4 stars + ½ for Boston references + ½ for historic vibes.
Having grown up near the Boston Harbor which was once the most polluted harbor in the states and is now one of the EPA’s big success stories, this was a great read. I love a sassy and annoying ecoterrorist with a knack for chemistry as the narrator. This was a good reminder that not all books about the environment have to be about saving the world from climate change, and (perhaps because of when it was written) this book was a refreshing break form the modern zeitgeist I have been literarily trapped in. This book managed to do so much sneaky teaching about chemical pollution which remains relevant to today’s PFAS discussion. At times, a mid-20s wander, an action thriller, a mystery, with a dash of textbook and lots of local geography I can’t wait to ready more by the author. I will say while the sentiment of environmental justice is really there (such as the connection between agent orange and chemical dumping in North America ), some of the language is dated. Cryptonomicon here I come.

““Maybe we should start an institute on nonviolent terrorism.” “Catchy. But if it’s not violent, there’s no terror involved.”

“You go around thinking you’re cool, a veritable shadow in the night, and then you find out that someone’s got your number.”

“There’s no incentive to keep a garbage pile neat, which was the problem with Boston harbor to begin with.”