Internet Comments on Rachel Carson and 'Silent Spring':

Here is what Houghton-Mifflin, the publishers of 'Silent Spring' say about the book:

In the 1950s, a marine biologist working for the U.S. government became alarmed by the wide-spread use of DDT and other long-lasting poisons. Her name was Rachel Carson. She tried to interest a number of magazines in the subject, but the magazine publishers, fearing the loss of advertisers, are reported to have turned her down. She then decided her only alternative was to write a book, since book publishers are not subject to advertising pressure. She came to Houghton Mifflin and with our support began to develop the book.

Carson spent nearly five years researching and writing, knowing full well that her work would be scrutinized and probably attacked. When the Company published Silent Spring in 1962, the attack came. Thousands of dollars were spent trying to discredit the book and its author, but not one factual error has ever been found in the book. In response to Silent Spring, President Kennedy established a special panel to study pesticides, and its report confirmed Carson's work. Silent Spring altered our thinking about the world we live in and has never been out of print.

Here is what the Soil and Water Conservation Society says about 'Silent Spring':

Carson's passionate concern for the future of our planet reverberated powerfully throughout the world, and her eloquent book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement. It is without question one of the landmark books of the twentieth century.
A site on Bald Eagles says the following:

The greatest threat to the bald eagle's existence arose from the widespread use of DDT and other pesticides after World War II. DDT was sprayed on croplands throughout the country and its residues washed into lakes and streams. There, they were absorbed by aquatic plants and small animals that were eaten by fish. The contaminated fish, in turn, were consumed by bald eagles. The chemical interfered with the bald eagle's ability to develop strong shells for its eggs. As a result, bald eagles and many other bird species began laying eggs with shells so thin they often broke during incubation or otherwise failed to hatch. Their reproduction disrupted, bald eagle populations plummeted. As the dangers of DDT became known, in large part due to Rachel Carson's famous book Silent Spring, this chemical was banned for most uses in the United States in 1972.

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