Unbowed: A Memoir

by Wangari Maathai

Paperback, 2007

Status

Available

Genres

Publication

Anchor (2007), Edition: Reprint, 326 pages

Description

Maathai, the winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and a single mother of three, recounts her life as a political activist, feminist, and environmentalist in Kenya. Born in a rural village in 1940, she was already an iconoclast as a child, determined to get an education even though most girls were uneducated. We see her become the first woman both in East and Central Africa to earn a PhD and to head a university department in Kenya. We witness her numerous run-ins with the brutal Moi government; the establishment, in 1977, of the Green Belt Movement, which spread from Kenya across Africa and which helps restore indigenous forests while assisting rural women by paying them to plant trees in their villages; and how her courage and determination helped transform Kenya's government into the democracy in which she now serves.--From publisher description.… (more)

Rating

½ (88 ratings; 3.8)

Media reviews

Feminist Review

User reviews

LibraryThing member TurtleBoy

The most refreshing aspect of this book is its author's humility and "ordinary extraordinariness": though Dr. Maathai has been the recipient of numerous international awards and has for the past few decades been one of Africa's most prominent leaders, she tells her story in a humble tone that

speaks of profound inner peace.

Much like Archbishop Desmond Tutu's tale of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, No Future Without Forgiveness, Maathai's memoir allows us to understand that many of those who are recognized for success in making deep and lasting positive changes in the world have led lives as pedestrian as "our" own: like so many others Wangari Maathai has gone to school, gotten married, gotten divorced, been evicted, lost her job...her life is no different than that of millions of others; the difference lies in the ways she has chosen to react to adversity and opposition.

The memoir deals primarily with the birth and growth of the Green Belt Movement, the organization she founded thirty years ago to encourage sustainable environmental policy, to promote reforestation and conservation. Cutting across this tale are the side-stories of Kenyan politics, particularly as they deal with environmental policy and human rights issues.

While the focus of the memoir is on Africa, there are lessons to be learned in the United States as well. I found heartening her assessment of the American spirit. In describing her return to her native Kenya after six years of study in the United States, she spoke of this country hopefully: "There is a persistence, a seriousness, and a vision to America: It seems to know where it is going and it will go in that direction, whether you like it or not. In America, if you can find your place you can be treated very well, because its people are very generous. But you have to be tenacious, innovative, and strong. Besides, you have to keep moving, because the machine will grind on, whether you are on board or not" (pp. 95-96).

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LibraryThing member lauralkeet

Wangari Maathai is a Kenyan activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She founded the Green Belt Movement, planting trees across Kenya to stop the soil erosion resulting from deforestation during the colonial years. She was vocal on both women's and environmental issues, challenging the

government and organizing protests.

While her life has been interesting and her contributions significant, my attention flagged halfway through. The writing was uninspired, often with extraneous detail. There was little insight to her personal life and emotions, so she came across as single-minded. About two thirds of the way through this book, I set it aside to read something else. When I picked it up again I still couldn't get into it, and skimmed the last 100 pages.

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LibraryThing member kaitanya64

There is a lot of interesting history in this book, but I found the writing "clunky." I don't think it's reasonable to put this down to "it's not her native language" when the author is highly educated and had the means and opportunity to have this edited for style. That said, I also found the

early parts of the memoir cliche and trite. Maathai promotes the "pre-colonial Eden" view of Africa that is neither true, nor particularly interesting to me. However, this is, after all, a memoir, and it might be unfair of me to judge Maathai's view of events. It's her story, after all. But I really got tired of being talked down to and having events and social currents oversimplified to the point of inanity. If you don't know much about Kenya, or East Africa, or the Greenbelt Movement, you'll probably really like this book, if you don't mind poor sentences and vague word choice. However, don't take this as the last word. Remember this is one person's interpretation of events and hero worship is seldom an accurate way to view history.

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LibraryThing member forsanolim

"Democracy does not solve problems. It does not automatically combat poverty or stop deforestation. However, without it, the ability for people to solve problems or become less poor or respect their environment is, I believe, impossible."

This book is Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai's

autobiography, covering her life from childhood threw her receipt of the Nobel Prize. The book traces Maathai's career in the Green Belt Movement and, more broadly, in activism work in Kenya. It was definitely really interesting to read about the author's work in Kenya; I knew about broad strokes of the Green Belt Movement but definitely wasn't entirely familiar with her work. I will say that my favorite portion of the book was definitely the beginning portion, about Maathai's childhood, adolescence, and education, as that definitely felt the most personal. Later, while a lot of important topics and moments are addressed, the writing was a little more distant.

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LibraryThing member bangerlm

Fascinating memoir. It's amazing how threatening tree planting is deemed by the powerful.

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