Rachel Carson: Who Loved the Sea

Rachel Carson is generally credited with being the founder of the modern environmentalist movement. Her classic book "Silent Spring" should be required reading of all high school students. I personally read it twice and she demonstrates a thorough knowledge of ecology as well as an outstanding talent for writing. Sometimes lost in the acclaim for "Silent Spring" is the extent to which she was a pioneer. In many of the things Carson did, she was the first female to do them. There were times when she was significantly sexually outnumbered, yet she never let that slow her down. As is demonstrated in this outstanding biography for young people, while Carson may have been the only female, she had many allies in her field. Carson's male colleagues generally never let her gender have a negative influence on their decisions; she received a great deal of encouragement and assistance throughout her career. This is a biography that should be on the required reading list of books about Americans that made a difference.