Sidebar: The Rachel Carson Comparison

Ecology of a Cracker Childhood has a snippet from the review by the New York Times prominently displayed on the front cover:

"The forests of the Southeast find their Rachel Carson."

Well, maybe. Maybe not. This is in no way meant as a criticism of Ms. Ray's book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm just not sure that the Carson comparison is apt. Then again, I'm not sure that it isn't appropriate, as I've never read Rachel Carson's work.

You see, I also recently read Suburban Safari by Hannah Holmes. Prominently displayed on the front cover is this snipped from the review by Entertainment Weekly:

"Holmes is a Rachel Carson for 21st-century suburbia."

Having read these books just a few weeks apart, I can easily say that they are so vastly different that it is very unlikely that both authors resemble Rachel Carson. Yes, all three are concerned about humanity's impact on the other inhabitants of this planet. All three are also female. With Ray and Holmes, the comparison pretty much ends there. Holmes is witty, whimsical and scientific. Ray is poetic, introspective and emotional. Ray spends a lot of time talking about populations, while Holmes dedicates many pages to discussing individuals.

It is quite possible that more appropriate comparisons could be made to Audubon, Muir, Thoreau, or any of a host of other people who have written about nature. (Unfortunately, I haven't read a ton from these guys either, so I can't suggest who best fits with whom.) These writers need not be compartmentalized based solely upon their gender. When Rachel Carson's name is thrown about so liberally in these reviews, it begins to appear a bit trite.