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I‘ve long known the name Love Canal but little of the story and now I feel I know it well. This phenomenal narrative nonfiction looks at what happened there and the women who spearheaded the fight to get families safely away. The government inaction detailed is infuriating, and the frank but careful discussions of what happened to some of the kids is heartbreaking. I can‘t recommend this enough.

My NONFICTION pick for June was this tagged book about the story of Love Canal in Niagara Falls, NY—the site of the environmental disaster that prompted Congress to pass the Superfund legislation. It moved all the way to a match against “Travels with Charley,” which nabbed the final spot. It was close because I adore books like “Paradise Falls.” But I‘m still thinking about the Steinbeck book, and that kind of staying power sealed the win.

They paved Paradise and … dumped barrels of toxic chemicals into a canal, buried them, built houses and schools on top —and then acted surprised and defensive years later when people got sick and children died. This is the story of Love Canal in Niagara Falls, NY, the site of the environmental disaster that prompted Congress to pass the Superfund legislation. Excellent and infuriating read.

#Nonfiction2023

I knew nothing of the Love Canal environmental disaster prior to reading this. An infuriating and heartbreaking tale featuring some incredibly strong and inspiring women. When they voiced their well-founded concerns for the health of their families and community, it was dismissed as “useless housewife data.” The site was deemed safe in 2004, but residents living beside it report unusual health problems. Scary.

Link to 2018 PBS news segment below.

Catching up on posts today...

I read 32 books for Jan. My favorite is tagged.
No blackout this month but still a few bingos for #BookSpinBingo.

This was a great non-fiction. I would recommend it for anyone who likes history and politics.

#BookSpinBingo #BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks #NetGalley

Until this book I had never heard of the tragedy in Love Canal or the amazing group of mothers who fought to change things.

Paradise Falls is an inspiring, yet extremely frustrating read because people should not be subjected to living on/around a toxic dumping site.

O'Brien presents a well researched book with both facts and emotional true stories. Excellent read!

This was fascinating and horrible, a gripping narrative about a terrible occurrence. I was completely wrapped up in the story right from the start. I read the ARC from #Netgalley (thank you🙂) but it was released in April of this year and I want a physical copy for sure!!

This book is a page-turning account of the Love Canal disaster. After decades of dumping toxic waste in an abandoned canal, a chemical manufacturing company sold the dump site to the City of Niagara Falls for one dollar. Then the school board promptly built an elementary school on the land. You can imagine how that turned out. And the truth is even more shocking. Next time you hear someone complain about EPA restrictions remind them of Love Canal.

Just started this! #currentlyreading The story of Love Canal has always interested me as I live just 20 minutes away.