Often called the mother of the modern environmental movement, Rachel Carson rocked the world in 1962 with her book Silent Spring, which warned the American public of the impact of pesticides on the environment and unleashed an extraordinary national debate about science and safety. At the center of that firestorm stood Ms. Carson, a strong, intensely private woman who balanced her love of the natural world and passion for writing with personal strife, including a heartbreaking battle with breast cancer. Rachel Carson provides an illuminating and inspiring portrait of a seminal figure whose writings changed the course of our nation and are still highly relevant today.