Join the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Library for a conversation about Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, the classic that launched the environmental movement, for the 60th anniversary of its publication. USFWS Historian Mark Madison will begin the book discussion with a talk on Rachel Carson as a conservation hero and the impact of Silent Spring.
The book discussion will be hosted on Zoom. Use Meeting ID: 160 497 5982 and Passcode: b$Tr9E+6R% to join.
FWS employees can email USFWS Librarian, Megan Burdi, at megan_burdi@fws.gov to borrow a print copy as available. Silent Spring can also be found at your local library or bookstore.
Discussion Questions:
In our first Wild Read of Silent Spring, Carson biographer William Souder acting as a moderator asked “Can there ever be another book like Silent Spring?” Do you think there can be, or has been?
What was your experience reading Silent Spring, as it was published more than half a century ago?
What do you think Rachel Carson would write about if she was living in 2022?
Carson’s description of pesticide application suggests that ethical issues are involved in the use of toxins as well as technical problems of environmental management. What ethical or moral concern is Carson worried about? Do you share her view?
Carson uses the term “ecology” on pg. 189 to describe “the web of life –or death...” What role does this concept play in her writing?