TRUTH. . . AND CONSEQUENCES: Seven Who Would Not Be Silenced

by Greg Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 23, 1981

Not just another dramatic account of courageous whistle-blowers--though the seven case histories will probably be familiar to justice-watchers. For good reason: Richard Maslinski broke the unwritten prisoners' code by agreeing to testify against three in-prison perpetrators of homosexual rape; Ron Donell, sheriff of a county where gambling was endemic, went undercover to bust a crooked county prosecutor and his criminal buddies; Maude DeVictor, of the VA, collected and publicized evidence of Agent Orange-induced illness among vets--in the teeth of VA pressure to cover up; Bill Kuykendall and Jim Merrill deliberately damaged a nuclear reactor to spotlight the hazardous conditions and lack of security; Lois Gibbs, of Love Canal, took ""hostages"" to dramatize the plight of residents; Michael Bayllss released Hooker Chemical's internal report, ""Operation Bootstrap,"" detailing an almost incredible set of abuses; and Hugh Kaufman and William Sanjour, of the EPA, spoke out when the EPA tried to prevent them from investigating chemical dumpsites. What raises Mitchell's account above the commonplace, however, is his investigation of the backgrounds and personalities of the commendable seven to discover just why they felt obliged to speak out against enormous corporate/bureaucratic pressure. We see real people, as a result--struggling not only against the odds but against themselves.

Pub Date: Nov. 23, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dembner--dist. by Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1981

Categories: NONFICTION