Douglas Brinkley Boeken

Courageous activists ignited an environmental revolution that inspired legislative action from three distinct presidents, showcasing the potential for bipartisan cooperation in ecological efforts. Douglas Brinkley presents a comprehensive narrative that not only chronicles these pivotal moments in American history but also emphasizes the urgency of addressing environmental challenges. His work serves as both a call to action and a reminder of the collaborative spirit needed to safeguard the planet's future.

Focusing on grassroots activism and artistic contributions, the narrative chronicles the efforts to preserve Alaska's wilderness from 1879 to 1960. It highlights key figures such as naturalist John Muir and President Dwight Eisenhower, alongside notable advocates like Theodore Roosevelt and Rachel Carson. The book illustrates the struggle against the extraction industry, showcasing the passion of "wilderness believers" who fought to protect Alaska's natural resources for future generations, while also sharing remarkable tales of its wildlife.

Ed Abbey called The Monkey Wrench Gang, his 1975 novel, a "comic extravaganza." Some readers have remarked that the book is more a comic book than a real novel, and it's true that reading this incendiary call to protect the American wilderness requires more than a little of the old willing suspension of disbelief.The story centers on Vietnam veteran George Washington Hayduke III, who returns to the desert to find his beloved canyons and rivers threatened by industrial development. On a rafting trip down the Colorado River, Hayduke joins forces with feminist saboteur Bonnie Abbzug, wilderness guide Seldom Seen Smith, and billboard torcher Doc Sarvis, M.D., and together they wander off to wage war on the big yellow machines, on dam builders and road builders and strip miners. As they do, his characters voice Abbey's concerns about wilderness preservation ("Hell of a place to lose a cow," Smith thinks to himself while roaming through the canyonlands of southern Utah. "Hell of a place to lose your heart. Hell of a place... to lose. Period").Moving from one improbable situation to the next, packing more adventure into the space of a few weeks than most real people do in a lifetime, the motley gang puts fear into the hearts of their enemies, laughing all the while. It's comic, yes, and required reading for anyone who has come to love the desert.

Douglas Brinkley takes us on the incredible journey of the United States - a nation formed from a vast countryside on whose fringes a few small colonies made a bold cast at freedom, then burgeoned into an expanding democracy, and ultimately flourished as a world power. From the first primitive maps outlining a New World to the faded daguerreotypes of young men in uniforms standing beside Confederate flags; to pictures of hopeful immigrant families arriving at Ellis Island; to the stirring photographs of civil rights marchers; to the terrible images of the Oklahoma City Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing - the history of America offers a stunning album of people and events.

The narrative captures America's race to the moon, highlighting themes of heroism, bravery, and patriotism. As the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing approaches, this young readers' edition by bestselling author and historian Douglas Brinkley offers an engaging exploration of the historical events and figures that defined this monumental achievement in space exploration.

Acheson was President Harry Truman's secretary of state, the American father of NATO and active in US foreign policy after World War II. He was also a Democratic Party activist in Eisenhower's presidency and an advisor in the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon eras. This charts his post-secretarial career.