Buckminster Fuller, the architect, inventor, and futurist, “could come across as almost a secular saint,” In the hours-long talks he gave around the world after achieving fame, the man who popularized the geodesic dome often told the story of how, while contemplating suicide at 32, he had an epiphany that inspired him to devote the rest of his life to bettering the human condition. And Fuller (1895–1983) did leave a mark, inventing the term “Spaceship Earth” and inspiring countless followers to think creatively about addressing long-term challenges. But Alec Nevala-Lee may be the first biographer of Fuller to provide a balanced warts-and-all portrait, and his effort is welcome. “The reader comes away with a greater understanding of a complicated individual who overcame obstacles—many
of his own making—to achieve a kind of imperfect greatness.”
Fuller’s most noteworthy inventions “never quite lived up to their transformational promise,” The aerodynamic car he displayed at the 1933 World’s Fair was a prototype only. Geodesic domes proved prone to collapse. And his other attempts to develop affordable prefab housing never took off. But this self- assured son of a prominent Massachusetts family was prescient in calling attention to coming crises caused by climate change, unaffordable housing, and technology- driven unemployment. Ultimately, “the scope of Fuller’s ambition was his greatest asset and his greatest weakness”: He was unusually capable of imaginative leaps, but his conclusions “often lacked solid foundations.”
“Indeed, Buckminster Fuller’s most successful invention was his own brand,” He “positioned himself as the beacon of technological utopianism,” and in his prime, he spent two-thirds of every year mesmerizing audiences with his lengthy lectures. Nevala-Lee’s book “factchecks Fuller’s legend and then corrects the record.” Fuller, we learn, was kicked out of Harvard twice, drank heavily, cheated regularly on his wife, and routinely robbed his collaborators of due credit. All of which serves as “a reminder of two truths: To succeed in America, it really helps to come from a well- connected family, and with the right marketing, anyone can become an icon.” Fuller was widely admired by both his celebrity contemporaries and ordinary citizens, yet “his illustrious life is testament to the influence a single con artist can have over a zeitgeist.”
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