Silent Spring (1962) by Rachel Carson (Non-fiction)
First published serially in the New Yorker in June of 1962, Silent Spring appeared in book form that September. The outcry that followed forced the banning of DDT and spurred revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson’s passionate concern for our planet’s future reverberated throughout the world, and her eloquent book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement.