, ▁ 7 0 ▁years ▁old ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁this ▁book ' s ▁publication , ▁is ▁best ▁known ▁as ▁an ▁environmental ▁activ ist ▁and ▁host ▁of ▁the ▁television ▁show ▁The ▁Nature ▁of ▁Things . ▁ ▁He ▁has ▁also ▁worked ▁as ▁a ▁gen etic ist , ▁nature ▁writer , ▁and ▁university ▁professor . ▁His ▁previous ▁book , ▁written ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 2 , ▁was ▁Good ▁News ▁for ▁a ▁Change . ▁His ▁ 1 9 8 7 ▁book , ▁Met am orph osis : ▁St ages ▁in ▁a ▁Life , ▁un int ention ally ▁became ▁his ▁first ▁aut obi ography . ▁Met am orph osis ▁was ▁originally ▁draft ed ▁as ▁a ▁collection ▁of ▁ess ays , ▁but ▁following ▁the ▁prompt ing ▁of ▁his ▁publish er , ▁Su zu ki ▁re w rote ▁it ▁in ▁a ▁more ▁aut obi ographical ▁style . ▁ ▁Su zu ki ' s ▁working ▁title ▁for ▁this ▁second ▁aut obi ography ▁was ▁The ▁Out s ider , ▁a ▁title ▁intended ▁to ▁express ▁the ▁author ' s ▁view ▁of ▁his ▁own ▁role ▁in ▁society . ▁The ▁origin ▁of ▁this ▁out s ider ▁feeling ▁comes ▁from ▁isol ation ▁suffered ▁at ▁a ▁Japanese ▁Canadian ▁intern ment ▁camp ▁during ▁World ▁War ▁II . ▁He ▁was ▁imprison ed ▁there ▁for ▁being ▁Japanese ▁but ▁sh unn ed ▁by ▁other ▁Japanese ▁for ▁being ▁a ▁third ▁generation ▁Canadian , ▁speaking ▁only ▁English . ▁His ▁feeling ▁of ▁isol ation ▁continued ▁during ▁his ▁early ▁school ▁years ▁when ▁the ▁only ▁other ▁student ▁of ▁Japanese ▁her itage ▁was ▁his ▁tw