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Greenpeace: How a Group of Ecologists, Journalists, and Visionaries Changed the World
Greenpeace: The Inside Story is the first comprehensive eye-witness account of the human drama behind the creation of the world's largest direct-action environmental group. Greenpeace founder and Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Rex Weyler brings us the amazing story of an idea that changed the world, and the adventures, clashes, pitfalls and heroics of the people who fought for it.
The book reveals the roots of ecology and the influence on Greenpeace of legends such as Gandhi, Einstein, Rachel Carson, and Martin Luther King Jr. The story is enhanced through cameo appearances by the CIA, Allen Ginsberg, Bonnie Raitt, Brigitte Bardot, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, The Grateful Dead, Pope Paul VI, Courtney Love, and Richard Nixon.
Greenpeace has 4.5 million dues-paying members around the world, and many millions more supporters.
The book reveals the roots of ecology and the influence on Greenpeace of legends such as Gandhi, Einstein, Rachel Carson, and Martin Luther King Jr. The story is enhanced through cameo appearances by the CIA, Allen Ginsberg, Bonnie Raitt, Brigitte Bardot, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, The Grateful Dead, Pope Paul VI, Courtney Love, and Richard Nixon.
Greenpeace has 4.5 million dues-paying members around the world, and many millions more supporters.
624 pages, Hardcover
First published August 31, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 13, 2025
Review published in the NZ Herald, 13 November 2004
"Inspirational history of idealism"
Greenpeace: An Insider's Account
Rex Weyler
(Rodale)
Reviewed by Philippa Jamieson
Hands up who remembers a time before the word 'ecology' came into common use? Before protests against nuclear testing in the Pacific? Before Greenpeace became a household name?
Movements for peace and the environment have been around for a long time, yet it was only 30-odd years ago that a radical group sprang up in Vancouver, fused the ideals of the two movements together with the name Greenpeace, and began a series of protest actions that put the world spotlight on nuclear testing, whale and seal hunting, and other campaigns.
Greenpeace took direct action to new levels, using boats to get to out-of-the-way places like the Aleutian Islands and Mururoa Atoll, where the US and French respectively were conducting atmospheric nuclear tests; to the high seas where the Russians and Japanese were whaling; and to the ice floes of Labrador where Norwegians were hiring locals to kill baby harp seals for their fur.
What made their protests successful was the combination of passionate idealism, bravery, and importantly, use of the media. Graphic images were published and broadcast around the world, and people could see for themselves what was really going on, particularly in the whaling industry, including undeniable proof that undersize whales were being caught, flouting international regulations of that time.
Greenpeace's David and Goliath approach to protest proved immensely popular.
This book documents Greenpeace in the seventies, from the formation of the original group in Vancouver, with its Quaker and counterculture roots, to its metamorphosis into an international organisation with offices worldwide.
Rex Weyler became involved with Greenpeace in the early seventies, and has clearly done an immense amount of research to collate the facts and figures for this somewhat dense book of over 600 pages. He seems to be scrupulously even-handed and honest in describing the inevitable personality conflicts and squabbles over money and decision-making.
At times the story gets bogged down with unnecessary or irrelevant detail, but it comes alive during the action scenes, such as the French ramming a boat and beating up its captain, or protesters being tossed precariously about in inflatable boats between a pod of whales and a harpoon boat. There are heartfelt moments, too, when for example a dying whale glides past the protesters, fixing them with a wise gaze. A strong spiritual thread runs through the book, with the appearance of 'miracles' or good omens, and the use of the I Ching as a divination tool.
The book is, as the cover proclaims, an account of 'how a group of ecologists, journalists and visionaries changed the world', and is both an important history of modern times and an inspirational story of a few committed individuals who made such a huge impact and drew so many people to their causes.
"Inspirational history of idealism"
Greenpeace: An Insider's Account
Rex Weyler
(Rodale)
Reviewed by Philippa Jamieson
Hands up who remembers a time before the word 'ecology' came into common use? Before protests against nuclear testing in the Pacific? Before Greenpeace became a household name?
Movements for peace and the environment have been around for a long time, yet it was only 30-odd years ago that a radical group sprang up in Vancouver, fused the ideals of the two movements together with the name Greenpeace, and began a series of protest actions that put the world spotlight on nuclear testing, whale and seal hunting, and other campaigns.
Greenpeace took direct action to new levels, using boats to get to out-of-the-way places like the Aleutian Islands and Mururoa Atoll, where the US and French respectively were conducting atmospheric nuclear tests; to the high seas where the Russians and Japanese were whaling; and to the ice floes of Labrador where Norwegians were hiring locals to kill baby harp seals for their fur.
