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Title details for Smogtown by Chip Jacobs - Available

Smogtown

The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles

by Chip Jacobs
William J. Kelly
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
The smog beast wafted into downtown Los Angeles on July 26, 1943. Nobody knew what it was. Secretaries rubbed their eyes. Traffic cops seemed to disappear in the mysterious haze. Were Japanese saboteurs responsible? A reckless factory? The truth was much worse-it came from within, from Southern California's burgeoning car-addicted, suburban lifestyle. Smogtown is the story of pollution, progress, and how an optimistic people confronted the epic struggle against airborne poisons barraging their hometowns. With wit, verve, and a fresh look at history, California based journalists Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly highlight the bold personalities involved, the corporate-tainted science, the terrifying health costs, the attempts at cleanup, and how the smog battle helped mold the modern-day culture of Los Angeles. There are scofflaws aplenty and dirty deals, plus murders, suicides, spiritual despair, and an ever-present paranoia about mass disaster. Brimming with forgotten anecdotes and new revelations about our environmentally precarious present, Smogtown is a journalistic classic for the modern age.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 16, 2019

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781684572359
      • File size: 300886 KB
      • Duration: 10:26:50

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 29, 2008
      ENCAPSULATING DEFTLY THE WORLDVIEW, HISTORICAL CONTEXT, AND PUBLIC PSYCHOLOGY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIANS OVER A NUMBER OF DECADES, LOS ANGELES JOURNALISTS JACOBS AND KELLY EXAMINE THE APPROACHES THEY'VE MADE TO THE REGION'S CHRONIC POLLUTION ISSUES, MANY OF WHICH PRESAGE CURRENT, NATION-WIDE TRENDS IN BOTH POLLUTION AND ITS \x81GGREENING.\x81H WITH CASUAL LANGUAGE AND A CINEMATIC SENSE OF THE DRAMATIC, JACOBS AND KELLY DETAIL THE BUILDUP TO THE FAMOUS ORANGE-BROWN L.A. SMOG OF THE 1950S AND '60S: \x81GJUST AT THAT MOMENT, THE BEAST STARTED TO EVOLVE... SOMETIME IN THE LATE 1950S, LEGEND HAD IT THAT A HEN LAID AN EGG THAT L.A. POLLUTION UNACCOUNTABLY TURNED GREEN.\x81H HIGHLIGHTING THE PIONEERING PEOPLE AND GROUPS THAT BLAZED THE TRAIL FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT, JACOBS AND KELLY ALSO EXPLORE THE PROGRESS AND SETBACKS ESTABLISHED BY POLICYMAKERS, INCLUDING A FAMOUSLY CONFLICTED RONALD REAGAN. FINISHED WITH A PARTICULARLY POWERFUL, FORWARD-LOOKING EPILOGUE, THIS FRIENDLY, ACCESSIBLE HISTORY SHOULD APPEAL TO ANY AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALIST. 15 B & W PHOTOS.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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