Customer Reviews

Listening to Crickets: A Story about Rachel Carson (Creative Minds Biography)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A biography of scientist/author Rachel Carson for the intermediate grades or so, it is well done; an accessible, easy-to-relate-to telling of a bright, good woman's life that led to the publishing of her controversial Silent Spring, a book which in many ways pioneered modern ecological awareness on a large scale. Carson's history of science and writing interest from her youngest days provides good inspiration for youngsters to do well, never knowing what good future endeavors their interests and skills may lead to. My group of solid reading fifth graders enjoyed it, and more than one child, several girls most notably, expressed the desire to combine writing and science in ways like Carson did. Valuable and recommended.

This book is almost worshipful of Rachel Carson. To be a tad irreverent, it reads like Mao's "Little Red Book" -- the struggling upper-middle-class protagonist persevering against all odds.

Check out Rachel's character traits from the book:

+ declines all social invitations
+ spurns popularity
+ makes her peers envious through her enormous intellect and incredible good luck
+ when in the sun, develops freckles rather than tanning
+ always double checks her facts!
+ physically unhealthy and very susceptible to colds

This isn't a TERRIBLE biography, the author didn't do a bad job; it's not Candice Ransom's fault that Rachel Carson is so unappealing a subject. This book reinforces some of what Rachel Carson believed, such as page 46 -- the natural world is in grave danger! -- and page 51 -- ALL LIFE is threatened by human progress!

Personally, I think the best that could be said about Rachel Carson was that, in her quest to eradicate DDT through her book "Silent Spring", she misapplied her intellect. 48 million human beings have lost their lives (so far) to malaria as the price for her grandstanding. Let that number sink in. 48 million productive, creative, cherished human lives, cut short at the whim of one American woman.

I guess there isn't much Candice Ransom could have done to improve on her subject. The hushed-respectful tone of the book is a little grating.

Not a horrible biography, but not someone I would want my children to emulate.