What made their protests successful was the combination of passionate idealism, bravery, and importantly, use of the media. Graphic images were published and broadcast around the world, and people could see for themselves what was really going on, particularly in the whaling industry, including undeniable proof that undersize whales were being caught, flouting international regulations of that time.
Greenpeace's David and Goliath approach to protest proved immensely popular.
This book documents Greenpeace in the seventies, from the formation of the original group in Vancouver, with its Quaker and counterculture roots, to its metamorphosis into an international organisation with offices worldwide.
Rex Weyler became involved with Greenpeace in the early seventies, and has clearly done an immense amount of research to collate the facts and figures for this somewhat dense book of over 600 pages. He seems to be scrupulously even-handed and honest in describing the inevitable personality conflicts and squabbles over money and decision-making.
At times the story gets bogged down with unnecessary or irrelevant detail, but it comes alive during the action scenes, such as the French ramming a boat and beating up its captain, or protesters being tossed precariously about in inflatable boats between a pod of whales and a harpoon boat. There are heartfelt moments, too, when for example a dying whale glides past the protesters, fixing them with a wise gaze. A strong spiritual thread runs through the book, with the appearance of 'miracles' or good omens, and the use of the I Ching as a divination tool.
The book is, as the cover proclaims, an account of 'how a group of ecologists, journalists and visionaries changed the world', and is both an important history of modern times and an inspirational story of a few committed individuals who made such a huge impact and drew so many people to their causes.
March 17, 2008
I am a complete hippie and all for animal rights, I have signed petitions for greenpeace and been in protests with people from greenpeace but never really had "info" on them. I read this book and totally loved every part, it really showed what greenpeace has done and how they have changed the world. I recommend this book for everyone:D!
December 9, 2008
Having been a member of this august body for years, it was good to read how the organisation came into being and why. Greenpeace, perhaps the greatest single achievement of sixties hippydom.
January 18, 2022
This is the genesis story of ecology's strongest global advocacy group as Vancouver mystics and mechanics protest the atrocities of atmospheric nuclear tests. The book is gripping because these mystics and mechanics describe how we humans consistently behave toward each other and earth. Those horrific nuclear blasts were powerful nations exploring omnipotence with obvious overreach. Thankfully the Vancouver mystics and mechanics acted to stop those absurd demonstrations.
Next objective for the gooey-structured Greenpeace was addressing the horrific and senseless decimation of whales, another idiotic testament of our species. I ran into trouble reading at this point because whalers were on the sea for months of butchery but the Greenpeace ship stopped the slaughter for hours or days and declared victory. Was their "victory" vanity?
What I came to consider was that Greenpeace's war was not on whalers or nuclear-armed countries or seal pup slaughter, but on public opinion. By broadcasting incredibly despicable acts, public will may eventually trump monied interests; or more precisely, it might have during the 1970s.
Back to the mechanics and mystics - they had a mystical mission to save the earth but not enough mechanical acumen to construct a sustainable business. The book is great at letting the reader feel how ecological goodwill cannot be shepherded into the Greenpeace brand name and financial realities. Coming of age myself in the 1970s, this story reminded me of how mystics and mechanics developed during that decade and still continue shaping each other.
Bob Hunter was my favorite character because he knew how to release power. The saddest aspect of the book is the reminder of how humans continue to cleverly destroy our environment. The tale's telling makes it obvious why this skillful author earned a Pulitzer.
Next objective for the gooey-structured Greenpeace was addressing the horrific and senseless decimation of whales, another idiotic testament of our species. I ran into trouble reading at this point because whalers were on the sea for months of butchery but the Greenpeace ship stopped the slaughter for hours or days and declared victory. Was their "victory" vanity?
What I came to consider was that Greenpeace's war was not on whalers or nuclear-armed countries or seal pup slaughter, but on public opinion. By broadcasting incredibly despicable acts, public will may eventually trump monied interests; or more precisely, it might have during the 1970s.
Back to the mechanics and mystics - they had a mystical mission to save the earth but not enough mechanical acumen to construct a sustainable business. The book is great at letting the reader feel how ecological goodwill cannot be shepherded into the Greenpeace brand name and financial realities. Coming of age myself in the 1970s, this story reminded me of how mystics and mechanics developed during that decade and still continue shaping each other.
Bob Hunter was my favorite character because he knew how to release power. The saddest aspect of the book is the reminder of how humans continue to cleverly destroy our environment. The tale's telling makes it obvious why this skillful author earned a Pulitzer.
