Book
Yellow dirt : an American story of a poisoned land and a people betrayed / Judy Pasternak.
"Yellow Dirt offers readers a window into a dark chapter of modern history that still reverberates today. From the 1940s into the early twenty-first century, the United States knowingly used and discarded an entire tribe for the sake of atomic bombs. Secretly, during the days of the Manhattan Project and then in a frenzy during the Cold War, the government bought up all the uranium that could be mined from the hundreds of rich deposits entombed under the sagebrush plains and sandstone cliffs. Despite warnings from physicians and scientists that long-term exposure could be harmful, even fatal, thousands of miners would work there unprotected. A second set of warnings emerged about the environmental impact. Yet even now, long after the uranium boom ended, and long after national security could be cited as a consideration, many residents are still surrounded by contaminated air, water, and soil. The radioactive 'yellow dirt' has ended up in their playgrounds, in their bread ovens, in their churches, and even in their garbage dumps. And they are still dying."--Jacket.
Record details
- ISBN: 1416594825
- ISBN: 9781416594826
- Physical Description: xiii, 317 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 24 cm
- Edition: First Free Press hardcover edition.
- Publisher: New York : Free Press, [2010]
- Copyright: ©2010
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-304) and index. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | Prologue: S-37, SOM, and SOQ -- The uranium rush -- pt. 1. The patriarch -- Discovery -- The special rocks -- The secret quest -- Jumping on the king -- pt. 2. The son -- Fear and frenzy -- The power of leetso -- Cold War -- The obstacle -- A hundred tons a day -- Endings -- Toxic legacy -- pt. 3. The grandchildren -- Aftermath -- Fallout -- Avalanche of suspicion -- A blind eye and a deaf ear -- pt. 4. The great-grandchildren -- Death and awakening -- "Hear our voices" -- Under scrutiny from every angle -- Resistance -- Ghosts -- Beginnings -- Epilogue: The steeple. |
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Available copies
- 3 of 3 copies available at Sage Library System.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 3 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Circulation Modifier | Status | Due Date | Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker County Library | 979.10049726 .P291y 2010 (Text) | 37814003230845 | NON-FICTION | Available | - | ||
| Harney County Library | 979.1004 PASTERNAK (Text) | 37720000227975 | Adult Non-Fiction | Available | - | ||
| Lake County Main Library - Lakeview | 979.100497 PASTERNAK (Text) | 37620000786428 | Adult Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Summary:
"Yellow Dirt offers readers a window into a dark chapter of modern history that still reverberates today. From the 1940s into the early twenty-first century, the United States knowingly used and discarded an entire tribe for the sake of atomic bombs. Secretly, during the days of the Manhattan Project and then in a frenzy during the Cold War, the government bought up all the uranium that could be mined from the hundreds of rich deposits entombed under the sagebrush plains and sandstone cliffs. Despite warnings from physicians and scientists that long-term exposure could be harmful, even fatal, thousands of miners would work there unprotected. A second set of warnings emerged about the environmental impact. Yet even now, long after the uranium boom ended, and long after national security could be cited as a consideration, many residents are still surrounded by contaminated air, water, and soil. The radioactive 'yellow dirt' has ended up in their playgrounds, in their bread ovens, in their churches, and even in their garbage dumps. And they are still dying."--Jacket.
