In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, documenting the effects of intensive pesticide use on the environment and people’s health. The book sent shockwaves through society. She was threatened and slandered when she dared to speak out against the chemical industry poisoning the world with pesticides and other effluents spilling into nature. But this American marine life biologist was not easily intimidated. A discreet woman from a modest background, she managed to overcome a series of obstacles and make her voice heard as both a scientist and a citizen. Her criticism of the system and the vested interests damaging the environment remain searingly timely even today.