Visionary Women: How Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Jane Goodall, and Alice Waters Changed Our World

I loved this nonfiction about four women whose work in the 1960s truly changed the trajectory of how we interact with our environments. The book has an opening section that lays the groundwork for how the four, who didn't know each other, are connected. The gist is that they all were outsiders in their respective fields (mainly because they were women and not allowed in through traditional means) and all saw the beauty of the natural world or natural order of human interaction in contrast to the more widely held beliefs of technology running roughshod over nature to "improve" it.

Each woman has a section that is a biography to highlight her contributions and there are references made to how their approaches were similar to each other. show more There is an end section that ties it all up neatly.

I really loved this book. It was readable and interesting and had some new ideas, at least to me. Highly recommended. show less

I thought I’d enjoy this book more than I did. The author chose four women whose life’s work peaked or made significant inroads in the early 60’s. Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Jane Goodall and Alice Waters. She attempted to show the connection between the four, but it read more like an academic book that was straining to make a point. The biographies were interesting and well written in a narrative style that made for easy digestion. The information was solid, but it didn’t reach the height of a must read for me. This may be a good recommendation for high schoolers just learning about that time in our history. File under feminist history.

What a fascinating book, focusing on four women (three of whom I was not familiar with, despite the fact that I work in close proximity to a building named for one of them) who were brilliant and who really did view the world differently and helped to focus energies on some of the societal problems that saw. Very enjoyable and it really helps to open the reader's eyes to how the world is one giant ecosystem, with everything dependent on everything else.

Well written and researched book about 4 amazing women--Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Jane Goodall and Alice Waters--who changed the world with their activism. I enjoyed all the section on Jane Jacobs the most since I had never heard of her despite having lived in NYC for many years.