September 20, 2017
The founding of a movement — warts and all
Excellent history of the start and early years of Greenpeace, with plenty of photos, plus nice "where are they now" notes at the end of the book, before the index.
Weyler has the advantage of having been an early member, and known all the founders and near-founders, but being just a year or two removed from beginnings, and also having not been in Vancouver for any length of time before joining Greenpeace, to have some detachment.
And that detachment is important. Greenpeace was at least as fractious in its earlier years as its later ones. And, some of that may have been good, in some of its spinoffs. Some of it was not. Splits into more radical groups, pro-nuclear power defenders and others, to today's anti-GMOs stance by Greenpeace itself, as well as some of those spinoffs, are interesting at best, troubling at worst. But, you'll see the whole history here.
The index could be better; it's pretty skimpy for a book this size.
Beyond that, my one regret is Weyler didn't write a Volume 2, per what I said above.
Excellent history of the start and early years of Greenpeace, with plenty of photos, plus nice "where are they now" notes at the end of the book, before the index.
Weyler has the advantage of having been an early member, and known all the founders and near-founders, but being just a year or two removed from beginnings, and also having not been in Vancouver for any length of time before joining Greenpeace, to have some detachment.
And that detachment is important. Greenpeace was at least as fractious in its earlier years as its later ones. And, some of that may have been good, in some of its spinoffs. Some of it was not. Splits into more radical groups, pro-nuclear power defenders and others, to today's anti-GMOs stance by Greenpeace itself, as well as some of those spinoffs, are interesting at best, troubling at worst. But, you'll see the whole history here.
The index could be better; it's pretty skimpy for a book this size.
Beyond that, my one regret is Weyler didn't write a Volume 2, per what I said above.
June 19, 2025
I really wanted to like this book because I support the organization since close to 20 years. However, in my personal opinion the book was poorly written and it feels more like an essay than a well thought through book. The level of detail is at times to deep, at other places to shallow and some weird characters like the “shaman” should have been eliminated since they add zero value to the story.
March 21, 2020
Great read, very inspiring, although also a lot of cautionary information in there about the conflicts that inevitably arise within startup organisations. Also provides some good early clues as to why some of the early folk have gone a bit haywire in recent years.
December 9, 2014
So far, Weyler's account of the beginnings of Greenpeace has been a well-written and engaging journey. I'm reading this book to gain perspective on Greenpeace for my PhD thesis, and it has been incredibly useful because of the solid details and knowledge of the author. There is so much to this book that it is difficult to simply say that it is an interesting historical account. It is also a fascinating discussion of belief, spirituality, social dynamics, politics, and why different types of people support conservation, how they work toward conservation, as well as how they do it.
I have a green-bias, so I don't know how conservative readers might react to the book, but I found it inspirational and honest. The various people involved are not idealised. The foibles of even the most significant actor are left unglossed. The mental breakdown of a crew member is detailed, with sympathy and honesty - the stigma is avoided with such honesty. The account of Rod Marining, who I personally found to be a slightly paranoid and facile individual, gave him greater depth, and the significance of his role in the green movement was demonstrated without mythologising his character. I appreciated this thoughtful balance in Weyler's writing as it was generous spirited and instructive in itself. It made me more aware of being generous and kind when meeting people.
In terms of the historical content, as it is the story of Greenpeace, it focuses on the influence on Greenpeace in world politics - particularly atmospheric nuclear testing and commercial whaling (up to now). This means that other influences, such as other NGOs and individuals, both within and outside government, end up seeming trivial because the book only details the input of Greenpeace, with a few passing references to others.
If you were unaware of the wider history, I think this book would leave you with a skewed view of the influence of Greenpeace, particularly with the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling, which is my thesis area. I don't know much about the atmospheric testing protests, and how much Greenpeace actions influenced the US and French governments, but the book makes it seem like it was really only because of Greenpeace that the end to atmospheric testing happened. I expect that this is not entirely accurate, although I would not diminish the amazing work of Greenpeace in their campaigns against nuclear testing and commercial whaling.
I'm only up to 1972, so there are a number of years to go - particularly the 10 years until the whaling moratorium decision was taken at the IWC, so the book may start to give more air time to the significant and crucial influence of Sidney Holt in bringing about the moratorium. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book to anyone whose energy has waned, and who are looking to rekindle a tired flame of passion for environmental conservation. It is inspirational, spiritual, detailed, engaging, and somehow conveys a connection to the earth, which - hippy as that may sound, I have missed ever since finding out about the state of the oceans in late 2010. Weyler has rekindled my passion for conservation and the environment, and that is an immeasurably valuable gift.
