Monday, May 12, 2008

Francis, John (Planetwalker)

[An Early Reviewer copy from LibraryThing. Thanks LT!]

If only Dr. Francis had spent more time talking about the politics of environmental policies, in particular his own points of view on those policies, this would have been a much better book.

The life behind the book-- that of John Francis spending much of his life walking across this country (and others) to bring awareness about our dependence on oil-- is admirable and enviable, with all the problems not riding in cars, trains or planes can bring. But much of the book is spent literally cataloging who he meets along his journey, and though it's interesting to see the opinions of those he meets (although a bit puzzling that they're all so similar), it's not as interesting as his thoughts on what it is he's walking about.

On the choice of silence for 17 years, I wish he would write a book only about that. His reasons for not speaking are engaging, but again he seems to dip only sketchily into the whys and wherefores. We're left hoping for a fuller explanation.

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