John and Theresa Heinz Kerry Read at Harvard Book Store

John Kerry and Theresa Heinz Kerry will read from This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future at Memorial Church in Harvard Yard Saturday, April 21, at 12:00 pm. Tickets are on sale starting today. They're $5, and you can use the ticket cost as a coupon for a purchase from Harvard Book Store. Plus, if you buy the book at Harvard Book Store, you get two free tickets to the talk.

Gee, where have we heard this one before? Democrat who is perceived as somewhat stiff comes close to winning the presidency, only to be denied by red states and shady voting systems. Said Democrat returns to the public arena by raising awareness of impending environmental disaster.

Al Gore did that to great success, and now it's our Senator John Kerry's turn. Sure, there's a whiff of cynicism about it, but Gore and Kerry have different styles. While Gore goes Hollywood and nabs an Oscar, John Kerry and Theresa Heinz Kerry have released a book without pictures (as Jon Stewart pointed out on the Daily Show).

And how does one release a book on the environment that doesn't have pictures? Maybe our reaction is the result of the Gore Effect. We expect any politician interested in the environment to serve up An Inconvenient Truth: The Sequel. The Kerrys are shining the spotlight on individuals who are trying to preserve the environment in the hopes of motivating us.

In a review for Politico, Melody Simmons says the book "could serve as a primer for how to stop bitching and start a green revolution."

The role models presented by the Kerrys should inspire you - or embarrass you - to take action. To read an excerpt about two Cape Cod women who researched the link between breast cancer and the pesticides used in the area, go to John Kerry's official site.

Image of This Moment on Earth from Amazon.