Sign-In
Cart
Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening
Paperback
Presidents & Heads of State20th Century United States HistoryEnvironmental Studies
Publisher Price: $27.99
ISBN13: 9780063212923
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: Dec 3 2024
Pages: 896
Weight: 1.87
Height: 1.66 Width: 6.09 Depth: 8.95
Language: English
New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed presidential historian Douglas Brinkley chronicles the rise of the modern environmental movement during the Long Sixties (1960-1973), telling the story of an indomitable generation that saved the natural world under the leadership of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon.
With the detonation of the Trinity explosion in the New Mexico desert in 1945, the United States took control of Earth's destiny for the first time. After the Truman administration dropped atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II, a grim new epoch had arrived. During the early Cold War years, the federal government routinely detonated nuclear devices in the Nevada desert and the Marshall Islands. Not only was nuclear fallout a public health menace, but entire ecosystems were contaminated with radioactive materials. During the 1950s, an unprecedented postwar economic boom took hold, with America becoming the world's leading hyperindustrial and military giant. But with this historic prosperity came a heavy cost: oceans began to die, wilderness vanished, the insecticide DDT poisoned ecosystems, wildlife perished, and chronic smog blighted major cities.
In Silent Spring Revolution, Douglas Brinkley pays tribute to those who combated the mauling of the natural world in the Long Sixties: Rachel Carson (a marine biologist and author), David Brower (director of the Sierra Club), Barry Commoner (an environmental justice advocate), Coretta Scott King (an antinuclear activist), Stewart Udall (the secretary of the interior), William O. Douglas (Supreme Court justice), Cesar Chavez (a labor organizer), and other crusaders are profiled with verve and insight.
Carson's book Silent Spring, published in 1962, depicted how detrimental DDT was to living creatures. The exposé launched an ecological revolution that inspired such landmark environmental legislation as the Wilderness Act (1964), the Clean Air Acts (1963 and 1970), and the Endangered Species Acts (1966, 1969, and 1973). In intimate detail, this work of environmental history extrapolates on such epic events as the Donora (Pennsylvania) smog incident, JFK's Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Great Lakes preservation, the Santa Barbara oil spill, and the first Earth Day.
With the United States grappling with climate change and resource exhaustion, Douglas Brinkley's meticulously researched and deftly written Silent Spring Revolution reminds us that this chapter of US history shows how a new generation of twenty-first-century environmentalists can save the planet from ruin.
Silent Spring Revolution features two 8-page color photo inserts.
This definitive work of American environmental history reveals:
- Presidential History: Go inside the White House as John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon are moved to heroic action, passing landmark environmental legislation in response to a rising generation of activists.
- The Ecology Revolution: Discover the seismic impact of Rachel Carson's groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, and how its exposé on DDT launched a movement that redefined public health and conservation.
- Landmark Legislation: Uncover the behind-the-scenes stories of crucial laws like the Wilderness Act, the Clean Air Acts, and the Endangered Species Acts that protect America's natural heritage to this day.
- Conservation Movement Leaders: Meet the indomitable figures who fought on the front lines, from Sierra Club director David Brower to Interior Secretary Stewart Udall and labor organizer Cesar Chavez.
- Pivotal Environmental Events: Witness the epic events that shaped a generation, from the Donora smog incident and the Santa Barbara oil spill to the very first Earth Day celebration.
Also from
Brinkley, Douglas
American Moonshot Young Readers' Edition: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race
Brinkley, Douglas
Paperback
Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening
Brinkley, Douglas
Hardcover
Gerald R. Ford: The American Presidents Series: The 38th President, 1974-1977
Brinkley, Douglas
Hardcover
American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race
Brinkley, Douglas
Conkling, Winifred
Audio Book
Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening
Brinkley, Douglas
Audio Book
Also in
Environmental Studies
Wildly Successful Farming: Sustainability and the New Agricultural Land Ethic
DeVore, Brian
Hardcover
The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms That Sustain Life
Eklöf, Johan
Hardcover
Grassroots Rising: A Call to Action on Climate, Farming, Food, and a Green New Deal
Cummins, Ronnie
Paperback
The Return of Collective Intelligence: Ancient Wisdom for a World Out of Balance
Dyer, Dery
Paperback
Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World
McNeill, J. R.
Paperback
Without Reservation: Awakening to Native American Spirituality and the Ways of Our Ancestors
Kritkausky, Randy
Paperback
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Paperback
The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth
Schlanger, Zoë
Paperback
The Traveler: One Man's Quest for Humanity from the South Seas to Revolutionary Paris
Wulf, Andrea
Hardcover
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
Sheldrake, Merlin
Paperback
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Hardcover
Up on Cove Mountain: Adventure, Tragedy, and a Quest for Meaning on the Appalachian Trail
Swift, Earl
Hardcover
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate--Discoveries from a Secret World
Wohlleben, Peter
Hardcover
Our Wild Familiars: How Animals Are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World
Werb, Dan
Hardcover
Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization
McKibben, Bill
Hardcover
The Ghost of the Mountains: Unraveling the Secrets of the Snow Leopard
Suryawanshi, Kulbhushansingh
Hardcover
The Earth Said Remember Me: How to Revive Our Memories and Restore the Planet
Mark, Jason Dove
Hardcover
Fires in the Night: The Earth Liberation Front, the Fbi, and a Secret History of Eco-Sabotage
Wolfe, Matthew
Hardcover
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Likes to Walk Outside
Offerman, Nick
Paperback
Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet
Gardiner, Beth
Hardcover
Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic
Rosen, Kenneth R.
