(1907 – 1964) Carson published Silent Spring in 1962. The book reoriented American environmental thinking away from conserving wild lands and toward the modern study of complex ecosystems. A professional biologist, Carson worked for many years in research and administration at the US Fish and Wildlife Service before writing her book. Silent Spring documented the impact of pesticides, especially the immensely popular DDT, on wildlife and public health. Carson was attacked by pesticide manufacturers as unpatriotic, unscientific and unfeminine, but her meticulous research persuaded President John Kennedy to order a federal investigation into pesticide use.