The Sensitives: The Rise of Environmental Illness and the Search for America's Last Pure Place

by Oliver Broudy

A compelling exploration of the mysteries of environmental toxicity and the community of “sensitives”—people with powerful, puzzling symptoms resulting from exposure to chemicals, fragrances, and cell phone signals, that have no effect on “normals.”

They call themselves “sensitives.” Over fifty million Americans endure a mysterious environmental illness that renders them allergic to chemicals. Innocuous staples from deodorant to garbage bags wreak havoc on sensitives. For them, the enemy is modernity itself.

No one is born with EI. It often starts with a single toxic exposure. Then the symptoms hit: extreme fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, inability to tolerate certain foods. With over 85,000 chemicals in the environment, danger lurks around every corner. Largely ignored by the medical establishment and dismissed by family and friends, sensitives often resort to odd ersatz remedies, like lining their walls with aluminum foil or hanging mail on a clothesline for days so it can “off-gas” before they open it.

Broudy encounters Brian Welsh, a prominent figure in the EI community, and quickly becomes fascinated by his plight. When Brian goes missing, Broudy travels with James, an eager, trusting sensitive to find Brian, investigate this disease, and delve into the intricate, ardent subculture that surrounds it. Their destination: Snowflake, the capital of the EI world. Located in eastern Arizona, it is a haven where sensitives can live openly without fear of toxins or the judgment of insensitive “normals.”

While Broudy’s book is wry, pacey, and down-to-earth, it also dives deeply into compelling corners of medical and American history. He finds telling parallels between sensitives and their cultural forebears, from the Puritans to those refugees and dreamers who settled the West. Ousted from mainstream society, these latter-day exiles nonetheless shed bright light on the anxious, noxious world we all inhabit now.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Health, Memoir, Nature, Medical

339 pages, Hardcover

First published July 14, 2020

About the author

Oliver Broudy cut his teeth writing short stories, which have been published in a variety of literary journals. In 2005, after a five-year stint as an editor at The Paris Review, he switched to writing non-fiction. Since then he has focused on writing for magazines. His work has taken him to China, Afghanistan, New Zealand, and elsewhere. He has written about anarchy in Missouri, a kung fu master in Humboldt, and football in Dallas. In 2009, his dissection of a fatal car crash for Men's Health was a finalist for the National Magazine Awards. Since then, he has begun to pursue more independent projects, beginning with The Saint, which was voted a top-ten Single of 2011, and most recently The Convert, which was voted a top-ten Single of 2012.

Reviews

[timv · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would not recommend spending your time reading this to learn about people with sensitivities to chemicals, etc.

this book is mostly about a 6 day road trip the author takes with a very wealthy man with “environmental illness” who owns multiple houses across the United States. Interspersed in the narrative are chapters about various Medical theories that might explain the strange phenomenon of people who are highly sensitive to chemicals, foods, pollution, emf's, etc.

Unfortunately, I did not find it very interesting read and I thought it was a extremely narrow slice of and shallow dip into the world of people with these sensitivities who have their lives very dramatically disturbed. Outside of the 6 day road trip with one individual, the exposure to these people's complex lives that the author gives the reader consists of a few hours long interviews with a few random individuals along the road trip and even these few hours are described sketchily. The author does not dismiss these people as crazy or their doctors as quacks (thankfully), but couching the narrative as a road trip adventure just does not work for me, nor does chosing to profile a extremely wealthy man who can afford a lifestyle 99+% of these people can not.

[Julie Sotelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but lacked a thesis (a comment I've written on hundreds of student papers!).

[Carla]

This book has fascinating chapters (e.g., chapter on Benjamin Rush and the Yellow Fever epidemic of Philadelphia.) The author has real empathy for people with "environmental illness.". But as someone who gets hives from sunlight, I found his discussion of chemicals and risk over-simple.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oliver Broudy's "The Sensitives" is difficult to wrap your head around. It ventures into the world of people affected by a dubiously recognized medical condition know as EI - an illness caused by "the 85,000 synthetic chemicals in play in our daily environments" or "the seventeen pesticides, on average, we are exposed to in a day," or "the nine thousand food additives" in the foods we eat. While the claims in the book are sometimes very far fetched (how much is illness and how much is madness is very much a question Broudy asks) this work should make us all question the artificiality of the world we've made and its attendant rise of illnesses. A strange read, certainly, with the sufferers going to incredible lengths to try to achieve a state of normalcy in a world that seems bent on increasing their suffering - but one that is sympathetic to the population it examines.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the husband of a woman who developed a high degree of chemical sensitivity, I was really interested in picking up this book to learn more. As others have noted, I was confused at first by the author’s idea of taking a road trip with one person suffering from “Environmental Illness” or EI, as described in the book. But I gradually figured it was one device the author used to take the reader through both a physical journey (the road trip) and a historical journey. Historically it’s interesting because the author reviews the development of our industrial chemical and pharmaceutical industries, while also looking at the historical development of the medical field relating to chemical pollution and sensitivities. So it’s reassuring to hear what we have personally discovered: modern medicine is singularly lacking any imagination towards dealing with this issue. We know this from multiple tests from a variety of doctors who declare my wife “healthy” only because their allergy test, lab tests, etc. came up with no discernable abnormality, despite her ongoing complaints of chronic pain made worse when exposed to things like diesel fumes from locomotives nearby. (We’re preparing to move again for the third time in the past few years.) While I disagree with one reviewer who said “this book has no thesis” I will say the thesis is loosely followed while pursuing multiple side bars down many roads. And in the end, I cannot say that I learned much useful information to take away, except to find some comfort knowing that we’re not the only ones dealing with this issue. Misery loves company.

