Few people have had as great an impact on the modern environmental movement as has the great writer and scientist Rachel Carson. This readable and up-to-date biography traces the famous environmentalist's development as a writer from earliest childhood through the publication of her best-known work, Silent Spring (1962). In this absorbing account of her life, Carson emerges as a talented scientist and exceptional writer who shared her sense of wonder about nature with both scientists and the general public. In the wake of the one hundredth anniversary of Carson's birth in 2007, this fascinating story concludes with an assessment of Rachel Carson's legacy as a writer and a champion of the environmental movement. The author also addresses the lingering controversies regarding the use of pesticides as well as continuing criticisms of Carson's ideas.This balanced portrait of a pioneering environmentalist will be of great interest to anyone with an interest in ecology or nature writing.