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Always, Rachel: The Letters of Rachel Carson and Dorothy Freeman 1952-64-The Story of a Remarkable Friendship
Rachel Carson's landmark book Silent Spring set the modern environmental movement in motion.This very special collection of letters from Rachel Carson to her Maine summer neighbor Dorothy Freeman offers an intimate, spellbinding look at Carson's private life and thoughts.
An intimate collection of letters from the woman who sparked the modern environmental movement.
"What is revealed in this selection of letters is the extraordinary, private person of Carson and her relationship with Freeman, the nature-loving, homebody friend of her later years. . . . It is not often that a collection of letters reveals character, emotional depth, personality, indeed intellect and talent, as well as a full biography might; these letters do all that."
-Doris Grumbach, The New York Times Book Review
An intimate collection of letters from the woman who sparked the modern environmental movement.
"What is revealed in this selection of letters is the extraordinary, private person of Carson and her relationship with Freeman, the nature-loving, homebody friend of her later years. . . . It is not often that a collection of letters reveals character, emotional depth, personality, indeed intellect and talent, as well as a full biography might; these letters do all that."
-Doris Grumbach, The New York Times Book Review
567 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
About the author
Rachel Carson
58 books1,435 followersRachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.
Carson began her career as an aquatic biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her widely praised 1951 bestseller The Sea Around Us won her a U.S. National Book Award, recognition as a gifted writer, and financial security. Her next book, The Edge of the Sea, and the reissued version of her first book, Under the Sea Wind, were also bestsellers. This sea trilogy explores the whole of ocean life from the shores to the depths.
Late in the 1950s, Carson turned her attention to conservation, especially environmental problems that she believed were caused by synthetic pesticides. The result was Silent Spring (1962), which brought environmental concerns to an unprecedented share of the American people. Although Silent Spring was met with fierce opposition by chemical companies, it spurred a reversal in national pesticide policy, which led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides, and it inspired a grassroots environmental movement that led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A variety of groups ranging from government institutions to environmental and conservation organizations to scholarly societies have celebrated Carson's life and work since her death. Perhaps most significantly, on June 9, 1980, Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. A 17¢ Great Americans series postage stamp was issued in her honor the following year; several other countries have since issued Carson postage as well.
Carson's birthplace and childhood home in Springdale, Pennsylvania — now known as the Rachel Carson Homestead—became a National Register of Historic Places site, and the nonprofit Rachel Carson Homestead Association was created in 1975 to manage it. Her home in Colesville, Maryland where she wrote Silent Spring was named a National Historic Landmark in 1991. Near Pittsburgh, a 35.7 miles (57 km) hiking trail, maintained by the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy, was dedicated to Carson in 1975. A Pittsburgh bridge was also renamed in Carson's honor as the Rachel Carson Bridge. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection State Office Building in Harrisburg is named in her honor. Elementary schools in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Maryland, Sammamish, Washington and San Jose, California were named in her honor, as were middle schools in Beaverton, Oregon and Herndon, Virginia (Rachel Carson Middle School), and a high school in Brooklyn, New York.
Between 1964 and 1990, 650 acres (3 km2) near Brookeville in Montgomery County, Maryland were acquired and set aside as the Rachel Carson Conservation Park, administered by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. In 1969, the Coastal Maine National Wildlife Refuge became the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge; expansions will bring the size of the refuge to about 9,125 acres (37 km2). In 1985, North Carolina renamed one of its estuarine reserves in honor of Carson, in Beaufort.
Carson is also a frequent namesake for prizes awarded by philanthropic, educational and scholarly institutions. The Rachel Carson Prize, founded in Stavanger, Norway in 1991, is awarded to women who have made a contribution in the field of environmental protection. The American Society for Environmental History has awarded the Rachel Carson Prize for Best Dissertation since 1993. Since 1998, the Society for Social Studies of Science has awarded an annual Rachel Carson Book Prize for "a book length work of social or political relevance in the area of science and technology studies."
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_C...
