Paradise Falls
The True Story of an Environmental Catastrophe
In the late 1970s, an environmental crisis in a working-class neighborhood in western New York made headlines across the country, frightened parents everywhere, forced government officials to take unprecedented action, and ultimately changed US environmental policy forever. With Paradise Falls, Keith O’Brien tells the human story behind that crisis, focusing on the ordinary mothers who organized around their kitchen tables to save their families and escape their own homes. In the span of just two years, they went from being ignored by local officials to having the ear of the EPA, the White House, and even President Jimmy Carter himself. And along the way, their efforts would capture the American imagination and help spark the modern environmental movement.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT
Paradise Falls
This book—about an historical event, an environmental catastrophe—reads like a thriller, even if you know the contours of that event and its outcome. In luminous prose, O’Brien brings people to life on the page. You’ll end up caring about them, and admiring them, for their courage and persistence.
Jonathan Harr
Author of the #1 national bestseller A Civil Action