Dr. Wangari Maathai was an environmentalist and activist in Kenya. Unbowed chronicles her life, from birth in the rural highlands, through her education in both Kenya and the USA, into her early professional life as a professor, and through to her advocacy work for environmental issues, democracy, and human rights. I am in awe of this woman. Her tenacity and conviction are incredible. She speaks of her life with a combination of humility and clarity, showing that a single-minded commitment to what is right and good can truly drive large-scale change. Her efforts with the Green Belt Movement & pro-democracy activism deeply impacted Kenya, with an eye towards generational change and stewardship. 

The writing in this book is forthright and plain, very much a recounting with only snippets of philosophizing or moralizing. Dr. Maathai has remarkable confidence in her voice and actions, clearly speaking from a place of peace with her choices and assurance in her stances. I was particularly moved by her commitment to the “long arc of justice” and to the next generations. She sees what needs to be fought for and takes up the mantle, with an intersectional and deeply people-oriented outlook.