Carson began her career as an aquatic biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her widely praised 1951 bestseller The Sea Around Us won her a U.S. National Book Award, recognition as a gifted writer, and financial security. Her next book, The Edge of the Sea, and the reissued version of her first book, Under the Sea Wind, were also bestsellers. This sea trilogy explores the whole of ocean life from the shores to the depths.
Late in the 1950s, Carson turned her attention to conservation, especially environmental problems that she believed were caused by synthetic pesticides. The result was Silent Spring (1962), which brought environmental concerns to an unprecedented share of the American people. Although Silent Spring was met with fierce opposition by chemical companies, it spurred a reversal in national pesticide policy, which led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides, and it inspired a grassroots environmental movement that led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A variety of groups ranging from government institutions to environmental and conservation organizations to scholarly societies have celebrated Carson's life and work since her death. Perhaps most significantly, on June 9, 1980, Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. A 17¢ Great Americans series postage stamp was issued in her honor the following year; several other countries have since issued Carson postage as well.
Carson's birthplace and childhood home in Springdale, Pennsylvania — now known as the Rachel Carson Homestead—became a National Register of Historic Places site, and the nonprofit Rachel Carson Homestead Association was created in 1975 to manage it. Her home in Colesville, Maryland where she wrote Silent Spring was named a National Historic Landmark in 1991. Near Pittsburgh, a 35.7 miles (57 km) hiking trail, maintained by the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy, was dedicated to Carson in 1975. A Pittsburgh bridge was also renamed in Carson's honor as the Rachel Carson Bridge. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection State Office Building in Harrisburg is named in her honor. Elementary schools in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Maryland, Sammamish, Washington and San Jose, California were named in her honor, as were middle schools in Beaverton, Oregon and Herndon, Virginia (Rachel Carson Middle School), and a high school in Brooklyn, New York.
Between 1964 and 1990, 650 acres (3 km2) near Brookeville in Montgomery County, Maryland were acquired and set aside as the Rachel Carson Conservation Park, administered by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. In 1969, the Coastal Maine National Wildlife Refuge became the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge; expansions will bring the size of the refuge to about 9,125 acres (37 km2). In 1985, North Carolina renamed one of its estuarine reserves in honor of Carson, in Beaufort.
Carson is also a frequent namesake for prizes awarded by philanthropic, educational and scholarly institutions. The Rachel Carson Prize, founded in Stavanger, Norway in 1991, is awarded to women who have made a contribution in the field of environmental protection. The American Society for Environmental History has awarded the Rachel Carson Prize for Best Dissertation since 1993. Since 1998, the Society for Social Studies of Science has awarded an annual Rachel Carson Book Prize for "a book length work of social or political relevance in the area of science and technology studies."
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_C...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 16, 2008
This book probably isn't for everyone -- it's long and the editor wasn't especially ruthless in her pruning (she is the grand-daughter of Carson's correspondent and trustee of the letters, so she can be forgiven). This bulky volume is worth the extra time, for the letters between Rachel Carson and Dorothy Freeman, her dearest friend, are deeply moving.
For anyone who appreciates Carson's solitary work as a female scientist and whistle blower, in addition to being a beloved nature writer, these letters will be very rewarding. Carson has long been one of my heroes, but she was a notoriously private person. So I was fascinated by the story behind the publication of Silent Spring, and at least as fascinated by a glimpse into Carson's personal life.
Her letters to Freeman are unexpectedly tender and intimate, and her commitment to caring for several sick or disabled family members is inspiring (if not outright humbling). Carson's letters show her to be loving almost to a fault, but she's also consistently noble and strong, even toward the end of her struggle with breast cancer. I found myself wishing for her to find a deep, lasting connection with someone who could lighten her burdens even for a little while, but instead she managed to be satisfied with fleeting moments of joy and to find her true companion in nature.
For anyone who appreciates Carson's solitary work as a female scientist and whistle blower, in addition to being a beloved nature writer, these letters will be very rewarding. Carson has long been one of my heroes, but she was a notoriously private person. So I was fascinated by the story behind the publication of Silent Spring, and at least as fascinated by a glimpse into Carson's personal life.
