Love Canal: and the Birth of the Environmental Health Movement Book

Before reading Love Canal: and the Birth of the Environmental Health Movement, by Lois Marie Gibbs, I knew little about Love Canal except that it had something to do with a toxic waste dump. I came across the book last March when I was searching for books written by or about women environmentalists in honor of Women's History Month. The 3rd edition, published in 2011, includes the original text from 1982 and an updated introduction and afterword.

The Bottom Line

Once I started reading Love Canal, I could not put it down. From the beginning, I felt as if I was with Lois as she knocked on the first door in her neighborhood, held meetings at her dining room table, kept going after every set back, and finally achieved the goal of relocation for the residents of Love Canal.

Ms. Gibbs is an inspiration and her personal journey shows that you don't know what you can do and until you are called to do it. Today, she is the Executive Director of the Center for Health, Environment & Justice and works with environmental health grassroots organizations around the world.

I recommend Love Canal to anyone interested in the environment, health, social justice, or activism, and it should be required reading for every bureaucrat and politician, to remind them of who they are paid to protect and serve.

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