Book review - Force of Nature

 Title: Force of Nature

Author: Ann E Burg

Genre: creative non-fiction/verse novel

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Rating:

 

lovely

Summary (provided by publisher): 

Rachel was a girl who loved
science and the sea,
books and writing
and all the creatures of the world.
Rachel was quiet,
a listener by nature.
But when she saw problems,
she could not remain silent.
Some people thought girls
shouldn’t be scientists.
They thought girls
shouldn’t use their voices
to question or challenge,
even to protect
all the creatures of the world.
Luckily Rachel didn’t listen
to them.

My opinion: I think all that I knew about Rachel Carson before this book was that she wrote Silent Spring. So I learned a lot from this novel, stripped down as it was to the barest impressions. I hadn't realized her importance in the development of science communication as a field, more than just the importance of ecology. This is a quick read. Being a verse novel, it's more about impressions than details. Still, it's a solid way to supplement more factual education.

More information: Force of Nature releases March 5