Her letters to Freeman are unexpectedly tender and intimate, and her commitment to caring for several sick or disabled family members is inspiring (if not outright humbling). Carson's letters show her to be loving almost to a fault, but she's also consistently noble and strong, even toward the end of her struggle with breast cancer. I found myself wishing for her to find a deep, lasting connection with someone who could lighten her burdens even for a little while, but instead she managed to be satisfied with fleeting moments of joy and to find her true companion in nature.
May 27, 2014
I'm currently reading this book. It's part of my morning ritual while I eat breakfast. I'm drawn into Rachel and Dorothy's world a few letters at a time. It almost feels wrong to read these intimate letters, knowing that Rachel so valued her privacy, but given that the editor is the granddaughter of Dorothy Freeman, and consulted with Dorothy prior to beginning this project, I feel less like a voyeur and more like a privileged friend. The letters chronicle the lives of these two women during the 12 year period from 1952 to 1964. The record is incomplete, and all the more tantalizing for that. Most of the letters in the book are from Rachel, and we know from the editors preface that the two women deliberately burned many of their letters. One can surmise from the letters that are preserved here that these two woman may well have had a very different relationship had they met today, but as it was, they connected with each other as best they could while keeping their public faces "respectable." In any case, it is clear that they found in each other true confidantes and perhaps soulmates, so this book is really a love story in every sense.
I look forward to each morning's visit with these two ghosts brought back to life through their vivid and heartfelt writing.
I look forward to each morning's visit with these two ghosts brought back to life through their vivid and heartfelt writing.
June 16, 2018
I feel such a joyous surge of wonder every time I stop to think how in such a dark time and when I least expected it, something so lovely and richly satisfying came into my life.
In late 1952, marine biologist, conservationist, and naturalist Rachel Carson who was about to move to Maine’s Southport Island received a beautiful letter from a local housewife named Dorothy Freeman welcoming her to the community, that was just the begginning of a beautiful friendship only ended by Rachel's tragic death.
Most of the letters in the book are from Rachel, the editor (granddaughter of Dorothy Freeman) tell us in the preface that the two women deliberately burned many of their letters, which seems good to me because there are times that it feels like it's to invasive, too intimate to be reading this. And yet, there's this pull, this compulsion to know more.
To me this book is by far the best book I've read this year, 5 stars rating falls to short.
In late 1952, marine biologist, conservationist, and naturalist Rachel Carson who was about to move to Maine’s Southport Island received a beautiful letter from a local housewife named Dorothy Freeman welcoming her to the community, that was just the begginning of a beautiful friendship only ended by Rachel's tragic death.
Most of the letters in the book are from Rachel, the editor (granddaughter of Dorothy Freeman) tell us in the preface that the two women deliberately burned many of their letters, which seems good to me because there are times that it feels like it's to invasive, too intimate to be reading this. And yet, there's this pull, this compulsion to know more.
To me this book is by far the best book I've read this year, 5 stars rating falls to short.
February 9, 2013
Loved this. Probably 90% of the letters are from Rachel, which is a shame because Dorothy's long "every day" type letters were wonderful and, even as long as the book already is, I wanted more! :)
Rachel and Dorothy were readers, and the mentions of the books they were reading delighted me. I started keeping a list of all the ones that looked interesting... some I've read before: Gift from the Sea, Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle: Darwin's Five-Year Circumnavigation, and The Wind in the Willows. Other books, I'll be looking up soon, especially Ring of Bright Water and Born Free.
Rachel dies at the end. Yes, of course, I knew this. I guess I just didn't realize how hard it is to die from cancer. She's actually dying for the last four or five years of her life. It's so tragic. In the last months before she dies, she is surrounded by death: Dorothy's husband dies and Rachel's beloved cat Jeffie dies.
Despite all the sadness in Rachel Carson's life, I think the most important thing I got out of this book was the fact that Rachel completed her mission in life. When she found out about DDT and pesticides, she made it her mission to let the world know. She was driven to write Silent Spring. She wrote it, published it, and before she died, she knew that she was changing the world!
