Silent Spring

by

368 pages

English language

Published Feb. 21, 1987 by Houghton Mifflin Co..

ISBN:
978-0-395-45389-6
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(1 review)

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was first published in three serialized excerpts in the New Yorker in June of 1962. The book appeared in September of that year and the outcry that followed its publication forced the banning of DDT and spurred revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson’s passionate concern for the future of our planet reverberated powerfully throughout the world, and her eloquent book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement. It is without question one of the landmark books of the twentieth century.

36 editions

reviewed Silent spring by Rachel Carson

None

Very easy to read, very easy to understand. An interesting piece of ecology history. Many of the things discussed in this book are still happening.

Unfortunately Carson seems stuck in a settler mindset, and Native Americans were only mentioned once as a demonstration of the reach of chemical poisoning due to pesticides. No thought is given to whether pest control in North America has already been researched.

There is cringey ableist and racist terminology used in this book, briefly.

I enjoyed the book as a historical curiosity, but after the first half it kinda became a slog.

Subjects

  • Pesticides -- Environmental aspects.
  • Pesticides -- Toxicology.
  • Pesticides and wildlife.
  • Insect pests -- Biological control.