed to write an analysis of the founding and early years of Greenpeace that is both intelligent and very entertaining. Anyone who wants to understand modern environmentalism should read this book.
Kurk Dorsey, author of Whales and Nations: Environmental Diplomacy on the High Seas
This must be the definitive history of Greenpeace. Meticulously researched and immensely readable, it gives us the whole story, from grassroots hippies in Vancouver to global activism. Zelko's book is full of fresh insights about environmental issues, politics and ideas, and the individuals behind the rise of this remarkable international organization.
Christof Mauch, European Society for Environmental History
The story of Greenpeace is both astonishing and important-and Frank Zelko tells the story brilliantly. Make It a Green Peace! is a witty and wise account of one of the defining environmental groups of our time.
Adam Rome, author of The Genius of Earth Day
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