Book Club: May 4, 2025, 2-4pm, – Fellows and External Fellows – Zoom only event

May 4, 2026, 2-4 pm – Fellows and External Fellows

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (1962)

 Discussion Leader: Sara Shettleworth

Published only 64 years ago, Silent Spring already qualifies as a classic. As an accessible popular account of the damage being done to the environment by substances such as the then-common pesticide DDT, it was a wakeup call for government control of the chemical industry. As most people know, it had a huge impact, helping to galvanize the then-nascent environmental movement. We are now seeing the benefits of actions inspired by the information in this book in such developments as the ban on DDT and the resulting return of bald eagles and other of DDT’s victims. Written by a scientist who was also a clear and compelling writer. (Available in all formats. For those who do not already have a copy, the 2002 40th Anniversary edition is recommended (400 pages plus notes). It includes an illuminating introduction by Carson’s biographer, Linda Lear, and an afterword by noted ecologist E.O. Wilson).

The link to register is https://forms.office.com/r/bWcpK7a6nP

The deadline to register is the Monday morning the day of the event at 8 am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.

If you have any questions, please contact the organizer, Mary Jane Ashley at maryjane.ashley@utoronto.ca.