I have a green-bias, so I don't know how conservative readers might react to the book, but I found it inspirational and honest. The various people involved are not idealised. The foibles of even the most significant actor are left unglossed. The mental breakdown of a crew member is detailed, with sympathy and honesty - the stigma is avoided with such honesty. The account of Rod Marining, who I personally found to be a slightly paranoid and facile individual, gave him greater depth, and the significance of his role in the green movement was demonstrated without mythologising his character. I appreciated this thoughtful balance in Weyler's writing as it was generous spirited and instructive in itself. It made me more aware of being generous and kind when meeting people.
In terms of the historical content, as it is the story of Greenpeace, it focuses on the influence on Greenpeace in world politics - particularly atmospheric nuclear testing and commercial whaling (up to now). This means that other influences, such as other NGOs and individuals, both within and outside government, end up seeming trivial because the book only details the input of Greenpeace, with a few passing references to others.
If you were unaware of the wider history, I think this book would leave you with a skewed view of the influence of Greenpeace, particularly with the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling, which is my thesis area. I don't know much about the atmospheric testing protests, and how much Greenpeace actions influenced the US and French governments, but the book makes it seem like it was really only because of Greenpeace that the end to atmospheric testing happened. I expect that this is not entirely accurate, although I would not diminish the amazing work of Greenpeace in their campaigns against nuclear testing and commercial whaling.
I'm only up to 1972, so there are a number of years to go - particularly the 10 years until the whaling moratorium decision was taken at the IWC, so the book may start to give more air time to the significant and crucial influence of Sidney Holt in bringing about the moratorium. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book to anyone whose energy has waned, and who are looking to rekindle a tired flame of passion for environmental conservation. It is inspirational, spiritual, detailed, engaging, and somehow conveys a connection to the earth, which - hippy as that may sound, I have missed ever since finding out about the state of the oceans in late 2010. Weyler has rekindled my passion for conservation and the environment, and that is an immeasurably valuable gift.
April 7, 2013
A great, lively and interesting history of the origin of Greenpeace in the counterculture of Vancouver in the 70's. Written in a warm style that shows Rex's position as one of the more fundi founders of the organisation, it also shows the conflicts and tensions that inevitably follow success as Greenpeace campaigns made progress throughout the decade and transformed the way people thought about the environment. Despite these internal problems, the book provides inspiration in the remarkable impact Greenpeace was able to have - of the many causes they campaigned on (nuclear weapons testing, nuclear waste dumping, whaling, seal hunting, etc), almost none remain as big problems today. The portraits of Greenpeace International founder David McTaggart is almost unremittingly negative, and that of Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson is similarly critical, but probably justly so.
May 5, 2016
"Every uranium mine or bomb factory in the world put food on the table for innocent families attempting to survive and raise their children. Every leaking supertanker and belching smokestack paid wages to someone... What seemed obvious from the point of view of ecology, turned complex in the realm of politics."
Greenpeace is an extremely well-written account of a fascinating organization. I found the first quarter of the book most compelling for its discussion of nuclear disarmament and how a group of misfits made their mark on global politics. Highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in 20th century history, environmentalism, or ecology.
Greenpeace is an extremely well-written account of a fascinating organization. I found the first quarter of the book most compelling for its discussion of nuclear disarmament and how a group of misfits made their mark on global politics. Highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in 20th century history, environmentalism, or ecology.
July 4, 2007
This book is much more than a chronicle of the environmental group. It also offers insight into the activism of the 60s: how close we came to fulfilling the glorious role of being ideal stewards of the land and wildlife, and how quickly it faded away through the 70s and 80s. It also puts into perspective the fact that we've been putting serious toxins into the world for about 60 years, which in the big picture lends hope to the idea that we can fix it.
April 3, 2014
This is such an interesting and well written history of Greenpeace from its origins, through the various campaigns and an array of interesting personalities along the way. I had no idea Greenpeace was formed by Quakers in response to nuclear testing. Many interesting facts. Well worth a read for anyone intersted in the environment.
August 14, 2010
Very interesting, it's about the very start of Greenpeace, which is a bit different to how it is now.
February 26, 2012
Interesting but difficult to read at times. Interesting coverage on whaling, seals, and nukes, with coverage on US issues.
August 3, 2014
Fascinating history of the formative period of an important organization. Wonderfully written in a narrative style, frequently gripping. Highly recommended.
January 10, 2013
Part memoir, part organizational history and all good story.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews