It's October - the month of Halloween. Time for a scary book? Look no further because this one should shake you to the core. It is not about a serial killer. There are no monsters, space ships or little green men. It is much worse. It is the story of greed. It is also the story of our government whom we think will protect its citizens. And this isn't a book that blames the Republicans or the Democrats. It is a story that spans five decades! In the 60's Iversen's family moves to a new housing subdivision in Arvada Colorado - not far from Rocky Flats where in 1951 the
Denver Post reports the good news of a plant being built. They don't really tell the people what goes on there. Since the operating contractor is Dow Chemical most assume that they are making Scrubbing Bubbles or other cleaning products. No one questions it much because the pay out there is really, really good and they have benefits too. There are people who try to raise an alarm. They are quickly silenced. There is a lot of cancer but hey, that happens. Iversen shares with her readers the personal story of her alcoholic father, long-suffering mother and her siblings. She also tells the personal stories of many people who worked there and how their lives were impacted by this plant. She tells the story of people trying to get some compensation for having been harmed by workplace exposure to radioactive and chemical toxins. I know that if the government tells me not to worry about certain levels in the atmosphere or chemicals in my food......well, I don't think I will feel very comforted. If you live in Colorado, don't read this book! In 1970 a nonprofit report stated that the plutonium deposits in the soil outside
Rocky Flats were “the highest ever measured near an urban area,
including the city of Nagasaki.”
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