The wild and the toxic : American environmentalism and the politics of health /

With this book Thompson (history, Bucknell Univ.) reminds readers of the current condition of the environment. To the detriment of the planet, humans have managed to destroy the Earth, the wild, nature, and all living things through uncaring\unthinking policies about dumping toxic materials in soil, water, and the atmosphere. Starting with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962), environmentalism has been complicated by efforts to turn back the tide of indifference, on the one hand, and activism on the other, as planet saving has evolved. Thompson untangles the various strands of these efforts by looking at individual health and the health of the "wild." The book comprises three chapters, the most enlightening of which offers an overview of Love Canal, a neighborhood near Niagara Falls where the Hooker Chemical Company dumped thousands of tons of toxins in the 1940s. Eventually the land was sold and contractors built houses and a school over the poison beneath; seepage occurred. When this began to jeopardize residents' health, many heroic activists arose. Thompson details all this and also looks at attempts by organizations, e.g., Earth First, to fight for planet-saving measures. This valuable book is a good companion to Dorceta Taylor's The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection (CH, Mar'17, 54-3222). Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. --Paul D. Travis, Texas Woman's University