BOOK CLUB
Exposure
By Robert Bilott
A firsthand account of uncovering PFAS contamination and the long fight for accountability. A critical read on chemical exposure, environmental law, and its direct impact on public health.
What the Eyes
Don't See
By Mona Hanna Attisha
The story behind the Flint water crisis and the power of science, courage, and pediatric advocacy in protecting children and communities.
WHEN SMOKE RAN LIKE WATER
BY DEVRA DAVIS
In When Smoke Ran Like Water, the world-renowned epidemiologist Devra Davis confronts the public triumphs and private failures of her lifelong battle against environmental pollution. She documents the shocking toll of a public-health disaster-300,000 deaths a year in the U.S. and Europe from the effects of pollution-and asks why we remain silent. For Davis, the issue is personal: Pollution is what killed many in her family and forced some of the others, survivors of the 1948 smog emergency in Donora, Pennsylvania, to live out their lives with impaired health. She describes that episode and also makes startling revelations about how the deaths from the London smog of 1952 were falsely attributed to influenza; how the oil companies and auto manufacturers fought for decades to keep lead in gasoline, while knowing it caused brain damage; and many other battles. When Smoke Ran Like Water makes a devastating case for change.
Female Disruptors: Stories of Mighty Female Scientists
by Mindi Messmer, M.S.
Mindi Messmer is an environmental and regulatory scientist. She has an M.S. in clinical and translational science from Georgetown University. After seeing the environmental impact on children in her community, she was prompted to run for and hold a seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives; something she had never imagined doing. Through her extensive work in science and politics, she has influenced discourse on the importance of environmental protections, cancer prevention, and science-based policy.
Being a woman in politics and science has opened her eyes to the way women are treated in these stereotypically male roles. Drawing on her experiences, Messmer decided to write Female Disruptors, at the intersection of science, politics, and womanhood.
Silent Spring
by Rachel Carson
The foundational environmental health book that reshaped pesticide policy and launched the modern environmental movement. Prevention begins with understanding exposure.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Book by Rebecca Skloot
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her enslaved ancestors, yet her cells—takene, and pediatric advocacy in protecting children and communities.
A History of Public Health: From Past to Present
BY Jan Kirk Carney
A History of Public Health: From Past to Present uses a structured format to study public health from antiquity to the present time. After a brief introduction, this concise text illuminates defining moments in public health history through stories that illustrate people, principles, and challenges.