Toms River

A Story of Science and Salvation

De: Dan Fagin

Narrado por: Dan Woren

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • Winner of The New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Book Award • “A new classic of science reporting.”—The New York Times

The riveting true story of a small town ravaged by industrial pollution, Toms River melds hard-hitting investigative reporting, a fascinating scientific detective story, and an unforgettable cast of characters into a sweeping narrative in the tradition of A Civil Action, The Emperor of All Maladies, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

One of New Jersey’s seemingly innumerable quiet seaside towns, Toms River became the unlikely setting for a decades-long drama that culminated in 2001 with one of the largest legal settlements in the annals of toxic dumping. A town that would rather have been known for its Little League World Series champions ended up making history for an entirely different reason: a notorious cluster of childhood cancers scientifically linked to local air and water pollution. For years, large chemical companies had been using Toms River as their private dumping ground, burying tens of thousands of leaky drums in open pits and discharging billions of gallons of acid-laced wastewater into the town’s namesake river.

In an astonishing feat of investigative reporting, prize-winning journalist Dan Fagin recounts the sixty-year saga of rampant pollution and inadequate oversight that made Toms River a cautionary example for fast-growing industrial towns from South Jersey to South China. He tells the stories of the pioneering scientists and physicians who first identified pollutants as a cause of cancer, and brings to life the everyday heroes in Toms River who struggled for justice: a young boy whose cherubic smile belied the fast-growing tumors that had decimated his body from birth; a nurse who fought to bring the alarming incidence of childhood cancers to the attention of authorities who didn’t want to listen; and a mother whose love for her stricken child transformed her into a tenacious advocate for change.

A gripping human drama rooted in a centuries-old scientific quest, Toms River is a tale of dumpers at midnight and deceptions in broad daylight, of corporate avarice and government neglect, and of a few brave individuals who refused to keep silent until the truth was exposed.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR AND KIRKUS REVIEWS

“A thrilling journey full of twists and turns, Toms River is essential reading for our times. Dan Fagin handles topics of great complexity with the dexterity of a scholar, the honesty of a journalist, and the dramatic skill of a novelist.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Emperor of All Maladies

“A complex tale of powerful industry, local politics, water rights, epidemiology, public health and cancer in a gripping, page-turning environmental thriller.”—NPR

“Unstoppable reading.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Meticulously researched and compellingly recounted . . . It’s every bit as important—and as well-written—as A Civil Action and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”—The Star-Ledger

“Fascinating . . . a gripping environmental thriller.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“An honest, thoroughly researched, intelligently written book.”—Slate

“[A] hard-hitting account . . . a triumph.”—Nature

“Absorbing and thoughtful.”—USA Today

Wonderful writing - way too long and repetitive

Would you listen to Toms River again? Why?

No, I feel like I got everything I needed out of the story in one shot.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved to hear the very researched and interesting story of what CIBA-GEIGY did to Toms River, NJ - I was on the edge of my seat for the first half of the book

What does Dan Woren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I wouldn't have had the time to read it. However on my hour and a half drive to and from work, it was perfect to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but it would need to be seriously edited for that to happen.

Any additional comments?

I really loved the beginning of this book, and have recommended it to everyone I know... That being said, I decided to stop listening to it midway thru... It didn't need to be as long as it was - There was a lot of information repeated over and over with slight differences, and I just didn't want to hear them again. Now, I LOVED to hear the accounts the first time tho, so I do recommend the book... I just wish it was at least half the length it was...

Too technical!

It was somewhat interesting, but way to technical and way too long. I understand the importance of the situation but as a reader I feel it could have been condensed.

Great read

Toms River is a story about the scientists and doctors who identified pollutants that caused cancer only to be ignored for years.

This is about the residents of a small town that were lied to by a mega corporation.

The book chronicles the life of a young boy whose body was ravaged with cancer since birth.

The story details a handful of strong determined towns people who stayed brave , didn’t give up and refused to keep quiet so the truth finally could be exposed.

Epic, frightening and eye opening

An excellently executed well rounded true story which you wish was fiction. I'm sure this is the tip of the iceberg that we have already hit but we are too busy feasting and dancing on deck to notice. So well done and presented but a long and arduous story to endure....a must read though

Well researched and told

Even though this fine piece of environmental journalism is a horror story, I didn't shrink from it. Events and eras unfold in a compelling way.