Product Review: Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World {Hardcover} (Ages 6-10)
“Once you are aware of the wonder and beauty of earth, you will want to learn about it” – Rachel Carson
Have you ever heard of the man-made chemical C-8, otherwise known as perfluorooctanoic acid, which resists heat, water, oil, grease and stains (aka Teflon). I’m sure you have. But, did you know that chemical was dumped into the waterways where I grew up? I’ve been exposed to this chemical my entire life and as of 2006, the EPA’s Science Advisory Boards said C-8 is ‘likely’ to cause cancer in humans. Likely? Well, that’s just lovely, isn’t it? I realize I come from a disadvantaged area in Ohio, but you would think that more people would care about this issue that affects several counties in Ohio and West Virginia as well as affecting water that is in and touched by the Ohio River. I swam in that river, I drank water from wells in the area and I really doubt that we would have done so had we had known there was a cancer causing chemical that infected that area. The reason I bring this up is because it was people like Rachel Carson that cared about harmful chemicals that negatively affected humans and her book Silent Spring is one that made people understand that harmful chemicals negatively impact humans and our planet when it does not have to be this way. If you have never heard of Rachel and her plight, this is a wonderful book for you and your family to learn more about harmful chemicals affecting out world and what you can do about it.
Rachel Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was a Pennsylvania native, Marine biologist and conversationalist whose book, Silent Spring, is credited with helping advance the global environmental movement. Rachel grew up just three hours from my hometown and went to college (rare for a woman at her time) in Pittsburgh at what is now Chatham College. The increasing pollution in her hometown made her sad and worried about the future of the environment and she decided to become a biologist. She received a scholarship to John Hopkins University where she earned her Masters just as the Great Depression struck. No one was interested in hiring a female biologist until she got a lucky break from the chief of the Bureau of Fisheries. Rachel was an amazing writer and her impressive articles not only landed her a job, it became a defining characteristic of her career. While many of her books went unnoticed, it was the popularity of her book, Silent Spring (published in 1962), that she wrote so that all people (not just biologists) could understand. Her criticisms of the chemical industry and the pollutions that were happening in the United States came under lots of scrutiny and Congressional hearings began to be held. Although Rachel passed away at a young 56 just two years later and was not able to see much of the positive environmental changes that came from her book, her legend and impact live on to this day. Without Rachel, the environmental movement may have been delayed or perhaps never developed at all, which is pretty amazing to think about.
Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World {Hardcover} (Ages 6-10)
List Price: $16.95 (Currently $11.53 through Amazon.com)
Momma's Bacon 