The Sea Around Us
by Rachel Carson
Moderator:
Jim Lynch, author of "The Highest Tide"
Reading and Essay schedule:
I'm encouraging you to read the book with the eyes of an activist studying Rachel Carson's intriguing mix of science, prose and advocacy.
Week 1: Activism: Rachel Carson Style
Read the 1961 preface (If you don't have the preface in your edition, click here to read it.) and the first three sections of Mother Sea.
Week 2: Thinking Big
Read the rest of Mother Sea section.
One of Carson's strengths was she wasn't intimidated or overwhelmed by any subject. She was as confident and adept at describing the cooling of the planet as she was describing the motivations of a solitary crab. What can we learn from her fearlessness?
Week 3: Compelling Research
Read The Restless Sea thru Moving Tides
Carson's research and observations that went into her compelling explanation of the tides and her focusing on telltale creatures to tell her story shows her ability to select evocative details and research that make her subjects so vivid.
Week 4: Brave Conclusions
Finish the book, and Jeffrey Levin's afterword, if it is in your edition.
Perhaps Carson's greatest strength was that she did not shy away from the power of her facts and conclusions. She was polite and measured, even demure, but she didn't duck confrontations or shrink away from the moral call of her findings.
by Rachel Carson
Moderator:
Jim Lynch, author of "The Highest Tide"
Reading and Essay schedule:
I'm encouraging you to read the book with the eyes of an activist studying Rachel Carson's intriguing mix of science, prose and advocacy.
Week 1: Activism: Rachel Carson Style
Read the 1961 preface (If you don't have the preface in your edition, click here to read it.) and the first three sections of Mother Sea.
Week 2: Thinking Big
Read the rest of Mother Sea section.
One of Carson's strengths was she wasn't intimidated or overwhelmed by any subject. She was as confident and adept at describing the cooling of the planet as she was describing the motivations of a solitary crab. What can we learn from her fearlessness?
Week 3: Compelling Research
Read The Restless Sea thru Moving Tides
Carson's research and observations that went into her compelling explanation of the tides and her focusing on telltale creatures to tell her story shows her ability to select evocative details and research that make her subjects so vivid.
Week 4: Brave Conclusions
Finish the book, and Jeffrey Levin's afterword, if it is in your edition.
Perhaps Carson's greatest strength was that she did not shy away from the power of her facts and conclusions. She was polite and measured, even demure, but she didn't duck confrontations or shrink away from the moral call of her findings.