SUPERMAN'S NOT COMING

The legal clerk–turned-activist sounds the alarm on the global water crisis.

Two decades after the movie that made her a national celebrity, Brockovich urges readers to confront a scary reality: “We are amid a major water crisis that is beyond anything you can imagine.” She recounts her work on the case that inspired the Steven Soderbergh film, in which she helped take on California utility Pacific Gas and Electric, which had been accused of contaminating groundwater. The author offers an easy-to-understand guide to common water pollutants, including chromium 6, chloramines, and lead, and she shares stories of citizen activists in places like Martin County, Kentucky; Tonganoxie, Kansas; and Flint, Michigan. Of the last, she writes, “I called out the water problems…a year before it became a media frenzy.” Her book is filled with righteous anger directed toward corporations who “lie, cheat, sue, intimidate, falsify documents, and outright bully” and anyone who stands up to them. While Brockovich’s stories about her activism and condemnation of corporate greed are both interesting, the narrative’s real power comes from her clarion calls to regular citizens to get involved in the fight for safe water. “We are at a turning point,” she writes, “where we all need to fight before there’s not a drop of water left to drink.” The author doesn’t just traffic in platitudes; she offers several concrete suggestions for how people can gauge the safety of their own drinking water and stand up to corporations and politicians. Brockovich describes herself as “a foul-mouthed, short-skirted blonde woman from Kansas,” and her book showcases her authenticity, rough edges and all⁠. While the prose could use some polishing, it serves adequately, explaining why the current water crisis threatens us all and how concerned people might go about changing it.

A convincing call to arms about the global water crisis from a sharp, plainspoken activist.