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A review by lkedzie
American Poison: A Deadly Invention and the Woman Who Battled for Environmental Justice by Daniel Stone
3.0
It is a good history on the long story of an environmental disaster, but tends towards the superficial.
The book is mis-blurbed. It is not the story of Alice Hamilton, a doctor who dramatically improved the lives of industrial workers by inventing safety (at least as toxic chemicals are concerned). It is also not an untold story. The story here is of Ethyl, AKA leaded gas, from its invention, to he discovery of its health hazards, the mostly failed attempts to subject it to better regulation, and its eventual prohibition. The story is a popular one on the 'podcast circuit,' and many amateur pop historians take it on.
Looking to sell the book as focused on Hamilton makes sense. Thomas Midgley Jr., the inventor and chief antagonist of the book, is typically the one focused on. And considering his role in more than one deadly invention, bizarre and outlandish behavior, and downright wacky demise, I understand why he is. Which does justify the story as focused on Hamilton.
The book does highlight her role in things more, but I was often left wanting for more detail. Also, Hamilton is a frustrating historical figure. I am reminded of John Boyd. For an perennial outsider and maverick, she sure gets treated like an insider by a lot of important people. She is also frustrating in a different way than the usual mixed messaging of historical figures, where we have to accept their flaws. Here you have a passionate progressive activist but with a monomaniacal bent, so much so that she seems to flip conservative to get to do her work. Again, I feel like I only got some of the picture of Hamilton here. I wanted more analysis.
I wanted more in general. My most frequent note while reading was wanting something to have more analysis, more data and explanation of a historical event and how things went down, largely related to the fighting between the corporation and the doctors. The author goes hard in the paint for both the lead-based cause of the alleged fall of Rome and the lead-crime hypothesis. This is not cause for immediate tossing across the room, but does cause one to check to see whether the cat is in the way.
One additional point worth mention is contained in the epilogue, and the refusal of the successor corporation to work with the author in the history. This is shameful. All the perpetrators are dead and, as the author points out in the book, most of the profits are already laundered - in socially beneficial ways nonetheless. Release the archives. The anti-business, pro-regulation of the *checks notes* ...er...Nixon era is long past. You are not protecting anyone's interests. No one will care. No one is going to take action. You are just annoying readers of history books and wasting author's time through their attempts at due diligence.
Thanks to the author, Daniel Stone, and to the publisher, Dutton, for making the ARC available to me.
The book is mis-blurbed. It is not the story of Alice Hamilton, a doctor who dramatically improved the lives of industrial workers by inventing safety (at least as toxic chemicals are concerned). It is also not an untold story. The story here is of Ethyl, AKA leaded gas, from its invention, to he discovery of its health hazards, the mostly failed attempts to subject it to better regulation, and its eventual prohibition. The story is a popular one on the 'podcast circuit,' and many amateur pop historians take it on.
Looking to sell the book as focused on Hamilton makes sense. Thomas Midgley Jr., the inventor and chief antagonist of the book, is typically the one focused on. And considering his role in more than one deadly invention, bizarre and outlandish behavior, and downright wacky demise, I understand why he is. Which does justify the story as focused on Hamilton.
The book does highlight her role in things more, but I was often left wanting for more detail. Also, Hamilton is a frustrating historical figure. I am reminded of John Boyd. For an perennial outsider and maverick, she sure gets treated like an insider by a lot of important people. She is also frustrating in a different way than the usual mixed messaging of historical figures, where we have to accept their flaws. Here you have a passionate progressive activist but with a monomaniacal bent, so much so that she seems to flip conservative to get to do her work. Again, I feel like I only got some of the picture of Hamilton here. I wanted more analysis.
I wanted more in general. My most frequent note while reading was wanting something to have more analysis, more data and explanation of a historical event and how things went down, largely related to the fighting between the corporation and the doctors. The author goes hard in the paint for both the lead-based cause of the alleged fall of Rome and the lead-crime hypothesis. This is not cause for immediate tossing across the room, but does cause one to check to see whether the cat is in the way.
One additional point worth mention is contained in the epilogue, and the refusal of the successor corporation to work with the author in the history. This is shameful. All the perpetrators are dead and, as the author points out in the book, most of the profits are already laundered - in socially beneficial ways nonetheless. Release the archives. The anti-business, pro-regulation of the *checks notes* ...er...Nixon era is long past. You are not protecting anyone's interests. No one will care. No one is going to take action. You are just annoying readers of history books and wasting author's time through their attempts at due diligence.
Thanks to the author, Daniel Stone, and to the publisher, Dutton, for making the ARC available to me.