Pesticides, A Love Story

“Presto! No More Pests!” proclaimed a 1955 article introducing two new pesticides, “miracle-workers for the housewife and back-yard farmer.” Easy to use, effective, and safe: who wouldn’t love synthetic pesticides? Apparently most Americans did—and apparently still do. Why—in the face of dire warnings, rising expense, and declining effectiveness—do we cling to our chemicals? Michelle Mart wondered. Her book, a cultural history of pesticide use in postwar America, offers an answer. America's embr