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Desperate : an epic battle for clean water and justice in Appalachia / Kris Maher.

Maher, Kris, (author.).

Summary:
For two decades, the water in the taps and wells of Mingo County didn't look, smell, or taste right. Could it be the root of the health problems--from kidney stones to cancer--in this Appalachian community? Environmental lawyer Kevin Thompson certainly thought so. For seven years, he waged an epic legal battle against Massey Energy, West Virginia's most powerful coal company, helmed by CEO Don Blankenship. While Massey's lawyers worked out of a gray glass office tower in Charleston known as "the Death Star," Thompson set up shop in a ramshackle hotel in the fading coal town of Williamson. Working with fellow lawyers and a crew of young activists, Thompson would eventually uncover the ruthless shortcuts that put the community's drinking water at risk. A respected preacher and his brother, retired coal miners, and women whose families had lived in the area's coal camps for generations, all put their trust in Thompson when they had nowhere else to turn. As he dug deeper into the mystery of the water along a stretch of road where the violence from the legendary Hatfield-McCoy feud still echoes, he was pulled into the darkest corners of Mingo County, risking his finances, his marriage, his career, and even his safety.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781501187346
  • ISBN: 1501187341
  • Physical Description: ix, 339 pages : illustration, maps ; 23 cm
  • Edition: First Scribner hardcover edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Scribner, 2021.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Subject: Massey Energy (Firm)
Thompson, Kevin W., 1963-
Water > Pollution.
Water-supply > Health aspects.
Mining corporations > Corrupt practices.
Mingo County (W. Va.) > Social conditions.
Genre: Case studies.

Available copies

  • 4 of 4 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 4 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Altoona Area Public Library 344.04634 MAH (Text) 33240004941293 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Harbaugh-Thomas Library (Biglerville) 344.04 MAHER (Text)
Endowment: Daniel E. Teeter Named Endowment, 2021
35740635777550 Nonfiction Available -
RACC KF228.T543 M34 2021 (Text) 33624024959221 Books Available -
Clymer Library 344 MAH (Text) 32596000501758 Adult Nonfiction Available -


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