A devastating portrait of environmental issues plaguing this country. I couldn’t put it down - it read like a novel.

Depending on the edition, this excellent work of investigative journalism has two subtitles, and between them they sum up what the book is about. One says: A Deadly Secret, a Cover-Up and the Women who Forged the Modern Environmental Movement. The other simply states: The True Story of an Environmental Catastrophe. It’s a horrifying tale, but not an unusual one, and I don’t doubt there are similar catastrophes happening in many parts of the world still today. This particular one occurred in a place called Love Canal in the United States, and the author has meticulously researched the tragic consequences of corporate greed, political whitewash and total disregard of human life. The book is perhaps a little too long and too detailed, due to the fictional style the author has chosen to use, a little drawn out, but I don’t want to nit-pick (unusually for me) as I feel that although the book is about a particular place and time and a particular catastrophe, it has, sadly, a universal application in our own times and is very much a cautionary tale. I highly recommend the book. As I do a PBS documentary on the same subject called Poisoned Ground: the Tragedy at Love Canal.

The fact that this story is not better known is simply mind boggling. What an absolutely fascinating read. Highly highly recommended.

I have been in the habit of reading historical books that tell the stories of women through different hardships such as Radium Girls by Kate Moore, so when I came across this book I was intrigued. I had never heard of the Love Canal being an 80's baby, so this book was very eye-opening to how toxic this site was. I really enjoyed the fact that this book was written by a journalist as you get the feel of the narrative and the storytelling Keith O'Brien is providing. The stories of the three women in the book are just heartwrenching and infuriating. They had an instinct and continued to fight.

I'd vaguely heard the name "Love Canal" and knew that it's why the elementary school that I went to was NOT built on a poison time bomb. This story reinforced for me the importance of citizens who advocate for themselves and the necessity of an independent investigative local press.

Non-Fiction books are not the main staple of my reading, but I do love to learn. It was a real blessing that I stumbled across “Paradise Falls” because it reads like really good fiction, but is an actual account of arguably the most egregious disregard for health and the environment ever to occur in the United States. This is the story of Love Canal; the people it affected, the players involved in it from start to finish, and the impact it had on American society as a whole.

Five novas for “Paradise Falls.” If the name Love Canal does not mean anything to you, you should read this book. If you think of yourself as an environmentalist, you have to read this book. If you live in a country that is considered “developing,” it is imperative that you read this book. If you just enjoy a story well told with complex characters who grow over time and a riveting plot, and happens to also be an account of actual events, this book has you covered on all fronts.

My sincere gratitude to Keith O’Brien and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group via Netgalley for the creation and distribution of this work. All opinions are my own and freely offered. You’ll probably share them, too, once you read this book.

#ParadiseFalls #KeithOBrien #KnopfDoubledayPublishingGroup #nonfiction #history #tragedy #environmentalcatastrophe #environmentalism #kindlesallthewaydown

Many many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this!

This is the important story of the Love Canal disaster. All Americans should read this to better understand the environmental risk of rogue companies. This reads like a thriller, but sadly this really happened. And importantly, this could happen again if the learnings are not passed on. Buy this and make your family read it. This will make you mad and make you very frustrated. You will how this could possibly have happened. But you will not forget it. Great writing, critical story to understand.

This book explores the background and aftermath of the Love Canal environmental disaster. The author does a good job of setting the stage--describing the neighborhood, the people affected, the local politics, etc. Unfortunately, about halfway through the book, it lost my attention. I think this one just wasn't for me. But it was well-researched and offers an important glimpse into that time and situation.

The first time I attended graduated school, I had to take an environmental studies course. Over thirteen years later, I still think about that course and the things we discussed. It was both educational and heartbreaking. This is why when I saw Paradise Falls: The True Story Of An Environmental Catastrophe on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it.

Paradise Falls is centered around a group of mothers who discovered that the company Hooker Chemicals had been dumping toxic waste in to the local Love Canal. The Love Canal was within an neighbor hood on the east side of Niagara Falls. It had an elementary school, a playground, and rows and rows of affordable houses. Everything was a normal as it could be for the area until the spring of 1977 when vile odors began to seep in. It didn't take long for Lois Gibbs, Luella Kenny, and several other mothers to identify the sickly sweet scent: chemicals.

In a world where big companies were often believed over anyone else, these women stood their ground and demanded answers regarding the chemicals that were destroying their lives. The chemicals weren't destroying their lives in just one way but impacted their health, economical status, and family/community relationships. Children were becoming very sick from these toxins and their mothers were demanding that someone take responsibility and help their children.

The way author Keith O'Brien wrote about this tragedy had me on the edge of my seat. It is a powerful nonfiction book that is narrated by the stories of the women and other residents of the Love Canal. He also produced the reactions from Hooker Chemicals and politicians, and detailed their action and inaction regarding this issue. Most of the time sadly, it was more about their lack of action. No one was taking this situation seriously.

