FORCE OF NATURE

A free-verse, first-person fictional account told from the point of view of Rachel Carson that relates her remarkable life.

From childhood, Carson was encouraged by her mother to appreciate but not meddle with the natural world. Life was never easy in the Carson household, but the future biologist found a way to combine science with her love of writing. Over time, she would encourage millions of readers to admire and protect our world through several influential and acclaimed books, including her best-known work, Silent Spring (1962), published two years before her death. Burg’s narrative follows the events of Carson’s life closely, but her relationships with her family members receive the most attention. They, as well as Dorothy, the intimate friend and kindred spirit she finally found, share her love for the natural world. (That there may have been more to the women’s relationship than friendship is not explored.) Gracefully written in short, rhythmic lines, the text is pleasing to the eye and ear. Many pages of this beautifully presented celebration are enhanced by Blackall’s tiny, hand-labeled, grayscale drawings of butterflies, birds, pond-water creatures, and more, reminding readers of Carson’s own sense of wonder. In an appended author’s note, Burg notes her sympathy with her subject and explains her choice to tell her story as fiction, so that she could “capture Rachel’s indomitable spirit.” Her sources are outlined in the acknowledgments.

A convincing and charming portrayal of a woman who made a difference.