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"The dramatic story of the signature environmental disaster of our time and an inspiring tale of scientific resistance by a relentless physician who stood up to power. Flint was already a troubled city in 2014 when the state of Michigan--in the name of austerity--shifted the source of its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Soon after, citizens began complaining about the water that flowed from their taps--but officials rebuffed them, insisting that the water was fine. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician at the city's public hospital, took state officials at their word and encouraged the parents and children in her care to continue drinking the water--after all, it was American tap water, blessed with the state's seal of approval. But a conversation at a cookout with an old friend, leaked documents from a rogue environmental inspector, and the activism of a concerned mother raised red flags about lead--a neurotoxin whose irreversible effects fall most heavily on children. Even as circumstantial evidence mounted and protests grew, Dr. Mona knew that the only thing that could stop the lead poisoning was undeniable proof--and that to get it, she'd have to enter the fight of her life. What the Eyes Don't See is the inspiring story of how Dr. Mona--accompanied by an idiosyncratic team of researchers, parents, friends, and community leaders--proved that Flint's kids were exposed to lead and then fought her own government and a brutal backlash to expose that truth to the world. Paced like a scientific thriller, this book shows how misguided austerity policies, the withdrawal of democratic government, and callous bureaucratic indifference placed an entire city at risk. And at the center of the story is Dr. Mona herself--an immigrant, doctor, scientist, and mother whose family's activist roots inspired her pursuit of justice. What the Eyes Don't See is a riveting, beautifully rendered account of a shameful disaster that became a tale of hope, the story of a city on the ropes that came together to fight for justice, self-determination, and the right to build a better world for their--and all of our--children."--Jacket.… (more)
User reviews
Her recounting of her fight against the powers that be—all against the ticking clock of children's lead exposure—was well written, with plenty of suspense even though anyone who follows the news knows what happened, and her sense of urgency comes through clearly. It's a gripping story, and an important one. I hope this book gets a lot of play, if only to inspire future resisters and activists to stand up for what's right.
It's not just a dry, factual reporting of the details though. Dr Mona weaves in fascinating historical bits about
She is also really good at building up suspense! I found it hard to put the book down as I followed her attempts to get information and answers, as she kept making contacts with people, kept thinking she was making progress only to have another set-back. But she had to keep trying, despite the stresses to her own family, because children were being poisoned every day!
It was maddening to read about all of the government complicity in covering up this tragedy so that people could protect their careers - and to know that without Dr Mona's unique position and ability to get data, they would have succeeded (just like in D.C. years before). But I agree with Dr Mona when she says the cause of the crisis was "the ideology of extreme austerity and 'all government is bad government.' The state of Michigan didn't need less government; it needed more and better government, responsible and effective government."
I appreciated reading about this from someone actually involved in it. Only a couple states away, when did I first hear about this crisis and what did I hear? The government was actively vilifying Dr Mona's research and denying there were any issues. With this story in mind, I hope we all think twice about what we hear on the news and from government. If a whistle-blower is being vilified, is said whistle-blower making false claims or is someone in power trying desperately to cover up?
Thank you Dr Mona for sharing this story with everyone - I think it will give hope and courage to other people who are up against seemingly impossible fights for justice.
Like many Americans, I was vaguely familiar with the Flint water crisis due to its exposure in the media, but I really had no background knowledge, nor had I particularly made any attempts to follow up on what actually happened in Flint after things came to a head. It's no doubt that lead poisoning is a bad thing, but most of what we hear is in reference to lead-based paint, and once you're aware, you can take reasonable steps to avoid or eliminate those risks. However, if there's lead in your water, that's a whole other ballgame. We, as a modern nation, expect that the higher-ups responsible for public health know what they're doing and trust that they're doing it. But what if they're not? Well, then you have a situation like Flint.
Fortunately for Flint, one particular pediatrician cared enough to push the envelope and confront those responsible. She didn't do it alone, and she didn't do it easily. There was a lot of push back and cover-up, and honestly, probably some ignorance as well. And though it seems as though things are still not quite totally resolved, at least they're on the right track to becoming so.
This is honestly not a book I would've spontaneously picked up, had I not been reading it for book club. But I'm glad I did, because I certainly learned some things, and yes, even though I don't live in Michigan, it does make me think twice about drinking my tap water. The book itself was enlightening and a decent read. There were a lot of personal and familial and cultural stories interweaved throughout the book, and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about that format. While interesting, I'm not convinced it was necessary to this particular story. But regardless, Dr. Mona is certainly a dedicated and caring individual and I would think any child or family would be lucky to have someone like her as their physician.
