50 years ago yesterday, Rachel Carson's seminal book Silent Spring was published. Wendy Kock examines how the book, which is credited with inspiring the modern environmental movement, is still sparking controversy to this day.
It's difficult to overstate the impact of Silent Spring, Carson's attack on the indiscriminate use of pesticides which "led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and
EPA's ban on most domestic uses of DDT in 1972."
"'Silent Spring is such a watershed event. Very few books have had the same impact on public policy,' says William Souder, author of On A Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson. 'It's the fault line between conservation, which dominated the first
half of the 20th century' and today's more politically divisive
environmentalism, he says."
Upon its publication, Silent Spring led to an FBI investigation of Carson and attacks from the chemical industry that defamed her as a "Soviet agent intent on destroying American agriculture."
"The 'nun of nature,' as Carson was sometimes called, still prompts
debate. Critics have seized on the 50th anniversary to question her work
while supporters use it to highlight their causes..."
FULL STORY: Carson's 'Silent Spring' spurred environmental movement
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