Ellen S. Levine

Up Close: Rachel Carson takes the reader on a journey through Rachel's life beginning with her childhood and ending with her death. As someone who knew relatively nothing about Rachel Carson, I enjoyed the book. It gives a in-depth look into her thought processes and how she came to write books about nature and then Silent Spring. This book could be used for a literature class in conjunction with her other works, history with regards to the EPA, or a science class discussing environment science. I had no idea that after publishing Silent Spring Rachel got so much criticism especially being a suspected Communist. Another aspect of the book I found interesting was the amount of sexism throughout her life. For example, when she went to college women were not meant to major in science, and most jobs in the field were given to men. It is fascinating that this woman wrote a book and changed the country. I think this is a great lesson to all students. While I did like the book, there were parts of it that could have been changed. For example, the book could have been shortened considerably if the author had not gone into so much detail about her college years. The author states repeatedly that Rachel was thinking of changing her major several times. I was more interested in the whole writing and research process of Silent Spring, but that is nitpicking. It makes sense that the book is detailed since it is called Up Close. Overall, it is a great book and could be used in several courses.… (more)

The author talks about Rachel Carson a scientist and her book about Silent Spring that was published in 1962. The book also tells about the financial struggles and gender discrimination she had to go through being her field. She had to take care of her entire family because she was the only one really making any money . I had never heard of Rachel Carson before reading this book . I loved it and would use it in a science class as well as a class to teach young girls that they can do in theirs lives.… (more)

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was well researched and well written but it did not keep me engaged. Levine included Carson’s own words throughout the book. The book includes chapter notes, a bibliography and an index. It also has black and white photos taken throughout Carson's life. I was familiar with Rachel Carson having grown-up during the 1970s and the birth of the environmental movement. A subject this exciting deserves a less dry book. I would offer it as additional reading if students wanted to know more about Rachel Carson and would seek out other texts that might be more engaging.… (more)

A well-written, interesting biography about Rachel Carson, this book depicts the "mother of the environmental movement" as a strong, intelligent, and hard working female scientist. Written chronologically, this book opens with Carson's childhood. Growing up on a farm and spending a lot of time outdoors, Carson was very interested in the world around her. Ellen S. Levine showed the reader just how influential Carson's upbringing was. Her farm life, especially since it was near a factory, were integral to the creation of her most famous book, "Silent Spring," which caused many people to criticize Carson's work. I would recommend this book to middle or high school students who want to know more about the beginning of environmental science.… (more)