What the eyes don't see : a story of crisis, resistance, and hope in an American city / Mona Hanna-Attisha.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hanna-Attisha, Mona, author.

Contributor:

Class of 1953 Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Whistle blowing.

Physicians.

Water quality management.

Drinking water--Lead content.

Lead poisoning.

Flint (Mich.)--Environmental conditions.

Flint (Mich.).

Flint (Mich)--Environmental conditions.

Michigan--Flint.

Hanna-Attisha, Mona.

Lead poisoning--Michigan--Flint.

Drinking water--Lead content--Michigan--Flint.

Drinking water.

Water quality management--Michigan--Flint.

Physicians--Michigan--Flint--Biography.

Whistle blowing--Michigan--Flint.

Local Subjects:

Hanna-Attisha, Mona.

Water quality management--Michigan--Flint.

Drinking water--Lead content--Michigan--Flint.

Lead poisoning--Michigan--Flint.

Physicians--Michigan--Flint--Biography.

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Biographies.

Physical Description:

x, 364 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

What the eyes do not see

Place of Publication:

New York : One World, an imprint of Random House, [2018]

Summary:

"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."--Dust jacket.

Flint was already a troubled city in 2014 when the state of Michigan shifted the source of its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Citizens began complaining about the water that flowed from their taps, but officials insisted that the water was fine. Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician at the city's public hospital, took state officials at their word. Then leaked documents from an environmental inspector, and the activism of a concerned mother, raised red flags about lead. This is the story of how a team of researchers, parents, friends, and community leaders proved that Flint's kids were exposed to lead-- and fought the government and a brutal backlash to expose that truth to the world. -- adapted from dust jacket

Contents:

How I got my name

What the eyes don't see

The barbecue

The valedictorian

Haji

Red flags

First encounter

Miasma

No response

Sit down

Jenny + the data

Public health enemy #1

What field are you on?

The man in the panda tie

Environmental injustice

Poisoned by policy

Shortwave radio crackling

Meeting the Mayor

Aeb

The press conference

Splice and dice

Numbers war

Demonstration of proof

All the things we found out later

Fire ant

Truth and reconciliation

Prescription for hope

Haji and the birds.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 335-352) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1953 Fund.

ISBN:

9780399590832

0399590838

OCLC:

1006807733