Tiché jaro – Carson Rachel (2021)

One of the most influential books of the twentieth century that sparked the environmental movement. The coming environmental crisis announced itself subtly — with silence. Where for millennia the voices of countless birds echoed, suddenly there was nothing. Perhaps just the roar of a crop-dusting plane. It is the 1950s, and American biologists are beginning to watch with concern the impacts of industry and intensive agriculture on nature. Biodiversity is declining, the land is sick, and many changes seem irreversible. No one knows what this will mean for future generations and nature itself. The main concern at that time is the massive use of chemical sprays — herbicides, insecticides, pesticides — led by the now-banned substance DDT. Biologist Rachel Carson therefore embarked on research. The resulting book, Silent Spring, is much more than just a study of the effects of agricultural chemicals on the environment. It is a brilliantly written testimony of what we are losing, of the lies of the agro-industry, a cry for help, and the spark that ignited the interest of millions of people and politicians in the state and health of our planet.