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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
This book is a well laid out story of the Author's life and how it coincided with the mishandled and often covered up goings on at the Rocky Flats nuclear facility. It's a haunting story packed full of statistics and information that would be unquestionably damning if the burden of taking action didn't fall on the very entity that made it all happen - the US government.
This is amazing and so well-written! The juxtaposition of the author’s family life along with the history of Rocky Flats makes this a hard hitting yet deeply emotional account. I was in tears by the end of the book.
A list of thoughts on this read:
1. I'm glad I read it. And even more grateful for a great realtor who told us about Rocky Flats and steered us away from Arvada and the Boulder-facing side of Golden.
2. Bravo to Iversen for shining a light on the story. While her personal narrative often seemed like yet another loose thread that didn't always contribute to the whole, her style has made the story of Rocky Flats more accessible to many.
3. At the same time, it is such an important story that the loose threads and weaving of anecdotes made me a little crazy, as did the present tense narrative.
1. I'm glad I read it. And even more grateful for a great realtor who told us about Rocky Flats and steered us away from Arvada and the Boulder-facing side of Golden.
2. Bravo to Iversen for shining a light on the story. While her personal narrative often seemed like yet another loose thread that didn't always contribute to the whole, her style has made the story of Rocky Flats more accessible to many.
3. At the same time, it is such an important story that the loose threads and weaving of anecdotes made me a little crazy, as did the present tense narrative.
informative
tense
fast-paced
This books was well-written and compelling, as well as extremely eye-opening. It was also, however, terrifying in the knowledge that the prevalence of nuclear weapons and power facilities will have long-term consequences for us all. It's undoubtedly important for our society to face these issues--particularly since the US government is so determined to downplay and deny the deadly effects of the widespread contamination--and I'll never be able to look at nuclear power plants the same way (there's one less than 25 miles from my home that has me a bit wary now). I'm sure it's best to be informed.
But I'll be honest: there are some things I'd rather not know.
But I'll be honest: there are some things I'd rather not know.
Part personal memoir and part investigative journalism, this is an incredible journey through the Rocky Flatts hidden public nightmare.
Never doubt that you reside on a government balance sheet, and when stacked up against the nebulous needs of 'national defense' or 'freedom,' you will be ledgered out. And when the time for reckoning has come, never underestimate the impulse to bury the truth rather than drag it into the light of day.
That's my main takeaway from this immensely readable book. It's massively infuriating, and infused with a sense of hopelessness-- how can you compete against a fear of obliteration? You'll accept anything when you think everything is at risk. It's the story of American society, and many others. That said, Iversen's writing seamlessly weaves the paranoia, secrecy and fear that surrounds Rocky Flats with the same threats at home swirling around her father's alcoholism. The parallels are stunning and I love how she brought it down to a human, relatable level.
I can't say I feel good after reading this, but I'm glad I did. It's better to know than be ignorant, willingly or not.
That's my main takeaway from this immensely readable book. It's massively infuriating, and infused with a sense of hopelessness-- how can you compete against a fear of obliteration? You'll accept anything when you think everything is at risk. It's the story of American society, and many others. That said, Iversen's writing seamlessly weaves the paranoia, secrecy and fear that surrounds Rocky Flats with the same threats at home swirling around her father's alcoholism. The parallels are stunning and I love how she brought it down to a human, relatable level.
I can't say I feel good after reading this, but I'm glad I did. It's better to know than be ignorant, willingly or not.
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced