|
| Silent Spring | 
| Author: Rachel L. Carson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Category: Book
Buy Used: $4.76
Collectible (17) from $29.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  136 reviews
Sales Rank: 953041
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 368
ISBN: 0395075068
EAN: 9780395075067
ASIN: B00005WUN0
Publication Date: January 1, 1962
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Students use expedited shipping! Absolutely no shipping to prisons!! Amazon default shipping is 1 to 4 weeks for US. Use expedited if need sooner. HI,AK,VI,PR,Guam, Saipan must use expedited shipping. #ds(con=al) #ds(low=$0.01) #ds(min=$1.00)
|
| Customer Reviews:
 classic February 19, 2007
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
We needed more than 30 years to understand that Rachel Carson was not an alarmist. This prophetic book about our environment is very well written.
 What would DDT opponents say if mosquitoes carried HIV instead of malaria? February 18, 2007
29 out of 68 found this review helpful
I've seen many reviewers argue that the use of DDT to prevent malaria deaths in the developing world is unjustified because 1) it may cause greater long-term harm to the environment, and 2) mosquitoes will eventually develop resistance to the insecticide.
One San Francisco reviewer even claimed "We have no idea of how many millions, or billions, of people globally have been impacted by its use in the forms of debilitating illnesses and death from cancer and the like." According to her, it's irresponsible to use DDT when we have no idea to what extent the negative impact, if any (although "billions of people" is a bit ridiculous), is of using it.
But there's no question what the negative impact has been of banning it: millions and millions of preventable deaths. So some environmentalists are apparently more than happy to allow an absolute--millions dead--in exchange for an unknown.
Part of the reason why it's so easy for them to trade lives for theory is that they don't give much day to day thought about malaria. It's a disease that doesn't worry people in the developed world. It happens "over there" in the third world, and if we actually get it over here, well, no worries--we get treated and fully cured with relatively affordable drugs. Who in the West actually worries day to day about dying from malaria contracted from a mosquito bite? It ranks up there with polio and typhoid.
But what would the "ban DDT no matter what the cost" environmentalists be saying if HIV suddenly became transmittable by mosquitoes? Would they continue to argue "we have no idea how many millions of people have been impacted by DDT's use" if they were one mosquito bite away from a death sentence with no cure (as peoples of the third world don't have or can't afford a cure for malaria)?
Nope, you can bet your bottom dollar virtually every one of them would change their tune pretty quickly--especially here in San Francisco. All their objections about "long term damage to the environment" and "resistance to insecticide" would suddenly transform into a mere theory once faced with the possibility their own lives could be in mortal danger. Activists would be storming the streets demanding the return of DDT with the same vengeance they exhibit today when marching for a solution to HIV/AIDS. Because it's a different story when it's no longer someone else's life that's on the line.
And hence we would have an even clearer expression of the hypocrisy of the new environmental imperialism they impose on the third world today--the kind that makes activists feel better about themselves from the comfort of latte studios and Volvo station wagons. Every day they tell the third world "we have cures for these diseases that you don't, so it matters not to us that our environmental crusade will take away your line of defense and you die by the millions" in exchange for good conversation at Starbucks. It's an easy trade when mosquito-borne death isn't tugging at *your* arm every day.
Silent Spring by Pachel Carson January 10, 2007
8 out of 15 found this review helpful
Rachel created a saga of facts about what damage we have done with insecticides and herbicides throughout the US without any thought to the environment or ourselves. She showed in this book our many errors in judgement and backs everything up with facts. She also tells about some new ideas(back then they were new)that would fix some of our "bug" problems but not with chemicals that will ultimately hurt people. Too bad it took so long for us to START paying attention to what she wrote so many years ago.
 Review for Silent Spring January 3, 2007
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book was written in 1962 and was the first to introduce the dangers of DDT and other pesticides. This book systematically reveals realistic statistics of the effects of pesticides worldwide. Examples from pesticide control in Europe, Asia, and the US expose the impacts of human actions on nature. Rachel Carson pioneers in describing the impact of pesticides in all parts of nature. In response to the harmful disadvantages to chemical pesticides, Carson offers biological controls which have succeeded in maintaining pests. Though Silent Spring is factual, it is repetative at times. It also emotionally describes environmental aspects. However, Silent Spring is indeed an eye-opening book which allows one to see the impacts of humans and pesticides.
 Silent Spring January 3, 2007
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson was a very fascinating novel. It is the "Environmental Bible" and started the environmental conservation movement.She directly focuses on the issue of DDT and other toxic chemicals that are used as pesticides and insecticides. Carson states how we, as humans, have caused many of the problems that Earth has encountered. Many organisms are no longer in existence because of our decisions and actions. I really enjoy how she gives a plethora of examples for each topic. Each chapter focuses on a cause of the environmental issues as well as the effects. I also enjoy her choice in the title of the novel. The first chapter is short and sweet; she speaks of birds that are no longer in existence or no longer living in that particular area and states how it was a silent spring. You learn a lot from her novel and if you're interested in environmental issues and even chemistry this book is vital to your studies. Overall, the book was good. However there were a few minor things I did not care much for. She was quite repetitious at times and got into depth a bit too much. I also felt that the book sort of lacked a plot which made itdifficult to stay focused. Other than that, Silent Spring is a brilliant novel and Rachel Carson deserves big time kudos for her excellent job in reshaping many people's views of the environment.
|
|
|
Wildlife, nature and the Environment
Sponsored Links
Learn how to get your own Amazon Book shop | |
