Todd Wilkinson has been a professional journalist and author for more than twenty-five years, with assignments that have taken him around the world. He is author of several books, including the critically acclaimed Science under Siege: the Politicians' War on Nature and Truth.
"In this fascinating, subject-approved biography of entrepreneur
and CNN founder Ted Turner, journalist Wilkinson (Science under
Siege: the Politicians’ War on Nature and Truth)—who has covered
Turner’s life extensively since 1992—examines the billionaire’s
life. While the author weaves in such topics as Turner’s rocky
relationship with his suicidal father and his much-ballyhooed
marriage to Jane Fonda—the focus here is on Turner’s surprising
devotion to the environment. Ranging from his concern about
endangered species such as prairie dogs to instilling an
appreciation of philanthropy in his five children, Turner walks the
walk of his beliefs. Engaging stories about Turner’s interactions
with such dignitaries as former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev show him in a rarified
yet relatable light. For anyone who thinks they know the man once
dubbed the "Mouth of the South,” this book proves there are
unplumbed depths to this septuagenarian."—Publishers Weekly
*Publishers Weekly*
"Todd Wilkinson explores the back story of Ted Turner's evolution
from media mogul and devotee of Ayn Rand to the most successful and
influential green capitalist in the world. The author unravels
Turner’s motives behind his involvement with the United Nations,
his anti-nuclear stance, and his love of buffalos and prairie dogs,
and he probes Turner’s troubled family history through his early
years as a striving businessman and media tycoon, revealing
little-known facets of Turner's complex life. Wilkinson constructs
his narrative around interviews with Turner, his family and the
multitude of individuals who have dealt with Turner. But the heart
of the story chronicles Turner’s evolving environmental
consciousness, spurred on by his purchase of Hope Plantation in
South Carolina in 1976. In 1987, he purchased his first ranch in
Montana. Today, his “portfolio of land covers fifteen ranches, five
plantations in the Deep South, a coastal barrier island, a trio of
estancias in Argentina’s Patagonia, a scattering of residential
retreats, and an office building…in Atlanta." Turner’s famed
buffalo herd now stands at around 56,000 animals, making it the
largest ever maintained by one person. Under the auspices of the
Turner Endangered Species Fund, a wide variety of at risk-species
have gained protection on Turner’s private holdings, and he has
lent support for wildlife research around the globe. "[His] lands
function as fountainheads of life," Wilkinson writes. Turner’s
burgeoning social and environmental ventures are based on his
belief in the "triple bottom line," a combination of "financial
balance sheets, protection of the environment, and benefits to
local and larger communities. A well-wrought portrait of a
visionary side of Ted Turner that may be unfamiliar to many
readers."—Kirkus Reviews
*Kirkus*
“Ted has set a new standard for what a single individual can do to
address the most challenging problems threatening our survival. He
is tenacious. And he is helping to make a difference—in the
nick of time.” —Mikhail Gorbachev
"Last Stand is a great literary portrait of the many parts of a
fascinating and important man—Ted Turner. Ted is on a mission to
save the world and the world should be grateful to have an
energetic and imaginative friend."—Tom Brokaw
"What we need most in these trying times is vision. This book is an
example of the clarity of double-vision: Todd Wilkinson as a
visionary writer and Ted Turner as his visionary subject. The only
thing more powerful than vision is action and that is what this
remarkable story of a person in place gives us. Whether it is
restoring native habitat for bison or a more expansive agenda for
the United Nations, Wilkinson’s compelling portrait of Turner shows
us, again and again, how environmental issues are economic issues
are issues of social justice. We see how revolutionary actions with
revolutionary patience not only have the capacity to change the
world, but our consciousness."—Terry Tempest Williams, author of
When Women Were Birds
"Ted Turner is one of the great originals of American history, an
innovator of the first rank, and, as Last Stand shows, a unique
human innovation of his own making. Out of his many achievements,
the most important may be the proof that capitalism and
environmentalism can be joined to major humanitarian effect."
—Edward O. Wilson, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and University
Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
"Last Stand is a revelation. Ted Turner is a fascinating man—hold
on, a wonderful man—and Todd Wilkinson has limned him as never
before. It’s thrilling to see this crazed and brilliant maverick,
Citizen Ted, the conservationist, the bison lover, the wounded son,
the beneficent pragmatist, galloping across the landscape of planet
Earth. Gives a
person a bit of last weird hope." —David Quammen: author of
Spillover: Animal Infiections and the Next Human Pandemic
"If Ted Turner were a superhero, as befits the extraordinary daring
and scope of his singular, under-the-radar achievements, his powers
would involve shape-shifting, controversy-igniting, strategic
charisma, and making and giving away epic sums of money. Turner's
philanthropic innovation and zeal led him to fund the work of his
great mentor, Jacques Cousteau; bolster the UN; found an
organization devoted to eliminating nuclear weapons; support clean
water and sustainable energy initiatives; and restore and preserve
vast ecosystems and diverse endangered species. Journalist
Wilkinson first interviewed Turner in 1992, when the
ecohumanitarian, a restless man of high curiosity, "expansive
thinking," and bold action, was newly married to Jane Fonda and
busy with his now-famous bison herd on his majestic Montana ranch.
For all his telegenic brashness, Turner is profoundly private. But
he came to trust Wilkinson, and the result is this diligently
detailed, keenly interpreted, and jaw-dropping portrait of a smart,
prescient, independent man hard-driven by sorrow and passionately
committed to doing lasting good in the world on as large a scale as
possible. Wilkinson is the first to disclose the tragic story of
Turner and his father and how the solace Turner has always found in
nature, coupled with his momentous realization that "he could only
save himself by helping others," inspires his phenomenal,
world-altering environmental efforts."—ALA Booklist, starred
review
*Booklist*
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