My only criticism would be the disjointed feel at times from chapters alternating between family stories and an unfolding public health crisis. I would have preferred a Hot Zone style of storytelling. The greater awareness of how much children born into poverty have to overcome to succeed in American society, the inefficiencies of government bureaucracies (particularly in taking austerity measures),and the importance of public health as a medical field will stick with me for a long time. Oh, and I also won’t be drinking any unfiltered tap water! Highly recommended!
"This is the story of the most important and emblematic environmental and public health disaster of this young
-- Page 12, Mona Hanna-Attisha
People like to blame current politicians. But this is a situation that has been a long time in coming --after decades of gutting governmental regulatory agencies. This started as "cutting taxes" and then cutting budgets where they would not be immediately seen or felt by the public. Then it became a way to no longer protect the environment, not by repealing environmental laws but by cutting budget so there is no longer an ability to enforce those laws. I worked in Michigan though this era and observed this happening first hand.
"For decades, the city and state infrastructure had been neglected in order to save money. State and environmental health agencies had been defunded, and great public servants had become disillusioned and retired, leaving these agencies a shadow of what they were supposed to be. All the budget cuts and sol-called fiscal 'responsibility' had resulted in a winner-take-all culture, a disdain for regulations and career regulators, a rubber-stamping of bad ideas, a gross underfunding of environmental enforcement, limited understanding and expertise in public health, and a disregard for the poor. -- p. 306 Mona Hanna-Attisha
The author effectively combines her personal life, her dedication to her profession, area history, politics, and scientific research into a powerful read. Page after page she
So well written, it pulled me in and kept me emotionally invested in the lives of the people of Flint, and those who worked diligently to bring this tragedy to light.
This book will stay with me for a long time.
She
The callousness of political leaders toward the people of Flint as unimportant and expendable is despicable.
Flint falls right into the American narrative of cheapening black life.~from What the Eyes Don't See by Mona Hanna-Attisha
Readers are given a history of Flint's rise as an automotive manufacturing hub, and when jobs left, its decline to becoming one of the state's most impoverished cities.
The budget-cutting changes implemented under an appointed Emergency Manager explains how the lead-poisoned water came to be and how officials lied about the poisoned water.
If I had to locate an exact cause of the crisis, above all others, it would be the ideology of extreme austerity and "all government is bad government".~from What the Eyes Don't See by Mona Hanna-Attisha
Dr. Hanna-Attisha called out Senator Debbie Stabenow as an early and important supporter of her goals. The daughter of a nurse, and a former social worker, Senator Stabenow has a commitment to public health. She was part of a team that brought federal aid to Flint and the availability of premixed infant formula so Flint mothers did not need to use the lead-contaminated water.
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is a local heroine. I am proud to say that she was a graduate of Royal Oak Kimball High School, my alma mater. Her family came to Michigan for education but remained in exile from their homeland after the takeover by Saddam Hussein and the Iraq wars. Dr. Hanna-Attisha first became an activist with a Kimball environmental group.
I read an ebook through the local public library.
Flint, Michigan was a
Although Dr Hanna-Attisha was aware of this, and was also aware of activists' concerns about water quality, she believed the statements by public officials that the water was safe to drink.
But at a family cookout, an old friend of hers presented her with proof that all was not well. And Dr Hanna-Attisha only needed to look at her own pediatric records, with their mandated-by-Medicaid blood lead levels to confirm that all was not well.
This is a fascinating medical detective and political story. It's also a thorough account of the crises in Flint and other former industrial cities and of Dr. Hanna-Attisha's own story of her parents; immigrants who fled Iran.
I was afraid this work would be dry, but I am pleased that it isn't at all. Hanna-Attisha is an engaging storyteller as well as a caring physician with her patients' best interests at heart.
This book will be of interest to not only those with an interest in the Flint water problem or environmental helath, but is recommended to readers who enjoy a story of political and medical intrigue. It's also highly recommended for those who enjoyed [The Ghost Map], a 19th century investigation of water quality.
As a book, it's a little messy; it loops between scientific detection, politics, and a memoir of the author and her family (her parents are Chaldeans who left Iraq
The politics here are as sobering as the science. They led to the disenfranchisement and abandonment of a majority minority city; to the decay of its infrastructure; to the starvation of its finances; and finally, to the poisoning of its children. There's a larger story here, about our politics and our belief in governmental competence, and I hope other books will go further into the putrid details of it.