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Rachel Carson RACHEL CARSON Recent Titles in Greenwood Biographies Colin Powell: A Biography Richard Steins Pope John Paul II: A Biography Meg Greene Malvasi Al Capone: A Biography Luciano Iorizzo George S. Patton: A Biography David A. Smith Gloria Steinem: A Biography Patricia Cronin Marcello Billy Graham: A Biography Roger Bruns Emily Dickinson: A Biography Connie Ann Kirk Langston Hughes: A Biography Laurie F. Leach Fidel Castro: A Biography Thomas M. Leonard Oprah Winfrey: A Biography Helen S. Garson Mark Twain: A Biography Connie Ann Kirk Jack Kerouac: A Biography Michael J. Dittman Mother Teresa: A Biography Meg Greene Jane Addams: A Biography Robin K. Berson RACHEL CARSON A Biography Arlene R. Quaratiello GREENWOOD BIOGRAPHIES GREENWOOD PRESS WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT . LONDON Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Quaratiello, Arlene Rodda. Rachel Carson : a biography / Arlene R. Quaratiello. p. cm.—(Greenwood biographies, ISSN 1540–4900) Includes bibliographical references (p. ). ISBN 0–313–32388–7 1. Carson, Rachel, 1907–1964. 2. Biologists—United States—Biography. 3. Environmentalists—United States—Biography. I. Title. II. Series. QH31.C33Q37 2004 574'.092—dc22 2004010980 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2004 by Arlene Quaratiello All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004010980 ISBN: 0–313–32388–7 ISSN: 1540–4900 First published in 2004 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.greenwood.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984). 10987654321 Copyright Acknowledgments The author and publisher gratefully acknowledge permission to reprint extracts from: The House of Life: Rachel Carson at Work by Paul Brooks. Copyright © 1972 by Paul Brooks. Reprinted by permission of Frances Collin, Trustee u-w-o Rachel Carson. Always, Rachel: The Letters of Rachel Carson and Dorothy Freeman, 1952–1964 edited by Martha Freeman. Copyright © 1995 by Roger Allen Christie. Reprinted by permis- sion of Frances Collin, Trustee u-w-o Rachel Carson. The Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson. Copyright © 1955 by Rachel L. Carson. Reprinted by permission of Frances Collin, Trustee u-w-o Rachel Carson. Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature by Linda Lear. Copyright © 1997 by Linda Lear. Reprinted by permission of Frances Collin, Trustee u-w-o Rachel Carson. Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature by Linda Lear. Copyright © 1997 by Linda Lear. Reprinted by permission of Frances Collin, Trustee u-w-o Rachel Carson. Lost Woods: The Discovered Writing of Rachel Carson edited by Linda Lear. Copyright © 1998 by Roger Allen Christie. Reprinted by permission of Frances Collin, Trustee u-w-o Rachel Carson. The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson. Copyright © 1950 by Rachel L. Carson. Copyright © renewed 1969 by Roger Christie. Reprinted by permission of Frances Collin, Trustee u-w-o Rachel Carson. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Copyright © 1962 by Rachel L. Carson. Copyright © renewed 1990 by Roger Christie. Reprinted by permission of Frances Collin, Trustee u-w-o Rachel Carson. Under the Sea-Wind by Rachel Carson. Copyright © 1941 by Rachel L. Carson. Copyright © renewed 1969 by Roger Christie. Reprinted by permission of Frances Collin, Trustee u-w-o Rachel Carson. CONTENTS Series Foreword ix Introduction xi Timeline of Events in the Life of Rachel Carson xv Chapter 1 Learning and Loving Nature 1 Chapter 2 Seaward She Goes 13 Chapter 3 Making the Sea a “Vivid Reality” 23 Chapter 4 Federal Employee “in Action” 33 Chapter 5 Writing The Sea Around Us 43 Chapter 6 The Wave of Reaction to The Sea Around Us 53 Chapter 7 Completing the Sea Trilogy 63 Chapter 8 Reaching New Audiences 73 Chapter 9 The Struggle to Write Silent Spring 83 Chapter 10 The Other Road 93 Chapter 11 The Loud Reaction to Silent Spring 105 Chapter 12 The Legacy of Rachel Carson 117 Bibliography 127 Index 133 Photo essay follows page 62. SERIES FOREWORD In response to high school and public library needs, Greenwood devel- oped this distinguished series of full-length biographies specifically for stu- dent use. Prepared by field experts and professionals, these engaging biographies are tailored for high school students who need challenging yet accessible biographies. Ideal for secondary school assignments, the length, format and subject areas are designed to meet educators’ requirements and students’ interests. Greenwood offers an extensive selection of biographies spanning all curriculum related subject areas including social studies, the sciences, lit- erature and the arts, history and politics, as well as popular culture, cover- ing public figures and famous personalities from all time periods and backgrounds, both historic and contemporary, who