Amity And Prosperity

Amity And Prosperity

Adult nonfiction
"Stacey and her kids lost their land and a good part of their
lives waging a battle against the oil and gas industry. For the past
seven years, amid an ugly public fight, they allowed me to follow
their family's intimate challenges--the loss of animals, the nights
spent on the bathroom floor, and the travails of a sick kid who
doesn't want to leave his basement room. They are among those paying
the human cost of American energy."
In 2007, Eliza Griswold, author of Amity And Prosperity, was in
Nigeria. A bridge had just fallen into a river half way around the
world in Minneapolis. She thought of how the resource curse now
plagues America as well as Africa. Some of the world's most
desperately poor poor people live on resource rich land ripe for
exploration by ruthless companies. She wanted to see how this played
out in the new gas rush striking Appalachia--who was getting used and
experiencing subsequent poverty and alienation.
Stacey Haney's routs ran deep in small town Pennsylvania.
Working as a nurse, raising two children as a single parent, and
tending to the family's animals kept her busy. She wanted to replace
her barn. But on her salary that remained a dream.
Then a Texas-based firm, Range Resources, came into town, eager
to frack. Schmoozing residents at places like the County Fair, they
offered to pay them much needed money for leases. Maybe Stacey could
afford that barn. Also she wanted to boost America's energy
independence so soldiers wouldn't have to risk their lives in wars for
oil.
Range resources had assured Stacey and her neighbors that their
operations would be perfectly safe. Their lived experiences, however,
became more like a narrative penned by Stephen King. An endless
parade of trucks destroyed roads and bridges. Animals began to die.
Stacey's son became too ill to attend middle school. He was tested
for illnesses ranging from Crohn's disease to Rocky Mountain spotted
fever. All tests came back negative. The air became impregnated with
a fetid stench. A water filter became coated with black sludge.
Eventually Stacey and her children were enduring batteries of
tests for carcinogens and other nasty chemicals. They were homeless,
unable to return to a beloved home rendered lethal and unfit for human
habitation. They were ostracized by many long time friends who didn't
want the windfall to end...
...while Range Resources and their legions of lawyers kept
insisting that they were doing no harm.
Amity And Prosperity will break your heart and/or make you mad
as Hell. Stacey's family's story is is seamlessly interwoven with the
science and politics behind the costs of America's addiction to fossil
fuels. But you don't have to take my word that the book is a must
read. Arlie Hochschild, author of Strangers in Their Own Land, tells
us, "...In this exquisitely crafted and gripping account, Griswold
takes us through Stacey's fight for justice and our nation's faltering
struggle to balance the need for energy with a compelling call for a
clean planet. Slow journalism at its best."
On a personal note, I had challenged myself to do 100 volunteer hours
this year. I'd kept track in my head. Between library, Tunnel of
Oppression, and clothes swap I'd gotten up to a pathetic 37.
Wednesday, cuddling with Joey, I'd decided to start a volunteering
journal in which I could keep written track and be able to show other
people and maybe inspire them. When I looked through my journal a
perfect little attitude journal. It even has cool quotes and
gratitude exercises. Anyway I chronicled my 2019 volunteering hours
along the relevant exercises. Then I adorned the pages I'd done with
Lisa Frank stickers and felt proud of this new endeavor.
A great big shout out goes out to all the people I volunteer with.
jules hathaway



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