The Thoreau You Don't Know: What the Prophet of Environmentalism Really Meant will have a lot of appeal to folks who are interested in sustainability, the environmental movement, and the history of nature writing. It will also appeal to lovers of nonfiction who enjoy being entertained and educated as they read. Robert Sullivan is a terrific writer I just recently discovered. His writing style and curiosity with the world around him puts him in a league with other great nonfiction writers like Timothy Egan. He is also the author of Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants and Cross Country: Fifteen Years and Ninety Thousand Miles on the Roads and Interstates of America. 
In his latest book, The Thoreau You Dont Know, Sullivan attempts to dispel some of the common stereotypes that people have about Henry Thoreau, the eccentric genius responsible for Walden and Civil Disobedience. Sullivan makes a convincing argument that the general notion of Thoreau as a nature loving hermit has been wrong, and if we put his life into context with the kind of society that existed in the first half of the nineteenth century we would see a completely different kind of Thoreau, one who was sociable (to a fault perhaps,) opportunistic, and very much ahead of his time. The book includes many humorous anecdotes about Thoreau, including the now well known story about how he carried his Walden Pond laundry to his mother's house to get washed. Seems he had something in common with lots of guys, afterall.
If reading about the environment and sustainability is your thing, the Redmond library hosts a monthly book discussion. Here is an excellent list of the titles they've discussed over the years: Sustainable Futures Book Group
Leave a comment