Superman's Not Coming - by Erin Brockovich (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the environmental activist, consumer advocate, and renowned crusader comes a riveting book that is "part memoir, part non-fiction report, and part call-to-action--a plea to readers to engage with the water crisis in America because no one else is going to do the work for you" (InStyle Magazine).

Clean water is as basic to life on planet Earth as hydrogen or oxygen. In her long-awaited book--her first to reckon with the condition of water on our planet--Erin Brockovich shows us what's at stake. She writes powerfully of the fraudulent science disguising our national water crisis: Cancer clusters are not being reported. People in Detroit and the state of New Jersey don't have clean water. The drinking water for more than six million Americans contains unsafe levels of industrial chemicals linked to cancer and other health issues. The saga of PG&E continues to this day. Yet communities and people around the country are fighting to make an impact, and Brockovich tells us their stories.

In Poughkeepsie, New York, a water operator responded to his customers' concerns and changed his system to create some of the safest water in the country. Local moms in Hannibal, Missouri, became the first citizens in the nation to file an ordinance prohibiting the use of ammonia in their public drinking water. Like them, we can each protect our right to clean water by fighting for better enforcement of laws, new legislation, and stronger regulations.

Review Quotes

"Brockovich urges people to continue to fight for what they believe in. . . . [Her] belief in individual activism . . . is the guiding theme in her new book. . . . Inspirational."
--People

"The celebrated environmental activist details her continuing fight to keep chemicals out of groundwater, highlighting the stakes and offering advice to concerned citizens."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Brockovich is a vocal, no-nonsense writer. . . . The tales she tells show how addressing water issues at the source can make a big difference all the way down the chain."
--Outside

"Part memoir, part non-fiction report, and part call-to-action--a plea to readers to engage with the water crisis in America because no one else is going to do the work for you."
--InStyle Magazine

"A call to action that's likely to have readers checking their own water reports, the book is also a guide to the labyrinthine world of environmental politics."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Riveting. . . . Superman's Not Coming will resonate strongly with anyone concerned about this important topic."
--Booklist (starred review)

"Brockovich shows how bad things are, but she never gives in or despairs. Instead, she wants to educate people about their options, to give them the tools to start asking for changes. . . . An impeccably researched book that brings science, court cases, depositions, interviews, history, and personal experience to the table to make strong points about the dire state of many of our water systems--and the consequences of it. Brockovich shows how things like suppression of research, intimidation of scientists, manipulated studies, and false scientific articles contribute to perpetuating the problem, and then she discusses what can be done about it."
--Gabino Iglesias, NPR

"Two decades after the movie that made her a national celebrity, Brockovich urges readers to confront a scary reality . . . [She] offers an easy-to-understand guide to common water pollutants, and she shares stories of citizen activists . . . The narrative's real power comes from her clarion calls to regular citizens to get involved in the fight for safe water . . . she offers several concrete suggestions for how people can gauge the safety of their own drinking water and stand up to corporations and politicians . . . a call to arms about the global water crisis from a sharp, plainspoken activist."
--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

ERIN BROCKOVICH is the president of Brockovich Research & Consulting and the founder of the Erin Brockovich Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to educate and empower communities in their fight for clean water. She is the coauthor of Take It from Me: Life's a Struggle but You Can Win and has her own show on PodcastOne. She lives in Southern California.

SUZANNE BOOTHBY is the author of The After Cancer Diet. She is a journalist who writes about health, politics, food, and eco-conscious stories and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina.