Summary of What the Eyes Don't See

What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City (2018) is pediatrician, scientist, and public health advocate Mona Hanna-Attisha's (Dr. Mona) debut book that provides an in-depth look at the government's poisoning of Flint residents and subsequent coverup. This story, according to Dr. Mona, is also about much deeper crises that the broader American society is currently facing: a breakdown in local democracy; misguided austerity policies;...
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What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City (2018) is pediatrician, scientist, and public health advocate Mona Hanna-Attisha's (Dr. Mona) debut book that provides an in-depth look at the government's poisoning of Flint residents and subsequent coverup. This story, according to Dr. Mona, is also about much deeper crises that the broader American society is currently facing: a breakdown in local democracy; misguided austerity policies; environmental injustices that disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities; and indifference to the plight of other human beings. At the center of this story is Dr. Mona herself--an Iraqi-American whose family's history of resistance against Saddam Hussein and other corrupt government officials inspired her pursuit of justice for Flint kids.Dr. Mona uses a combination of personal stories and cited research to draw the reader into the Flint water crisis story. The story begins with Dr. Mona telling a patient that it is safe to use Flint water for mixing baby formula. To her horror, her friend Elin tells her at a barbeque that the water is not safe for consumption according to a former EPA colleague. This colleague, Miguel Del Toral, leaked a memo that provides evidence the city was not using corrosion control when it switched the city's water source from Detroit water systems to the Flint river, which resulted in lead leaching into the water. These realizations sent Dr. Mona on the path to exposing the Flint water crisis. The spirit of her grandfather who taught her to always stand up for injustices buoys her.