[Luann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated this book as five stars in the hopes that more people will read it and more people will understand that not all disabilities are visible.

Yes, I do have a form of environmental illness and yes, I feel that most people dismiss my issues as mental or misinformed, including family, friends, and medical personnel that I have seen. No, this book was not very helpful for treating my issues - most of the ideas and theories I've already heard about or explored. However, at least it provided some vindication for my struggles.

Pros - Broudy discusses many of the theories of the causes of EI. He also explores a good bit of history of this medical phenomenon, particularly the chemical revolution, as well as the challenge of getting EI recognized by the medical community. His writing style kept the reader's interest.

Cons - He missed some of the important points of EI - especially for those who aren't living on the fringe, but struggle in the "normal" world, many of who have only a few of the issues that the ultra"sensitives" must handle. He missed discussion of LDA/LDI and I feel he didn't explore the idea of tolerance far enough. I also didn't need the fancy flowery descriptions of the travel areas and the speculation of the personalities of the "sensitives," but this may only be my impatience to get to the meat of the problem.

Broudy is a good writer and I give him much credit for writing about an issue that makes many people uncomfortable. Although this book wasn't the scientific exploration of EI that I wanted to find, it did provide historical info and theories for further research.

[Cheri Blomquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I wish Broudy had been less focused on certain aspects of the book and also less snide toward religion, I think this is an important book that hopefully is the first of more to come by other writers. I am not sensitive like this, but I have a friend who is, and her life is completely governed by her health. It is the one of the worst things I have ever witnessed, and I wish that there was more activism for government aid for these people. I tried within her state to get her some attention and real help; I even reached out to that state's governor, but I couldn't make any headway. This issue is not on their radar, but it desperately needs to be. I wish everyone would read this book and understand how seriousness. I only gave it four stars, because I wished Broudy had spoken more about the need for awareness and for more resources to be devoted to the vulnerable in this health category, like my friend. The need is big, but the aid is minimal.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes the history of the rise of environmental illness, along with the stories of several people who suffer from it.

The book is not a polemic, and offers measured consideration of many theories, diagnoses, and treatments.

While this is a heavy topic, the book is leavened with deft character sketches and flashes of humour.

[Lisa Burrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting when it spoke about the different people the writer met on his journeys and the issues they had and how they got that way. Some of the environmental information was sad and fascinating like how a builder covered up asbestos and put housing on it.
A fair amount of the book I had to speed read as it was not so interesting but less than half was like this.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was disarmingly quirky, enchanting, melancholic, and informative. The questions and situations raised bring lots of deserved issues surrounding where our technology has brought us this far, and what we have reaped.

[Rachelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The sensitives... this book is all over the place! Author plans a road trip to find where a well known Sensitive is currently living, away from the average population, while often providing ranta on unrelated subjects along his journey. We explore what sensitives encounter in daily life and how they struggle to find a place to breathe unharmed. A big concept and lifestly to understand, text confusing and wordy in some parts.

[Sarah BB · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was all over the place. I could barely finish it

[Awjtf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part science lesson, part history lecture, and part classic road trip adventure. While I do wish there was more road trip in the mix, I so appreciate the funny, open-minded way that Broudy discusses Environmental Illness, an affliction I had never heard of before, and the ways in which our culture has previously and may continue to make EI more and more common.

I went into this book knowing nothing, but I think I would have benefited from knowing it would be a slow burn with some dense chapters that take a while to get through and fully understand. I’m glad I took the time, though, and especially enjoyed how Broudy inserted his opinions in ways that added and entertained rather than detracted from the greater story he was telling. I think that this is for sure worth a read, especially for those looking to do some serious learning!

Thanks a ton to Simon & Schuster, Oliver Broudy, and NetGalley for the ARC!