Book Evaluation: Silent Spring

Rachel Carson was one of the most important and influential women in science. She was a biologist who saw it as her mission to raise awareness to the harmful things that were in the environment and still are in the environment. Rachel Carson wrote many novels, but the most influential novel of them all was called Silent Spring, which was published in 1962 shortly before her death caused by cancer. Silent Spring was a nonfiction account of the spraying of harmful chemicals in the form of insecticides and other forms during the time of the 50s and 60s. Rachel Carson explained how during the time, Agriculture departments either knew of the harmful effects the chemicals could have on living things and did not care or the departments simply did not do the research to easily find out that the chemicals were harmful. She talks about all aspects of how the chemicals were harmful. Insects, birds, humans, and many other animals were affected by chemicals, such as DDT that seeped into the soil and food that people ate. These chemicals caused near extinctions of animals in certain areas and fatal forms of cancer in humans.

Carson’s work was mostly negative and depressing, but this is what was needed to get across the severity of the chemical issues going on in the environment. Her word choice focusing on the negativity of the situation and her countless resources to support her argument are what make Silent Spring a truly influential book. She stressed throughout the book that the destructive chemicals being sprayed in the 50s and 60s would have a bigger effect on future generations than many people would believe; “These injuries to the genetic material are of a kind that may lead to disease in the individual exposed or they may make their effects felt in future generations” (Carson 208). Carson’s connection to future generations pulls on the heartstrings of the reader and makes the reader realize that their children and grandchildren could also be affected by the careless spraying of their time. She ties love and family into her argument, so that more people will take action against the wrongdoings of government permitted spraying.

Silent Spring is not just worth the read for the content, it is also worth the read because of the author. Rachel Carson was an important woman in the 50s and 60s who overcame discrimination from society and different personal hardships. People called her a communist and did not respect her in the science world because she was a women. Carson even came to find out that she had cancer and still persevered and shared her thoughts and research about the problems occurring in the environment. She became an expert on the effects of the chemicals and how the carcinogens from chemicals were released into the environment. The most likely cause of her cancer were the effects of the very chemicals she researched. She stressed how important prevention of these carcinogens entering the environment were as well as trying to find a cure for cancer; “The most determined effort should be made to eliminate those carcinogens that now contaminate our food, our water supplies, and our atmosphere, because these provide the most dangerous type of contact- minute exposures, repeated over and over throughout the years” (Carson 242). Her work was valid, so many people listened to her words. This set the stage for new ideas and regulations to help improve the environment for years to come.

In my opinion Silent Spring was written in the most effective way possible. The use of Carson’s powerful words and extensive research allowed the book to convey a clear and concise argument to its readers. As Tim Radford says, “Most of the time, she lets the information do the work, and confines her poetic urges to chapter headings, and the odd throwaway conclusion.” Many authors do not have the ability to do this. I was personally more interested in the text because of Carson’s ability to intertwine her poetic words and research. Carson was reporting on what she believed, but she ended up creating a book that would help college students like me learn about the progress we have made in protecting the environment. Tim Radford would also agree with me; “It was, in its time, and to some extent is still, a terrific teaching text.” There is nothing more that an author can hope for from a book, like Silent Spring than to teach people about the argument the author is trying to make. Rachel Carson informed the reader about her argument to the fullest extent possible.

I would highly recommend this book to adults of any age. Like Braiding Sweetgrass, I would probably not recommend this book to high schoolers. This is because a lot of high schoolers do not take in class texts seriously and the problems with the chemical sprayings that Carson talks about are very serious. This book should be read by everyone because we all live in the same environment and have somewhat of a responsibility to take care of ourselves and the place we call home. Carson’s book changed the way many people take care of the environment and the more people that read Silent Spring, the more lives that will be changed due to her important research.

Works Cited  

Carson, Rachel. Silent spring. Penguin Books, in association with Hamish Hamilton, 2015.

Radford, Tim. “Silent Spring by Rachel Carson – review | Tim Radford.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 30 Sept. 2011, www.theguardian.com/science/2011/sep/30/silent-spring-rachel-carson-review.