Rachel Carson and Her Sisters: Extraordinary Women Who Have Shaped America's Environment

by Robert K. Musil

Choice Outstanding Academic Title

“In  Rachel Carson and Her Sisters , Musil fills the gap by placing Carson's achievements in a wider context, weaving connections from the past through the present. Readers will find new insight into Carson and contemporary figures she influenced...who have historically received less attention. Musil’s respect and enthusiasm for these women is evident throughout the book, making it a deeply engaging and enjoyable read. A valuable addition to scholarship on Rachel Carson, female environmentalists, and the American environmental movement in general. Highly recommended. All academic and general readers.” — Choice
 
“This is a long overdue book, giving great credit to the long line of women who have done so much to shape our culture’s view of the world around us and of our prospects in it. We desperately need that culture to heed their words!” —Bill McKibben, author Oil and The Education of an Unlikely Activist
 
“A vibrant, engaging account of the women who preceded and followed Rachel Carson’s efforts to promote environmental and human health. In exquisite detail, Musil narrates the brilliant careers and efforts of pioneering women from the 1850s onward to preserve nature and maintain a healthy environment. Anyone interested in women naturalists, activists, and feminist environmental history will welcome this compelling, beautifully-written book.” —Carolyn Merchant, author of The Death of Nature and professor of environmental history, philosophy, and ethics, University of California, Berkeley.
 
“Bob Musil brilliantly documents the rich trajectory of women’s intellectual and political influence, not just on environmentalism but on public policy and activism. Musil offers fascinating details of Rachel Carson’s struggles to be taken seriously as a scientist and unearths the stories of the women—unsung heroes all—who influenced her. A must read for anyone interested in American history, science and environmental politics.” —Heather White, Executive Director, the Environmental Working Group
 
“Musil uses the life and writings of Rachel Carson as an exemplar of women’s participation in the American environmental movement. He places Carson’s achievements in contexts by illuminating...the lives of trailblazing female scientists who inspired her and for whom she, in turn, paved the way. Extremely well-researched.” — Foreword Reviews

 

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, History, Environment, Science, School, Biography Memoir

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Environmentalism and feminism are two passions igniting this rich biographical study of American women in science. Musil places Carson’s achievements in context by illuminating, through dense but intriguing essays, the lives of trailblazing female scientists who inspired her or for whom she, in turn, paved the way. A must-read for anyone concerned for the environment. (My full review, from the June issue of Foreword Reviews, is also available online.)

[Bethany N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps THE BEST book I've ever read. Period. While Rachel Carson will always be one of my all-time heroes, this book brought to my attention so many other women who were active or are currently active in the modern environmental movement. These women will remain an important inspiration during my lifetime pursuit and passion for protecting the environment. Thanks, Vince, for the INCOMPARABLE birthday present!

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is strongest in chapter 3, where Musil lays out the network of people -- PR experts, Rachel Carson's agent, advocates like Marjorie Spock, ornithologists like Fran Hamerstrom -- who worked together to amplify the impact of Silent Spring.

But elsewhere, the book would be served by a tighter copy and line editing hand. Musil returns to the thematic connections between present-day activists and Carson and her forbears more than he should; there are too many "probablys" and "likely mets" for my taste. The chapter on Devra Davis relies almost exclusively (and uncritically) on Davis's own writings.

The AOU (now the AOS) was the American Ornithologists' Union (not Ornithological) (pp. 34 and elsewhere); I. G. Farben was not named for someone named Farben (p. 218); a passage on p. 193 jumbles bird species names in singular and plural, capitalized and not (and it's Ovenbird, not oven bird).

I am not criticizing the message -- the epilogue with its many names of today's activists sparks inspiration -- but rather its presentation.

[Leslie Goddard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Musil has given us a beautifully written, fascinating portrait of the many women who have -- and are -- shaping the environmental movement. It is easy to think that the big take away will be that there were other women besides Carson who studied and wrote about environmental issues. That is definitely here, but he goes farther, showing in a nuanced way how Carson's work drew on and was underpinned by the work of a number of women and numerous other already existing books and activities. And more than that, he demonstrates that women have a long history of expressing powerful issues related to nature and humanity's place in it using lyrical, emotionally stirring writing.

My only qualm is one that's hard to imagine could have been avoided: after a while, it's hard to keep track of the many different women. There are quite a few of them profiled here and after a while, I admit they began to blur.

But that's minor. Overall, this is a lovely corrective to the all-too-easy assumption that Carson emerged from a vacuum and the sadly too-common assumption that she has few or no modern descendants.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned about a lot of influential women in this book whose names I hadn't previously known, so Musil definitely accomplishes his goal in bringing those women forward and acknowledging their contributions. I liked how the book was structured between forerunners to Carson who helped set the stage for her work and provided direct guidance or general influence, then her contemporaries, and then those that came after her and were either inspired by or aligned with her work. Although there was way more information and people included than I'll ever remember, drawing parallels across their lives and connecting them on the basis of their belief in the need for a better environment to benefit all is a powerful reminder of the need to be informed, critical consumers along with passionate advocates for what matters most.

[Sabra Kurth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great information and anecdotes, however, the writing was dense and the editing could have been tighter. Nonetheless a wonderful read, placing Rachel Carson in a larger tradition of women in American sciences who lent their voice to making our lives more informed and richer through their research, teaching, and writing.

[Stephi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This goal of this book is to shed light on influential women in environmental fields. I really appreciated how Musil focused on the professional relationships and impacts these women had on each other's work over the years.

My issues with the book are pretty similar to others I have seen. Namely, the book was too technical and repetitive; the book could have benefited from more structured, anecdotal stories. As much as I am glad to see a man writing from a very pro-feminist perspective, I also think the book could have used some firsthand experience from women in the fields discussed.

Overall, the book is a great concept with fairly suboptimal execution.

[Michael Halenar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited about this book when I first read about it. I was fairly disappointed in the end, though still gave it 3 stars. It was clearly well-researched and a very important topic but there were some stylistic issues. 1) too much repitition. 2) a lot of that repitition was in forced comparisons to Rachel Carson when clearly the reader recognizes the similarities and influences given the title of the book. And 3) too often did the author make statements like "there's no proof that X happened, but X probably did happen because of Y and Z." For such a well researched book that became frustrating. Given how important the topic is, I still recommend the book. For too long we've destroyed the earth, and this book discusses a number of forgotten and/or unappreciated women who have done a whole lot to make it better.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times dry, at times redundant, but always committed to telling the story of a legacy of female environmentalists. It was not a quick read, but I enjoyed this book and learned a lot. I also appreciate pro-feminist men and this author is clearly in that camp.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

writing wasn't exceptional but loved learning about the women that shaped carson and her context.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine review of some of the leaders and developers of the American environmental movement, reaching back into the Progressive Era and carrying on today.