The sad thing is that this is still something that is happening today. Companies are still dumping their chemicals inappropriately even with the regulations in place. Their end goal is deemed as more important than the lives of the people who they are impacting. More people have tried to fight against it but ultimately they have hit a dead end or a wall in many ways. When politicians choose to support the companies over the people sadly things like this will continue to occur.

Books like Paradise Falls are so important because they give a voice to the situation. I live in Upstate New York, know where Niagara Falls is, and honestly had never really heard about the chemical dumping in to the Love Canal until I read this. That just goes to show you how hard companies work to cover things like this up and move past them like they had never happened. We need women like these mothers who refused to be silenced and researchers like Keith O'Brien who are able to provide a full account of what is going on. It just breaks my heart to think that this is still occurring in places like Flint Michigan. Our society could be doing so much better.

This was an entertaining and informative read. I found myself sharing what I learned from this book with those around me. I recommend it to fans of good and highly readable non-fiction.

Thank you Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for the eARC of Paradise Falls! All opinions in this review are my own.

This book was fascinating! I knew nothing about Love Canal and its aftermath before starting Paradise Falls. It's sad to see that people are still being forced from their homes due to environmental concerns 50 years later.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. Paradise Falls is about one of America's most devastating toxic waste disasters. I have never heard of Love Canal before; I didn't even know it was a toxic waste site. You can tell a lot of research was done. The writing style is intriguing and well written. O'Brien tells this story through the perspective of three women; a scientist who investigated what is going on and two mothers who live in Love Canal.

It is a hard read. Paradise Falls talks about how chemicals were dumped in Love Canal, caused environmental disaster, and h0w it the company tried to cover it up. Sounds familiar doesn't it? It still happens today, and a lot of companies get away with it.

I was given a NetGalley widget for this one a year ago and I just got around to reading it and dangit it was so good. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have consumed this wildly relevant fictional tale, which felt not at all fictional, more like historical fiction, due to the times. The cover initially was what drew me in, but I'm so thankful to have stuck with it because the outcome was magical.

Wow! Paradise Falls is an incredible book about community activism. Until reading this I was completely unaware of the events that took place at Love Canal, or the amazing group of people who refused to stop until someone fixed the problem.

Keith O'Brien has combined the true stories of a group of mothers, with facts and information about the environmental catastrophe, the companies involved, and the effects of their negligence. While reading this book I felt so many emotions, but I just could not stop reading it.

Excellent read and it's a perfect non-fiction even for people who don't normally read this genre because you will find yourself quickly caught up in this story.

DNF. The first 10% of this was really compelling, but then the book started dragging. I hate to say it — I really do, I read a lot of books! — but I think this would be a lot easier to get through as a 2-hour documentary. Not just literally. The length was foreboding and I think not entirely necessary. But that being said I don't really know how the book ends because I didn't make it that far. Fascinating concept and great journalism. Just not something I could lose myself in.

As an environmentalist, I loved this story of Paradise Falls. Although I’ve heard the tale before, the writing kept a non-fiction story fast paced and reading like a memoir. There was so much information in here I want the world to be aware of, and this formatting makes that so much more likely.

3.5 stars

"Paradise Falls" is the true story of the neighbors, mothers and scientists who exposed Hooker Chemicals and the terrifying environmental situation at Love Canal. This book was really well put together, it was a good pace, especially for being some heavy non-fiction. As an environmental scientists, one of the first things you learn about is Love Canal and how environmental damage can really be harmful. These families, including their children and pets were exposed to toxic chemicals everyday - they had so many effects to their health, wellbeing and every day lives. These damages will never be reversed.

It is amazing how much has changed and how much hasn't changed in terms of environmental degradation, politics and big corporations. Trying to place blame anywhere else, talking in circles, pushing off a solution even when the science is staring you straight in your face.

I am so proud of Lois Gibbs, Luella Kenny, and other mothers who pushed this issue forward and demanded change. It is awful that they had to deal with not only environmental toxins, sick children and burning skin, but also men/politicians/governments/companies ignoring them, diminishing their intellect and character, and (dare I say it...) gaslighting them.

This book isn't for everyone but it is VERY important I am glad it was recorded for posterity.

A key piece of our history - environmentally, legally, politically, and socioeconomically - reduced to a nonfiction book everyone needs to read. When I was growing up in the early 2000s (even in Upstate NY neat the actual Love Canal), Erin Brockovich was thought of as the first pioneer (and woman) fighting against big wig environmental corruption, but these ladies are the real OGs!

Thank you to NetGalley, KDPG, and the author for a copy of this title. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was an incredible read. I found the narrative style interesting and very informative. As a western New Yorker I heard much about love canal when I was growing up but didn't know a whole lot about what had happened. This book enlightened me and gave me a new appreciation for the story itself. I highly recommend this book.

This was equally fascinating and terrible, I was all wrapped up in the gripping narrative but at the same it was terribly frightening. I think the writing was excellent, well researched and paced, with nice personal stories of those involved/effected that kept you emotionally engaged in the story.