Silent Spring: A Book That Changed America

I recently had to read a book, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, for my Science class. When my teacher first gave me the book, I was unsure whether I was going to enjoy it. I was afraid that it would be too boring, because it is a nonfiction book about an insecticide, DDT. And don’t forget it was published in 1962-almost fifty years ago! What I didn’t know was that this book would change my thoughts of nature completely. What I didn’t know was that this book inspired the U.S. government to outlaw the use of DDT, a dangerous insecticide. What I didn’t know was that I would truly enjoy this book.

Silent Spring talks about every organism that was affected by DDT. It talks about the fish in the rivers, bleeding to death, about the birds in the sky, their wings paralyzed leaving them flightless. It talks about cattle, geese, honeybees, dogs, pigs, and the worst, humans. Yes, DDT, an insecticide that’s meant to kill only insects, affects humans, too. DDT had left thousands of humans with nerve damage, blood clots, blurred vision, and kidney and liver failure.

Ten years following the release of Silent Spring, the U.S. Congress banned the use of DDT. Without Rachel Carson’s writing and extensive research, DDT would probably still be used today. Since finishing this book, I have a great respect for Rachel Carson, and a new way of looking at insecticides.

"To a large extent, the physical form and the habits of the earth's vegetation and its animal life have been molded by the environment. Considering the whole span of earthly time, the opposite effect, in which life actually modifies its surroundings, has been relatively slight. Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species-man-acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world."

- Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars