Up Close: Rachel Carson

Discover the life and legacy of Rachel Carson, a pioneer whose work highlighting the dangers of pesticide played a significant role in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

“A balanced, thoroughly researched introduction to an original scientist whose work remains of urgent importance today.”—Booklist, starred review

Quiet and shy, Rachel Carson seemed to be an unlikely candidate to start a revolution, but almost single-handedly she brought about an environmental upheaval. Her internationally bestselling book, Silent Spring, was responsible for sounding the wake-up call about the poisoning of the environment. Until her book, many people thought it was possible to “control” problems in nature without paying attention to side effects.

Carson battled against old-fashioned sexism and big-business interests to show people the devastating consequences when the processes of nature are arrogantly disregarded. Her passionate commitment to the environment led to the eventual founding of the Environmental Protection Agency, which to this day is charged with safekeeping of the environment.

This is one of the titles in Up Close, a riveting, all-access biography series that celebrates the leaders, artists, and legends of twentieth-century America—and the impact they had on the world. Ellen S. Levine is a web producer, writer, editor, and consultant in marketing and publicity.