HOW I GOT TO BE A GREAT MAN

Kennard, an environmental activist and one of the founders of Earth Day, offers a set of essays on a variety of topics that have defined his life.

The pieces in this collection are short—most are only a few pages long—and they cover a range of issues that have personal importance to the author, giving the book as a whole a memoiristic feel. The subjects include environmentalism, and what successful activism in that area involves—he was one of the co-creators of Earth Day, with Mike McCabe, in 1970, which mobilized millions, and he’s lobbied for important pro-environment legislation, among other achievements. He also talks about small businesses and their potential for innovation, political theory, and LGBTQ+ rights. Some essays are more autobiographical than others (as in one in which he notes that “the realization I was queer was a hellish experience, which I was forced to endure as a child”), but all spotlight Kennard’s distinctive voice and explain how he’s put his beliefs and values to use. The tone is satirical but not caustic (“How come Bonaparte gets 300,000 books written about him and I get none? Not even one!), and it’s clear that Kennard doesn’t actually want to be blindly praised. However, he does discuss his considerable activism work, which may win over more readers to his ideas. It’s certainly fair for an accomplished fighter for justice, at the end of his career, to take the opportunity to show off a little bit, and Kennard proves to be a funny, generous writer. It’s a lot of fun to watch essays’ concepts overlap and influence one another, as when he notes the influence of economist E.F. Schumacher’s dictum that “Small systems are likely to be more manageable, responsive, efficient, accountable, and resilient than big systems.” His own expertise will almost certainly teach aspiring activists something new. Some may wish that some ideas were explained more thoroughly, but his essays are convincing and enjoyable throughout. He’s an engaging writer and teacher, and it’s easy to see how his work brought so many people into the fight to save the planet.