Superman's Not Coming

June 1, 2020
The legal clerk-turned-activist sounds the alarm on the global water crisis. Two decades after the movie that made her a national celebrity, Brockovich urges readers to confront a scary reality: "We are amid a major water crisis that is beyond anything you can imagine." She recounts her work on the case that inspired the Steven Soderbergh film, in which she helped take on California utility Pacific Gas and Electric, which had been accused of contaminating groundwater. The author offers an easy-to-understand guide to common water pollutants, including chromium 6, chloramines, and lead, and she shares stories of citizen activists in places like Martin County, Kentucky; Tonganoxie, Kansas; and Flint, Michigan. Of the last, she writes, "I called out the water problems...a year before it became a media frenzy." Her book is filled with righteous anger directed toward corporations who "lie, cheat, sue, intimidate, falsify documents, and outright bully" and anyone who stands up to them. While Brockovich's stories about her activism and condemnation of corporate greed are both interesting, the narrative's real power comes from her clarion calls to regular citizens to get involved in the fight for safe water. "We are at a turning point," she writes, "where we all need to fight before there's not a drop of water left to drink." The author doesn't just traffic in platitudes; she offers several concrete suggestions for how people can gauge the safety of their own drinking water and stand up to corporations and politicians. Brockovich describes herself as "a foul-mouthed, short-skirted blonde woman from Kansas," and her book showcases her authenticity, rough edges and all⁠. While the prose could use some polishing, it serves adequately, explaining why the current water crisis threatens us all and how concerned people might go about changing it. A convincing call to arms about the global water crisis from a sharp, plainspoken activist.

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Starred review from July 1, 2020
Brockovich has retained a measure of fame ever since Julia Roberts' Oscar-winning portrayal of her. Here she shares the important work she's done since winning the record-breaking lawsuit against California utility Pacific Gas and Electric. Brockovich has maintained a determined legal presence in many similar battles involving the poisoning of local water systems, several of which she documents in this disturbing and powerful account. She and Boothby provide a concise treatise on the common chemical contaminants plaguing the water supplies of many American localities and then dive into a collection of true stories highlighting the largely unheralded residents of cities and towns across the country who, to protect their water, have educated themselves, organized, and purposefully engaged in long-running battles against corporate interests and local authorities. In many cases, Brockovich was fighting right along with them, and she shares personal anecdotes in addition to providing specific steps to assist readers in pursuit of their own community actions. With scientific conclusions that cannot be denied and riveting reports from the trenches, Superman's Not Coming will resonate strongly with anyone concerned about this important topic. Recommend along with the equally powerful Exposure (2019) by Rob Bilott and Ana Clark's The Poisoned City (2018).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

August 1, 2020

In her first book to address her signature issue of water pollution, consumer advocate and environmental activist Brockovich (Take It From Me) has written both a call to action and a how-to manual for citizen activism. Readers are urged to investigate the state of their local drinking water, and press for government and industry action to regulate or remediate toxic pollutants that may harm our water supply. Nonpartisan but not apolitical in its outlook--proclaiming that clean water is everyone's issue--the book nevertheless strongly advocates for both more regulation of industrial chemicals and increased support for the agencies that monitor and restore contaminated sites. Most of the book is comprised of vignettes of communities where Brockovich has worked with locals to organize, testify, or consult on water quality issues. The exacerbating effects of global climate change are also addressed. Though coauthored by journalist Suzanne Boothby, the book retains Brockovich's down-to-earth tone. Appendixes provide contact information and short descriptions of environmental organizations, notes, and citations keyed to phrases in the text. VERDICT Recommended as a note of encouragement or a roadmap for legal and political organizing for environmentally concerned citizens.--Wade Lee-Smith, Univ. of Toledo Lib.

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