Flint Michigan’s poisoned water crisis revealed “the poisoned city”. This New York Times book review focuses on two complimentary books, each of which describes and discusses a situation that has resulted in deadly consequences, giving a perspective on the dynamics of institutional corruption and the importance of bystanders to expose it.
Anna Clark’s “The Poisoned City”, reveals irrefutable proof that the water supply was poisonous no one did anything about it despite well-publicized evidence that should stir even the coldest of elected politicians to act swiftly. Mona Hanna-Attisha’s “What the Eyes Don’t See” views the water crisis in Flint, Mich., from a different angle, showing that the blatantly corrupt and bigoted system has once again literally gotten away with murder.
Interestingly enough, the Times published a wonderful opinion piece written by Thomas L. Friedman who shows how a well-organized community can pull itself up by its own bootstraps without the help of elected officials. This turn- around from a once dying community can be credited to citizens who, in a responsible and civil way, took matters into their own hands and are now thriving. This can and should be duplicated elsewhere. Why not Flint, Michigan?