"Silent Spring," published in 1962, continues to have a profound impact on our understanding of the environmental threat of pesticides. Carson's research led to a national ban on DDT – and resulted in the recovery of many bird species, including the bald eagle which had been nearing extinction. Admired for her scientific research and her lyrical writing style, Carson authored five books on the environment, all critically acclaimed and widely read. 

From "Silent Spring:"

"We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost’s familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road—the one less traveled by—offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth."

Find out more about Rachel Carson:

https://www.rachelcarson.org/