I read this classic book in April 1978 which is featured on many lists as one of the best nonfiction books of the twentieth century and certainly one of the most influential. I read this at a time when I was working with several social justice organizations including environmental and anti nuclear power issues with the Keystone Alliance. Earth Day, which was influenced by this book, was also fairly new. The first Earth Day was in 1970 and the rally in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia was one of the largest environment events. The Environment Protection Agency was formed in 1970 as a direct result of the movement created by the readers of this book and the exposure of the pesticide pollution caused by chemical companies.
I am old enough to remember the worst aspects of those pollution years both in the air and the water in addition to the pesticides in our food. I have some very strong memories of our family return trips from the Jersey shore late at night with the car full of sleeping children and then we all wake up from the combined stench of the Delaware River as we crossed the bridge and then the overwhelming stink of the oil refinery air pollution as we passed through South Philly. I also distinctly remember the piles of trash everywhere along our highways back then.
This book helped expose and improve many of the environment problems of the 60's and 70's but it was only a start of a movement that could use another influential book of it's stature and endurance. The 50 year old EPA needs to expanded and given more power over polluting industries. It's hard to believe that the EPA was created under the Nixon administration which was probably the best thing he accomplished in his deeply flawed presidency. It shows the power and influence of this book at the time.
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