Welcome to Litsy!

“What we ingest or experience or inhale will make a difference to our health —literally the number of minutes allotted us to live.” Page 90.

“ The eyes don‘t see what the mind doesn‘t know.“ Page 22.

Resilience is the key, the deciding factor between a child, who overcomes adversity and thrives and a child, who never makes it to a healthy adulthood. Page 14.

“Resilience isn‘t something you were born with. It isn‘t a trait that you have or don‘t have. It‘s learned. This means that for every child raised in a toxic environment or an unraveling community - both of which take a terrible toll on childhood development and can have lasting effects-there is hope. Page 14.

“It is a story about what happens when the very people responsible for keeping us safe, care more about money and power, than they care about us, or our children.” - P. 13

1. Frustrating story about the Flint water crisis, but told in a satisfying way.
2. Greenfield Village in Dearborn.
#RoadTripUSA2022
#TravelTuesday
#Michigan

I devoured this history / memoir of a pediatrician trying to expose the lead in the Flint water system. HIGHLY recommended. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think this is a very important story to tell...but non-fiction is just so boring for me! So many names and people...I found myself skimming, A LOT. Heartbreaking story for Flint.

I loved this memoir / call to action about the Flint, MI water crisis. This pediatrician sounded the alarm and used science to back up her patient concerns. I also loved her stories about the Iraqi / Chaldean immigrant community. She balanced work, activism, marriage, family, and kids. It‘s inspiring and could happen in any of our towns.

Full review http://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2020 #nonfictionchallenge2020 #aboutinfrastructure

I‘m giving my recent mystery / thriller series a rest (at least on audio), since this library book came in. Using this for my #nonfictionchallenge2020 #aboutinfrastucture pick since it centers on the Flint, MI water crisis.

This book was interesting, informative, and infuriating. Lead is so debilitating to an infant and toddler. She explained the economic downfall of Flint and the racism allowing business and govt to cover up and continue known mistakes. Mona is a pediatrician who writes like an well-honed investigative journalist. I also went on a google search for more info about the Michigan Chaldean community - always learning!

#ReadTheUSA2020 Michigan

1. Christmas!
2. Tagged
3. Mystery section, then local interest if I‘m away from home.
4. Hello new followers!
#wondrouswednesday

I made miniature book ornaments for the little Christmas tree at my library!🎄

This reads like a thriller but still had me quietly crying throughout. It‘ll make you angry but still give you hope. Thrilled I will be leading a discussion of this beautiful book tomorrow at work with my colleagues and students.

I finished more books than I thought in July!
-Dread Nation (Ireland)🧟‍♀️
-The Glovemaker (Weisgarber)🧤
-Hunting a Detroit Tiger (Soos) ⚾️
-A Rule Against Murder (Penny) 🇨🇦
-Smoke and Mirrors (Griffiths)🎩
-The Lewis Man (May)🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
-The Smoke at Dawn (Shaara) ⚔️
-What the Eyes Don‘t See (Hanna-Attisha)💧
-Brown Girl Dreaming (Woodson)❤️
-Faceless Killers (Mankell)🇸🇪
#wrapup

Now it‘s on to #letstravelaugust for more fun!

A phenomenal book that breaks your heart and fills you with rage. Systemic racism took away the power of the people, resulting in austerity measures that killed, and subjected thousands of children to lead poisoning. The story includes the theme of hope, but it is hard to see it through the reality of what happened in Flint.

(An excellent reading by the author, too.)

This is our One Maryland One Book choice for 2019. I knew a bit about the Flint water crisis and didn‘t think it was something very intriguing to read about, but Oh, how wrong so was! The author is the pediatrician “whistle blower” who called out the water issues in Flint. It was an interesting story with personal experiences and info about the children in her care. I also really enjoyed learning about her culture and family from Iraq. Well done!

