The information in this book was purposely repeated several times so that the reader would not forget the importance since these were entirely new ideas and information for the reader. Today the average reader will read this publication from the 60s and think yes you already said that, we already know this. When this book was published though, no one knew any of this, so the consistency of being reminded certain facts was extremely important. Additionally, the extreme criticism and backlash that she received from this writing (which seems to be forgotten today) was not from the average reader who thought this was a bad piece of writing, but rather from companies (and political figures who were financed by them) whose business processes were dependent on certain practices that were extremely harsh to the environment.

A reader mentioned DDT, and yes the use of it is banned in America (along with many other countries), however, it is still being produced (the production and use are regulated differently; not sure where production is banned) and used in some parts of the world (which has an effect on us, no matter where you are) such as Africa, where certain parts suffer extremely from malaria. There is an ongoing debate as to whether DDT should be used or not used in these areas. There are several informational web sites on either side of the topic.

Another reader wanted an updated version, which I think would be great. It would be very impressive if someone today could write another book about environmental conditions and would be yet another wake-up call that would produce a new mindset on our environment. A book of this caliber is definitely overdue.

Rachel Carson died 2 years after publication of this book in 1964 from breast cancer.


Silent Spring - Has it become a silent fall?   February 25, 2004
 3 out of 9 found this review helpful

While I enjoyed Carson's lyrical yet clear writing style, I was very frustrated by the dated material presented. Weren't DDTs outlawed back in the 1980's? What sort of chemicals are still being used? Is DDT still used in other countries? This book made me ask a lot more questions than were answered. That is perhaps its greatest strength. I dare you to read this book and not become agitated to know more.

I would very much like to find an updated, annotated copy of Silent Spring the details the current knowledge, research, and usage of chemical controls.


Silent Spring   February 10, 2004
 2 out of 9 found this review helpful

This book was well written and researched, we also decided that we would never read this on our own. We found it extremely repetitive. Each chapters said the same thing over and over. It always talked about how we should use natures checks instead of controling with nature. It also mentions foreign insects a lot, one example being the Japanese beetle. The book also made us very aware and scared about the effects. It made us realize the dangers of these chemicals. People can get cancer from these sprays,leukemia being one of them. It made us want to keep up to date on what was going on in the world with pesticides.