Today I feel like sludge. The news is wretched and the weather undecided. World news and rain are not in my control, so in search of distraction, I picked up marine biologist Rachel Carson’s early book, The Sea Around Us. Originally, published in 1951, it was reissued in 1961. Like me, she was at times a Maine resident, so I can imagine her on the coast where she wrote, including Silent Spring, a marvelous and effective book about the dangers of DDT.

On days like this, when the news is disheartening, I find comfort in books that have made a difference, and her work, in particular, pulls me out of my own angst and gives me hope that we might learn to love and respect the only planet we have. So, excuse me while I withdraw from a disappointing world and learn or relearn that there are writers who make things happen.