Full Review by Adam Sowards
For more than half a century, Brock Evans lived out his motto—Endless Pressure Endlessly Applied—on behalf of the living world. Those of us who love the earth owe gratitude to Brock, whose work as an activist secured protection for roadless areas, wild rivers, and endangered species. Now, at 83, he has shared with us an inside view of his life in this beautiful autobiography.
Endless Pressure, Endlessly Applied: The Autobiography of an Eco-Warrior, with editorial assistance from George Venn, tells of Brock Evans’s journey from an Ohio boy to a Princeton student to a young man who found his calling in western mountains. With the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, and the Endangered Species Coalition from the 1960s through the 2000s, Brock participated in and led popular campaigns, legal battles, and lobbying efforts to great effect.
What makes this book such a delight—besides its gorgeous landscapes and candid photos—is both its immediacy and its reflectiveness. Brock is an avid writer and journal keeper, and the book is filled with excerpts describing everything from his time in the Marines to travels to Israel to his battle against cancer. He includes testimony he prepared for congressional meetings, speeches to conservation organizations, and remembrances of other environmentalists. But beyond these historical sources, Brock reflects on the lessons learned and the meaning of the experiences he cultivated. Although any environmentalist who worked as long as Brock has experienced setbacks, he has remained a steadfast fighter with an optimistic outlook.
Although Brock led many efforts, he notes in one chapter that things happen, “because of love and courage, passion and commitment, because of the willingness of perfectly ordinary people to stand up and be counted when their time came.” Throughout Endless Pressure, Endlessly Applied, he shares accounts of his own and others’ commitment and ensures that these stories will continue to inspire. We are fortunate to be able to add this to the historical record.
Endless Pressure, Endlessly Applied: The Autobiography of an Eco-Warrior, with editorial assistance from George Venn, tells of Brock Evans’s journey from an Ohio boy to a Princeton student to a young man who found his calling in western mountains. With the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, and the Endangered Species Coalition from the 1960s through the 2000s, Brock participated in and led popular campaigns, legal battles, and lobbying efforts to great effect.
What makes this book such a delight—besides its gorgeous landscapes and candid photos—is both its immediacy and its reflectiveness. Brock is an avid writer and journal keeper, and the book is filled with excerpts describing everything from his time in the Marines to travels to Israel to his battle against cancer. He includes testimony he prepared for congressional meetings, speeches to conservation organizations, and remembrances of other environmentalists. But beyond these historical sources, Brock reflects on the lessons learned and the meaning of the experiences he cultivated. Although any environmentalist who worked as long as Brock has experienced setbacks, he has remained a steadfast fighter with an optimistic outlook.
Although Brock led many efforts, he notes in one chapter that things happen, “because of love and courage, passion and commitment, because of the willingness of perfectly ordinary people to stand up and be counted when their time came.” Throughout Endless Pressure, Endlessly Applied, he shares accounts of his own and others’ commitment and ensures that these stories will continue to inspire. We are fortunate to be able to add this to the historical record.
Adam M. Sowards
University of Idaho
University of Idaho