The Myth of Silent Spring Rethinking the Origins of American Environmentalism

"The Myth of Silent Spring finds the origins of modern environmental consciousness in the history of the American worker – autoworker and farmworker, socialist and social worker, union rank-and-file and inner-city black – showing us a world not only unexplored, but largely unimagined by environmental historians. This book rewrites the history of environmentalism, infusing it with contemporary relevance."
– Richard W. Judd, author of Common Lands, Common People: The Origins of Conservation in Northern New England

"The Myth of Silent Spring successfully attacks the dominant narrative of the environmental movement's origins. Importantly, author Chad Montrie deftly uncovers the pivotal importance of labor and the working class in environmental struggles since the late nineteenth century. His well-researched book deserves close attention by scholars, activists, and politicians alike."
– Elizabeth D. Blum, author of Love Canal Revisited: Race, Class, and Gender in Environmental Activism

"A much-needed synthesis of current scholarship on environmentalism 'from the bottom up' Montrie introduces us to a whole host of forgotten working-class, Latino, African American, immigrant, and female green activists. In so doing, he shows us that environmentalism was always far more than simply a white suburban initiative."
– Colin Fisher, author of Urban Green: Nature, Recreation, and the Working Class in Industrial Chicago