Hardcover
We Will Be Jaguars (Reese's Book Club Pick): A Memoir of My People
Nenquimo, Nemonte
Anderson, Mitch
Paperback
The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America
Williams, Geoff
Hardcover
The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It's Too Late
Enck, Judith
Mahoney, Adam
Beyond Plastics
Hardcover
Where the Earth Meets the Sky: A Story of Penguins, People, and Place in Antarctica
Blight, Louise K.
Hardcover
Frostlines: A Journey Through Entangled Lives and Landscapes in a Warming Arctic
Shea, Neil
Hardcover
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
Egan, Timothy
Paperback
Romp!: A Journey Through the Natural History of Otters and Why They Matter
Island, Heide, PhD
Hardcover
Otherworldly America: Explore the Most Unique Natural Wonders of the United States
Guzman, Jake
Hardcover
Pests & Other Friends: Discover the True Nature of the Most Maligned Animals
Berryman, Halsey
Hardcover
Torched: How a City Was Left to Burn, and the Olympic Rush to Rebuild L.A.
Vigliotti, Jonathan
Hardcover
Natural Habitats and Wildlife Gardening: Inviting Nature Into Your Backyard
McCoshum, Shaun
Paperback
Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard
Tallamy, Douglas W.
Hardcover
Compost After Reading: A Practical Manifesto for Purposeful Decomposition
Marketos, Cassandra
Paperback
Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers
Ritchie, Hannah
Hardcover
Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces That Threaten Our World
Mann, Michael E.
Hotez, Peter J.
Hardcover
Leave the Lights on: How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species
Zhao, Jiaying
Dunn, Elizabeth
Hardcover
The World Beneath Our Feet: The Hidden Life of Soil and Why It Matters to Us All
Ashwood, Frank
Hardcover
5 Steps to a 5: AP Environmental Science 2027: Practice AP Tests + AP Content Review + Digital Exams
Mayer, Courtney
Paperback
Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It
McDonald, Samuel Miller
Hardcover
Tigers Between Empires: The Improbable Return of Great Cats to the Forests of Russia and China
Slaght, Jonathan C.
Hardcover
How to Fall in Love with the Future: A Time Traveller's Guide to Changing the World
Hopkins, Rob
Hardcover
Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have
Schlossberg, Tatiana
Paperback
Alaska Literary Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry
Grace Moler, Shaelene
Holleman, Marybeth
Lord, Nancy
Paperback
Bird Talk: Hilariously Accurate Ways to Identify Birds by the Sounds They Make
Rowland, Becca
Paperback
Wildlife Anatomy: The Curious Lives & Features of Wild Animals Around the World
Rothman, Julia
Paperback
A Field Guide to the Apocalypse: A Mostly Serious Guide to Surviving Our Wild Times
Aktipis, Athena
Paperback
Brought to You by: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy
Westervelt, Amy
Hardcover
Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey Into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon
Rosolie, Paul
Paperback
Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
Lankford, Andrea
Paperback
On Island Time: A Traveler's Atlas: Illustrated Adventures on and Around the Islands of Washington and British Columbia
O'Leary, Chandler
Paperback
Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark
Henion, Leigh Ann
Hardcover
The Call of the Honeyguide: What Science Tells Us about How to Live Well with the Rest of Life
Dunn, Rob
Hardcover
Nature's Echo: Harnessing Ancient Feedback Loops to Heal a Changing Planet
Crowther, Thomas
Hardcover
Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie
Hage, Dave
Marcotty, Josephine
Hardcover
Compassion in Crisis: Building Disaster-Resilient Communities
Weiner, Kate Rose
Loften, Kailea Rose
Paperback
The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World
Brannen, Peter
Hardcover
The Secret Life of a Cemetery: The Wild Nature and Enchanting Lore of Père-Lachaise
Gallot, Benoît
Paperback
Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness
Kloos, Scott
Paperback
Let's Become Fungal!: Mycelium Teachings and the Arts: Based on Conversations with Indigenous Wisdom Keepers, Artists, Curators, Feminists and Mycolog
Ostendorf-Rodríguez, Yasmine
Paperback
Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science
Hernandez, Jessica
Paperback
Pacific Northwest Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Alaska Blueberries to Wild Hazelnuts
Deur, Douglas
Paperback
The New Beachcomber's Guide to the Pacific Northwest: Second Revised Edition
Sept, J. Duane
Paperback
The Ultimate Shell Seeker's Guide: Building a Better Beachcombing Strategy
Oliphant, Ashley
Paperback
Winter Tree Finder: Identifying Deciduous Trees of Eastern North America by Their Bark and Twigs
Watts, May Theilgaard
Paperback
The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop
Gooley, Tristan
Paperback
Warden Force: The Worst of the Worst and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 101-114
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
Shelter from the Storm: How Climate Change Is Creating a New Era of Migration
Hattem, Julian
Hardcover
Active Hope (Revised): How to Face the Mess We're in with Unexpected Resilience and Creative Power
Macy, Joanna
Johnstone, Chris
Paperback
Ripples on the Cosmic Ocean: An Environmental History of Our Place in the Solar System
deGroot, Dagomar
Hardcover