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prcizmadia 's review for:
Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats
by Kristen Iversen
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.