The Poisoned City: Flint's Water and the American Urban Tragedy

Despite the events of this book being exactly the type of news that ought to have ended up in my "media bubble," I found that I really only knew the barest of details on the Flint water crisis. The events of this occurred around the time I was a sophomore in university and it was easy to dismiss it and scroll by as something not very relevant to me. After all, I didn't live in Michigan and instead lived in a state that was a little more friendly to regulation.What became clear reading this book though is that the Flint water crisis is not a solved problem, a crisis that came and went, by almost any dimension you care to analyze it by. While the water may be coming from Lake Huron again instead of the Flint River, there has still been work scheduled into this year to remove lead pipes from the city's system. Not only that, but it's clear that the water crisis in Flint is actually a symptom of a larger problem which plagues all of the United States: we're not properly investing in infrastructure and we're not properly investing in making sure our infrastructure built over the past century is in fact still safe.

When I first heard about the Flint water crisis, I just couldn't believe it. An entire city no longer had safe drinking water. The Poisoned city examines the events that led up to this crisis. Throughout the book, Clark slowly reveals the history of Flint, which at times i found kind of boring, but I recognize that it is necessary to truly understand how unique this city is.Clark's account reveals that this kind of catastrophe is a result of decaying infrastructure. The population of flint has decreased significantly over the past 50 years, but the city water system is still the same size. I was shocked to discover that people living in flint had some of the highest water bills in the country.This is an interesting book, but I don't believe it is the definitive account of the Flint Water Crisis. That crisis is still unfolding, and I would have liked it if Clark included more first hand accounts of the daily routine that people living there faced. The book is also vary short. It is 300 pages, but 100 of those pages are notes, and there are about 50 pages worth of Flint City History, which I didn't find all that interesting. I bought the book to learn about lead in the water, not about hunting and trading in the 1700s.

This is 1 of those books where you regret that you read it but at the same time very glad that you did. The book not only focuses on the flint water crisis but also goes into the history of segregation and red lining and how there are many other cities that are just like flint. This book does a great job of showing that this is not just a flint Michigan problem and it is not just a problem of the past this can happen to any city and is happening to some cities right as we speak. Highly recommend to anyone who needs to be reminded of how infrastructure is extremely important to the progress of the United States and the human race.

Author did a good job of detailing not only the timeline of events but also the governments (Michigan's) process in handling these matters. All those complaints and no one really took them seriously and tried to just cover it all up -- shocking. Glad to see that some of the people who were affected are getting at least some settlement and hope other municipalities learn from this.

An insightful and deeply researched account not only of the Flint Water Crisis, but also it’s cultural, political and economic antecedents. Clark sets out, and succeeds, in answering the age old question posed at every tragic failure of the public trust: How could this have happened here? The answers, in all their multifarious complexity, are presented clearly, concisely and without unnecessary contempt for the bureaucrats that slept through this man-made disaster. Yes, the book discusses the individuals who bear fault for specific technical decisions in the case, but it also lays bear the decades-old and systematic governance failures that laid the foundations for these rotten public utilities. Clark is a comprehensive and deeply sympathetic researcher and an adept writer. I flew through this book and was satisfied by what I learned. The conclusion also sets forth some cogent advice for the prevention of similar public health failures. Well worth it.

Anna Clark does an excellent job of presenting the tragedy in Flint. So many individuals dropped the ball that it is difficult to hold any one agency or person responsible. Clark ably presents the series of bad, and possibly criminal, decisions that snowballed to make the illnesses and deaths of the city's citizens inevitable. Moreover, as native Michigander, I really appreciated her description of the state's beauty and its natural resources.

This book does justice by highlighting the work done by ordinary Flint residents to raise awareness about the water crisis. The author also details the failures of people in power to respond timely and effectively to the problem. Highly recommend this book. It's well researched and well developed!!!

Excellent detail about the regional politics and the rise and fall of a once admired city. Helped me put the news stories in context and to understand what and why certain decisions were fatefully made. An easy read, and the type of book you will have trouble putting down! Very extensive research in the back that was as much fun to read as the actual story. Looking forward to Anna Clark's next publications!

This is a detailed book with much information and background about the Flint water disaster/crisis, but the first thing I noticed (hence the 3 and not 5 stars) is that it has no photos! It's 305 pages and yet there isn't even one picture of any of the people, places, events or aspects mentioned (there is just a map at the beginning). This makes it rather dry (no pun intended) reading.