{"product_id":"desperate-an-epic-battle-for-clean-water-and-justice-in-appalachia-9781501187353","title":"Desperate: An Epic Battle for Clean Water and Justice in Appalachia","description":"\u003cb\u003eSet in Appalachian coal country, this \"superb\" (\u003ci\u003ePittsburgh Post-Gazette\u003c\/i\u003e) legal drama follows one determined lawyer as he faces a coal industry giant in a seven-year battle over clean drinking water for a West Virginia community.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor two decades, the water in the taps and wells of Mingo County didn't look, smell, or taste right. Could the water be the root of the health problems--from kidney stones to cancer--in this Appalachian community? Environmental lawyer Kevin Thompson certainly thought so. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor seven years, Thompson 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRetired coal miners, women whose families had lived in the area's coal camps for generations, a respected preacher and his brother, all put their trust in Thompson when they had nowhere else to turn.\u003ci\u003e Desperate\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterful work of investigative reporting about greed and denial, \"both a case study in exploitation of the little guy and a playbook for confronting it\" (\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e). Maher crafts a revealing portrait of a town besieged by hardship and heartbreak, and an inspiring account of one tenacious environmental lawyer's mission to expose the truth and demand justice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKris Maher has been a staff reporter for \u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal \u003c\/i\u003esince 2005, writing about environmental issues, coal mining, labor, regional economics, and other topics. He has reported on the Flint water crisis, PFAS drinking water contamination, and Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch Mine disaster. He covered the trials of Jerry Sandusky, Bill Cosby, and Don Blankenship and has also written features for the \u003ci\u003eJournal\u003c\/i\u003e's front-page \"A-hed\" column on topics ranging from extreme pogo athletes to the coldest town in the US. He lives in Pittsburgh with his son and daughter. Follow him on Twitter @Kris_Maher.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Scribner Book Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50508256215314,"sku":"9781501187353","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d7be6ef1-26ee-4a4d-b266-2d3464a8080a.jpg?v=1730874868","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/desperate-an-epic-battle-for-clean-water-and-justice-in-appalachia-9781501187353","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}