Describes the background of Rachel Carson and her book, discusses the question of pesticides as it stands today and shows what the average citizen can do to change the situation.

Part 1. The controversy : -- The genesis ; the synthesis ; a most curious affair ; the counterattack ; the public controversy ; the widening protest -- Part 2. The Circle of evidence : -- Miss Carson's "nightmares" unfold ; Tainted waters ; "We have reached these conclusions" ; The human toll ; the unknown ; in the scales -- Part 3. The flow of knowledge : -- The muddies sources ; the message -- Part 4. The uncertain defenders : -- Washington begins to stir ; Predators and Poisons ; The toxic field of mars ; The two faces of public health ; "Biological weaklings and prosperous ignoramuses" ; The Spray's the thing -- Part 5. A light at the end of the road : -- Toward a court of last resort ; Toward a complex community -- Safer pesticides for home and garden / by Shirley A. Briggs -- Federal registration requirements for pesticide products / by Harold G. Alford -- In memoriam.