have made an impact on American and/or world culture. Greenwood biographies were chosen based on comprehensive feedback from librarians and educators. Consid- eration was given to both curriculum relevance and inherent interest. The result is an intriguing mix of the well known and the unexpected, the saints and sinners from long-ago history and contemporary pop culture. Readers will find a wide array of subject choices from fascinating crime fig- ures like Al Capone to inspiring pioneers like Margaret Mead, from the greatest minds of our time like Stephen Hawking to the most amazing suc- cess stories of our day like J.K. Rowling. While the emphasis is on fact, not glorification, the books are meant to be fun to read. Each volume provides in-depth information about the sub- ject’s life from birth through childhood, the teen years, and adulthood. A x SERIES FOREWORD thorough account relates family background and education, traces per- sonal and professional influences, and explores struggles, accomplish- ments, and contributions. A timeline highlights the most significant life events against a historical perspective. Bibliographies supplement the ref- erence value of each volume. INTRODUCTION Rachel Carson’s obituary in the New York Times described her as “a small, solemn-looking woman with the steady forthright gaze of a type that is sometimes common to thoughtful children who prefer to listen rather than to talk” (New York Times 1964: 25). But when the reserved and un- pretentious author of Silent Spring as well as three best-selling books about the sea did express herself, society paid close attention. Carson introduced concepts relating to the environment and conservation that were virtu- ally ignored by most people during the mid–twentieth century and brought terms such as “interdependence” and “the balance of nature” into common usage. She is considered by many to be “the fountainhead of the modern environmental movement” (Lear 1999: 474). Rachel Carson is remembered almost exclusively for her last book, Silent Spring. Years before this magnum opus, however, the publication of Carson’s sea trilogy—Under the Sea-Wind, The Sea Around Us, and The Edge of the Sea—made her a celebrity. These books “stirred people to love the sea because of its beauty for which she was their eyes, for its mystery of which she was the oracle, and for its cadence and sound for which she was its voice” (Hynes 1989: 35). Although she was a renowned marine biolo- gist and the best-selling author of books about the aquatic environment and its creatures, she never saw the ocean during her childhood. Not until the summer after her graduation from college did she first behold the sea. Rachel always had a great appreciation for the natural world as well as a deep respect for the interconnectedness of all creatures. Her attitude ex- emplified what the renowned humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer called “reverence for life,” a philosophy that espouses respect for the interde- xii INTRODUCTION pendence of all living things and considers “all life sacred, including forms of life that from the human point of view may seem to be lower than ours” (Schweitzer 1965: 47). When Carson received the Schweitzer Medal of the Animal Welfare Institute in 1963, she paraphrased the words of the award’s namesake in her acceptance speech, saying “Dr. Schweitzer has told us that we are not being truly civilized if we concern ourselves only with the relation of man to man. What is important is the relation of man to all life” (quoted in Brooks 1972: 316). Carson believed that “a large share of what’s wrong with the world is man’s towering arrogance—in a universe that surely ought to impose hu- mility, and reverence” (quoted in Freeman 1995: 241). Her body of work, including not only her best-selling books but also her magazine articles, government brochures, speeches, and virtually everything else she wrote, reflects her belief that all life on earth is interrelated and that human be- ings should consider themselves part of the natural environment, not masters of it. Her writing “became a catalyst for change. A debate had begun: a reverence for life versus a reverence for power” (Williams 1992: 105–06). Rachel’s own “reverence for life” is evident in both her writing and her actions. In a field notebook that she kept while visiting Saint Simons Is- land off the coast of Georgia in the spring of 1952, she recounted an episode that revealed her respect for all living things. While walking along the beach, she noticed a small dog far out on the flats jumping around in the tide pools, wagging his tail in contentment, oblivious to the incoming tide. As the waves continued to come closer, Rachel became very concerned that the dog would be trapped and drowned, so she went out to pick him up and brought him to safety.
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