It was frustrating to read this knowing that Flint is still dealing with this human-caused water crisis. Still, I enjoyed learning about the author‘s role in bringing the crisis to light and spurring some action. She wove in her family background, which provided good context. But my main feeling was sadness that the issue was ignored and covered up for far too long.

When an Iraqi-born American paediatrician learned there was lead in the Flint water supply, she immediately took action. At first I was a little impatient with the memoir aspect, all of her family history, but then I realized the author was showing us how she became the kind of person who could take on corrupt, lying bureaucrats and politicians. Resilience can be learned: it‘s one of the things that makes this a hopeful, inspiring #audiobook.

Again & again, the state and federal officials‘ disdain for Flint was shocking. At the EPA, when asked about using federal money to buy water filters for city residents, the Region 5 Water Division Chief wrote, “I‘m not so sure Flint is the community we want to go out on a limb for.” The pointed cruelty, the arrogance & inhumanity. Sometimes it is called racism. Sometimes it is called callousness. And sometimes […] it can be called manslaughter.

I was honored with a ticket to this fabulous event tonight and it was incredible. I love my job and state wide colleagues.

This is the only picture I have of this title. Which is an excellent read, btw! Can‘t wait to see her speak on Thursday!!

Our One Maryland One Book choice this year. It‘s written by a pediatrician in Flint MI about the children and contaminated drinking water.

This is my #science book for March, and it was worth every minute of the time I spent reading about Dr. Hanna-Attisha‘s childhood, high school years, post/secondary education & the friends she made along the way - including one in who helped her blow not just a whistle but a factory alarm about lead in Flint, Michigan‘s, water supply. Why did the city and state fail the people of Flint? You probably know, but here‘s the backstory of numbers & ⬇️

Gonna finish this book on a flight (or two) this week, and the books I‘m putting in the comments too. #nonfiction #springbreak

“In a future lifetime, I‘d like to invent an all-in-one soccer cleat, shin guard, and sock combo that also functions as a water bottle.” - Mona Hanna-Attisha

This book is intense and scary and sad, but it has a few moments of levity, of which this is the most amusing quip so far. #science #nonfiction #flint

“A country can into her drama and neglect and become a place where people are cared for, where democracy and equality and opportunity are once again encouraged and advanced. Where poverty is silenced instead of people. Where we nurture one another and create a stable and safe environment for all children to grow up.”

❤️Little bit emotional about the intro to my March science read, damn. 🙌🏽💪🏽💧 Clean #water for Flint!

Bailing on this book. It‘s the pediatrician‘s memoir of compiling data about lead poisoning in Flint, MI. It‘s an OK read, but I really didn‘t care what her daughters ate for breakfast or personal stories about being an Iraqi immigrant. The Poisoned City was more to my taste (it‘s the journalistic version of the story). But if you like memoirs, this might be the book for you. I just don‘t want to waste my time with this one!

This book is a real eye opener. If you‘re like me and don‘t know much about the Flint (MI) water crisis, then please pick this one up. Informative and compelling, it‘s a fantastic testament to the power of doing the right thing against the odds. Dr Mona is an inspiring person throughout this story.

Recently finished this for book club, about the Flint water crisis, written by the pediatrician who wouldn‘t let the lead issue go unresolved. Just saw something on the news about water issues in Detroit now.
I don‘t live in Michigan, but it makes me think twice about drinking my tap water.

Stranded on the side of the road ..... tire blew out. 🤬
At least I have my book with me.

This is one of the best books I‘ve read this year. Told from Dr. Mona, the pediatrician who exposed the levels of lead in her youngest patients, it is a story of family, science, collaboration, resistance, immigration, and activism. It is engaging, well written, inspiring and infuriating. She writes in a manner that shows her vulnerability and intelligence, the impact on the flint water crisis had on kids and her family. Amazing read!!!!

Another great bookish interview on Fresh Air today. I‘d never heard of this book, but it‘s on my list now. Here‘s the link for anyone interested:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/06/25/623126968/pediatrician-who-...