First published in 1962 and contributing to an environmental movement initiated from an understanding of pesticides and ecology, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson alerted those in the United States to what a momentous force exists with nature, predators and prey, and insects. A direct legacy of Silent Spring is the banning of the insecticide DDT in the United States in 1972.
(Rachel Carson wrote the book Silent Spring. Carson would die within 20-months of the publishing of Silent Spring).
Silver Spring was written for a general public audience, meaning that much of the narrative is accessible to many readers. The primary opposition to the positions taken in the book were chemical companies, a constituency interested in making insecticides and pesticides that would be widely used on farms and in communities with an intention of managing insects, rodents, weeds, and brush, among other things. Given the eventual creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States under the administration of US President Richard Nixon in 1970, which side won this larger argument seems clear.
The highly factual basis for Silent Spring, vindicated by the passage of 58-years (at the time this was written), is refreshing. So is the notion that the taxpayer comes out ahead by managing nature naturally rather than through man made chemicals in many cases. I rate Silver Spring by Rachel Carson at 4-stars on a scale of one-to-five.
Matt – Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Matt Lynn Digital 