Rachel and Dorothy were readers, and the mentions of the books they were reading delighted me. I started keeping a list of all the ones that looked interesting... some I've read before: Gift from the Sea, Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle: Darwin's Five-Year Circumnavigation, and The Wind in the Willows. Other books, I'll be looking up soon, especially Ring of Bright Water and Born Free.
Rachel dies at the end. Yes, of course, I knew this. I guess I just didn't realize how hard it is to die from cancer. She's actually dying for the last four or five years of her life. It's so tragic. In the last months before she dies, she is surrounded by death: Dorothy's husband dies and Rachel's beloved cat Jeffie dies.
Despite all the sadness in Rachel Carson's life, I think the most important thing I got out of this book was the fact that Rachel completed her mission in life. When she found out about DDT and pesticides, she made it her mission to let the world know. She was driven to write Silent Spring. She wrote it, published it, and before she died, she knew that she was changing the world!
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December 28, 2011A kindred spirit gave this to me to read with a beautiful inscription. I am slowly reading through it. It is over 500 pages, but oh so amazing if read in the correct frame of mind.
October 23, 2015
You don't have to have read any of Rachel Carson's books in order to fully appreciate the letters she wrote to her best friend. These letters (nearly 3/4 written by Rachel) show the love and intensity of her friendship with Dorothy Freeman; they offer a glimpse of what life was like in the 1950s and 1960s - particularly the world of publishing and environmentalism; they show her fear and courage during her fight with breast cancer. She doesn't go into much detail about the writing process she went through with "Silent Spring," but it's clear that the fact that she wrote it and published it at all is something close to a miracle. Her fight against breast cancer would be an inspiration to anyone. Even with everything that goes on within these letters, what is paramount is her love for Dorothy. Few of Dorothy's letters were saved, but the few that were included in the book show why she and Rachel were such good friends. These letters bring to life many emotions: fear, grief, euphoria, anticipation, dread, anger, confusion, apprehension, appreciation and love.
This book is a narrative of what friendship should be.
Also, the footnotes are absolutely wonderful! Instead of being at the back of the book or at the end of the letters, they are in the margins - so there's no inconvenient flipping back and forth. It's a small detail, but it was one I really appreciated.
This book is a narrative of what friendship should be.
Also, the footnotes are absolutely wonderful! Instead of being at the back of the book or at the end of the letters, they are in the margins - so there's no inconvenient flipping back and forth. It's a small detail, but it was one I really appreciated.
October 15, 2022
one of the gayest things i’ve ever read i love gay people i love the way they loved AUGH
November 17, 2022
Letters from the past
I have read most of Rachel Carson - but the personality that bursts from these letters is heartwarming, heartrending and deeply human. She was a complex woman in difficult times. We should be forever grateful to her for her perseverance and intelligence. I wish we could have alleviated some of her stress and anxiety. I will never forget her first veery song. Or the tears that filled my eyes with her farewell.
I have read most of Rachel Carson - but the personality that bursts from these letters is heartwarming, heartrending and deeply human. She was a complex woman in difficult times. We should be forever grateful to her for her perseverance and intelligence. I wish we could have alleviated some of her stress and anxiety. I will never forget her first veery song. Or the tears that filled my eyes with her farewell.
April 15, 2024
this book is a gift. it is a tender, moving portrait of love that lasted over a decade. especially moving to finish it on the 60th anniversary of Rachel’s death.
“It is good to know that I shall live on even in the minds of many who do not know me, and largely through association with things that are beautiful and lovely”.
- Rachel Carson
“It is good to know that I shall live on even in the minds of many who do not know me, and largely through association with things that are beautiful and lovely”.
- Rachel Carson
February 3, 2023
Tender, beautiful, important. I first read this book nearly 20 years ago and am still recommending it to friends.
February 18, 2017
Moving account of a deep friendship between two women, heightened by knowing Rachel Carson's place in history. Sad what stresses she had to deal with in her short life...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews