American Experience: Rachel Carson's Silent Spring DVD

It is no exaggeration to say that Rachel Carson, through her book Silent Spring, started the modern environmental movement. This well crafted documentary serves as a reminder that one person (and one book) can make a profound difference. The documentary weaves together the person and her work -- work we now see as groundbreaking but work that at the time led experts to launch vicious personal attacks on Rachel Carson. Modern environmentalists would do well to learn from this film: hold fast to your ideals but hold on even more strongly to the scientific evidence. In the end, evidence will trump ideology.

Although I have not viewed the CD yet, I ordered it because I had seen it on KQED recently, and I thought it was one of the best of the American Experience programs I have ever seen. I purchased it to see again as well as share it with my children and grandchildren.

First viewing for me. Thank you for showing it at a time when government is moving toward abolishing many of the protections we have in place to protect the environment. I fear we are going to go backward with our environmental polcies given the influence conservatives seem to have in our government.

Having grown up in an agricultural area, I vividly remember the mosquito fogging trucks regularly driving down our street. My father was an agricultural researcher and died before he was 60. Ive always believed it was due to pesticide-induced cancer and this program helped solidify that belief. It chronicles life in America after WWII and the price Rachel Carson paid-physically and emotionally-to inform the public of the human and environmental damage that would result from the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides.

This video serves as an excellent reminder about when and how the environmental movement actually began. Today, when we are concerned about energy and green seems like a new word, it reminds us that over 40 years ago, Rachel Carson saw the impact humans were having on our environment. Not only does this video show the consequences of our ignorant assault on nature and those who attempted to silence Rachel, but also the human being behind the campaign to stop the irresponsible use of pesticides. A must see for anyone concerned about our environment!