S e t h S h u l m a n
BOOKS:
The Threat at Home:
Confronting the Toxic Legacy of the U.S. Military
(Beacon Press, 1992)
My first book. Back in 1989, I co-wrote a piece for The Atlantic on the subject of the U.S. military’s abysmal environmental record. My reporting took me out to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Denver, Colorado, then believed to be the most toxic square mile on the planet.
The experience made such a big impression on me that I applied for and won a research and writing grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to delve more deeply into the story.
For three years, the story took over my professional life. I crossed the country inspecting scores of polluted military sites, met with top military brass at the Pentagon, and used the Freedom of Information Act as a wedge to pry information about the subject from each branch of the armed forces.
The intensive reporting effort is still one of my proudest accomplishments. As a result of my efforts and those of others, the first Bush administration was prodded to sign the so-called “Federal Facilities Compliance Act of 1992.” For the first time, the law definitively required the U.S. military to obey the nation’s environmental laws.
Selected Reviews
Brilliant and disturbing...a well-researched, entertaining and fair-minded examination of the government run amok—with the Earth and taxpayers left to pay the tab.” —San Francisco Chronicle
Shulman documents what may be the country’s most serious environmental threat: toxic contamination at virtually every one of the 1855 [U.S.] military installations.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Well written and well researched...This book offers both experts and the lay an excellent first step toward addressing these issues.” —Chemical & Engineering News
Seth Shulman has produced a masterpiece of scientific journalism.” —Barry Commoner
It should be required for elected officials, environmentalists and any living within breathing distance of a military facility.” —Philadelphia Inquirer
Gripping, meticulously researched...Shulman offers an even-handed, first-rate work of science journalism.” —Sierra Magazine
As a military man I am embarrassed to say that Seth Shulman’s disclosures of the adverse impact of the military on our environment are accurate and very disturbing.” —Rear Admiral Gene R. LaRoque, U.S. Navy (ret.)
Director, Center for Defense Information
If you seek a balanced, detailed and insightful look at the environmental problems facing the Army and the rest of the Defense Department, take the time to read Seth Shulman's book.” —”Monthly Update,” U.S. Army Public Affairs
Purchase
Buy the book at Amazon.
