Womens Pioneers for the Environment

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. (Sept.)