Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

In the early 1960s, Americans were using newly developed chemical poisons (DDT and similar poisons) to control or eradicate insects, with only partial success and devastating side effects on other wildlife. Rachel Carson researched the various applications of poison and their effects, then wrote her book, explaining to the average citizen the science of the poisons and the importance of being cautious with ecology.

Reasons Not to Read Silent Spring

1. Silent Spring is repetitive, to the point of boredom. The middle chapters are all additional perspectives on the problems formerly introduced (e.g. secondary effects to insecticides), which drag on a little.
2. The science is old. DDT has long been banned in the U.S. and the FDA and EPA watch new products much more carefully than in the 1950s.
3. Carson is an evolutionist. This is a weak argument, but I present it for those to whom it matters.

Reasons to Read Silent Spring

1. In a very real sense, Carson is responsible for the EPA and environmentalism as a movement. Like Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this book is relevant for its historical impact on our culture.
2. It pushes environmental issues into the public eye. Although the science is old, the principles she lays out for caring for the environment as a whole and seeking biologically responsible methods of control apply today.
3. Carson’s descriptions of various animals, cell functions, and biospheres are beautiful. Despite her evolutionary perspective, I found myself praising God for His beauty and order displayed in creation.

To anyone interested in the founding of the environmental movement, in the interrelations of biology and chemistry, or in working in a field where those sciences play a significant role, I would highly recommend Silent Spring. To anyone else, do not read it unless you are intrigued!