Synopsis
A guide to the basics of successful business communication demonstrates how to develop ideas in writing by structuring thoughts and expressing them in clear, concise language
Reviews
In a thoughtful, compelling primer, Gore, Democratic senator from Tennessee, attempts to explain environmentalism to a benighted American public which, as he discovered in his 1988 presidential bid, gives environmental issues low or no priority. Unraveling the grave dangers posed by global warming, thinning of the ozone layer, destruction of tropical rain forests, overuse of pesticides, incineration of municipal wastes and other human-made disasters, Gore takes on head-in-the-sand skeptics who try to minimize the severity of these ecological crises. Attacking Bush and Congress for failing to assume a leadership role in environmental problems, he outlines a "global Marshall Plan," to cooperative international effort to sta bilize world population, create and share environmentally appropriate technologies, educate the public and institute accountability for polluters. The Superfund law which Gore coauthored in 1980 to clean up the nation's hazardous chemical dump sites has been an utter failure, partly due to lax EPA enforcement, he notes. The general proposals Gore sets forth here represent an important, bold step in the right direction. Author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Senator Gore (Tennessee), who was known as the environmental candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination last time around, says here that he strayed from that concentration when pollsters steered him onto other issues--and that he now has redirected himself to saving the earth. His book is not just another roundup summary of threats to the environment, though it does include chapters on water problems, deforestation, and the genetic erosion of the global food supply, but it's a seemingly heartfelt attempt to understand and convince those (politicians and public) who deny the urgency of the problems and the need to act. Gore has a roundabout way of making his points, often diluting amazing quotes, facts, and stories by presenting them as examples or asides within the abstract frameworks he constructs in his indirect way of approaching the issues. He is fond of analogies, but the analogies can be stretched far beyond their value to illuminate--as in an entire chapter, ``Dysfunctional Civilization,'' that goes on at length about dysfunctional families, addiction, and co-dependency. And instead of using the familiar as analogy to clarify a difficult concept, he often does the opposite--for example, calling on chaos theory and Einstein's Theory of Relativity (``Bear with me'') to help us recognize the threshold for dramatic change in our relationship to the environment. Yet on particular issues he often gets caught up in conventional thinking and fails to cut through with fresh ideas. Gore's concluding recommendations for a global environmental strategy work as a thoughtful position paper but are unlikely to inspire politicians or popular action. Which, however, is not to dismiss the desirability of getting Gore's agenda in motion. So consider buying the book, displaying it, and hoping for the best. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
A longstanding advocate for the environment, Senator Gore here tackles most of the major environmental threats now confronting the world. He marshalls the latest scientific data to paint a grim picture of the world's environmental situation. Recognizing that the most severe threats to the environment are global in nature, Gore proposes a global Marshall Plan that would help coordinate ecological relief all around the world. A journalist before entering politics, Gore eschewed a collaborator or coauthor for this book, and his prose, even when discussing technical issues, is always readable. Although Gore discusses many of the same issues as Senator George Mitchell in World on Fire ( LJ 12/90), Gore's book probes deeper and his solutions appear more encompassing. Recommended for most collections.
- Randy Dykhuis, OCLC, Dublin, Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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