Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE Winner of The New York Public Librarys Helen Bernstein Book Award A new classic of science reporting.The New York TimesThe riveting true story of a small town ravaged by industrial pollution, Toms River melds hardhitting investigative reporting, a fascinating scientific detective story, and an unforgettable cast of characters into a sweeping narrative in the tradition of A Civil Action, The Emperor of All Maladies, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.One of New Jerseys seemingly innumerable quiet seaside towns, Toms River became the unlikely setting for a decadeslong drama that culminated in 2001 with one of the largest legal settlements in the annals of toxic dumping. A town that would rather have been known for its Little League World Series champions ended up making history for an entirely different reason: a notorious cluster of childhood cancers scientifically linked to local air and water pollution. For years, large chemical companies had been using Toms River as their private dumping ground, burying tens of thousands of leaky drums in open pits and discharging billions of gallons of acidlaced wastewater into the towns namesake river.In an astonishing feat of investigative reporting, prizewinning journalist Dan Fagin recounts the sixtyyear saga of rampant pollution and inadequate oversight that made Toms River a cautionary example for fastgrowing industrial towns from South Jersey to South China. He tells the stories of the pioneering scientists and physicians who first identified pollutants as a cause of cancer, and brings to life the everyday heroes in Toms River who struggled for justice: a young boy whose cherubic smile belied the fastgrowing tumors that had decimated his body from birth; a nurse who fought to bring the alarming incidence of childhood cancers to the attention of authorities who didnt want to listen; and a mother whose love for her stricken child transformed her into a tenacious advocate for change.A gripping human drama rooted in a centuriesold scientific quest, Toms River is a tale of dumpers at midnight and deceptions in broad daylight, of corporate avarice and government neglect, and of a few brave individuals who refused to keep silent until the truth was exposed.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR AND KIRKUS REVIEWSA thrilling journey full of twists and turns, Toms River is essential reading for our times. Dan Fagin handles topics of great complexity with the dexterity of a scholar, the honesty of a journalist, and the dramatic skill of a novelist.Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., author of the Pulitzer Prizewinning The Emperor of All MaladiesA complex tale of powerful industry, local politics, water rights, epidemiology, public health and cancer in a gripping, pageturning environmental thriller.NPRUnstoppable reading.The Philadelphia InquirerMeticulously researched and compellingly recounted . . . Its every bit as importantand as wellwrittenas A Civil Action and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.The StarLedgerFascinating . . . a gripping environmental thriller.Kirkus Reviews (starred review)An honest, thoroughly researched, intelligently written book.Slate[A] hardhitting account . . . a triumph.NatureAbsorbing and thoughtful.USA Today