Silent Spring

It is rare that a single book actually changes the course of history. Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, did exactly that. It spurred revolutionary changes in government policy toward the environment and was instrumental in launching the environmental movement that has made "ecology" a part of everyone's vocabulary. It is one of the landmark books of the twentieth century, and its message is as pertinent today as it was when it was first published. As Paul Brooks writes in his foreword, "Twenty-five years after original publication, Silent Spring has more than a historical interest. Such a book bridges the gulf between what C.P. Snow called 'the two cultures.' Rachel Carson was a realistic, well-trained scientist who possessed the insight and sensitivity of a poet. She had an emotional response to nature, for which she did not apologize. The more she learned, the greater grew what she termed 'the sense of wonder.' So she succeeded in making a book about death a celebration of life. "Re-reading her book today, one is aware that its implications are far broader than the immediate crisis with which it dealt. By awaking us to a specific danger--the poisoning of the earth with chemicals--she has helped us to recognize many other ways (some little known in her time) in which mankind is degrading the quality of life on our planet. And Silent Spring will continue to remind us that, in our over-organized and over-mechanized age, individual initiative and courage still count: that change can be brought about, not through incitement to war or violent revolution, but rather by altering the direction of our thinking about the world we live in."