Growing up in Mexico, ME, Kerri Arsenault didn't realize just how many of her neighbors had cancer. Later, as her dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Arsenault returned to her hometown and began talking to others who'd been touched by "Cancer Valley." While the people she spoke with offered anecdotal evidence and there were some news reports to back the claims against the paper mill that employed most residents including Arsenault's dad, the author doesn't have anything concrete. The mill, of course, denies the claims.
Perhaps because Arsenault doesn't have hard evidence that the chemicals used by the mill increased cancer rates in the surrounding area, she frequently delves into her family history. It's an interesting story in itself, but feels out of place except for when she ties in her dad's work at the mill and death from cancer.
3/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, St. Martin's Press.
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