Sacrifice Zones: The Front Lines of Toxic Chemical Exposure in the United States

by Steve Lerner, Phil Brown (Foreword)

Across the United States, thousands of people, most of them in low-income or minority communities, live next to heavily polluting industrial sites. Many of them reach a point at which they say "Enough is enough." After living for years with poisoned air and water, contaminated soil, and pollution-related health problems, they start to take action--organizing, speaking up, documenting the effects of pollution on their neighborhoods. In Sacrifice Zones , Steve Lerner tells the stories of twelve communities, from Brooklyn to Pensacola, that rose up to fight the industries and military bases causing disproportionately high levels of chemical pollution. He calls these low-income neighborhoods "sacrifice zones." And he argues that residents of these sacrifice zones, tainted with chemical pollutants, need additional regulatory protections. Sacrifice Zones goes beyond the disheartening statistics and gives us the voices of the residents themselves, offering compelling portraits of accidental activists who have become grassroots leaders in the struggle for environmental justice and details the successful tactics they have used on the fenceline with heavy industry.

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, History, Science, Politics, American History, Race

346 pages, Hardcover

First published July 30, 2010

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essential reading for all Americans.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lerner exposes the inequity in pollution exposure in the United States, revealing how toxic waste sites are disproportionately located in minority and low-income neighborhoods. Lerner profiles several of these neighborhoods, detailing the negative health effects suffered by the residents and the residents' struggles, sometimes successful and sometimes not, to reduce their exposure.

[ange marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a really good book! Took me quite a while to read but the argument is sound, honest, and continues to be felt and experienced by people in the US. Give it a read 😊

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Lerner does an excellent job of choosing diverse, varied and yet still inspiring communities to discuss. I though he included just the right amount of personal story vs. technicality of environmental problems. I think Lerner is perhaps a more organized writer when it comes to the personal stories, and he painted a very good picture every time. At times, the technical aspects did get repetitive and perhaps dis-jointed, though thankfully never confusing. In addition, the syntax and grammar of the sentences would be repetitive as well, and made it a bit challenging to read. Also, I found numerous typos. This makes me think that simply what was needed was more editing.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone concerned or wanting to learn more about environmental justice. It was a great "call to arms" and had a great concluding section that outlined a lot of real possible solutions or at least steps towards a national solution for such a glaring problem. I hope that many Americans read this, so that these solutions can be tried out!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As interesting as this book was, I still skipped the last chapter. There isn't anything you learn from case study #11 that you don't learn from #6. Eventually, you know the chemicals that will be found--benzene and and petrochemicals. You know the diseases the locals will have--cancer, pulmonary and reproductive issues. And you know how the powers that be will respond--by concealing information, by dismissing concerns, by displaying a general lack of care for the people (frequently poor and of color) who are affected.

But there's not too much about strategy, how to use this information, or general trends for future pollutants, legal fights, etc., which makes it a bit disappointing.

[Pancha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter focuses on a community that sought (and sometimes even received a modicum of) environmental justice. The chapters don't go into a lot of detail, but they give a broad over view of the tactics each community took.

[Deena Scintilla]

will read at a later time.