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Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret

Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret

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  • Create Date：2022-05-15 07:16:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
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  • Author：Catherine Coleman Flowers
  • ISBN：1620977133
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Summary

The MacArthur grant–winning “Erin Brockovich of Sewage” tells the riveting story of the environmental justice movement that is firing up rural America， with a foreword by the renowned author of Just Mercy

MacArthur “genius” Catherine Coleman Flowers grew up in Lowndes County， Alabama， a place that's been called “Bloody Lowndes” because of its violent， racist history。 Once the epicenter of the voting rights struggle， today it's Ground Zero for a new movement that is Flowers's life's work。 It's a fight to ensure human dignity through a right most Americans take for granted: basic sanitation。 Too many people， especially the rural poor， lack an affordable means of disposing cleanly of the waste from their toilets， and， as a consequence， live amid filth。

Flowers calls this America's dirty secret。 In this powerful book she tells the story of systemic class， racial， and geographic prejudice that foster Third World conditions， not just in Alabama， but across America， in Appalachia， Central California， coastal Florida， Alaska， the urban Midwest， and on Native American reservations in the West。

Flowers's book is the inspiring story of the evolution of an activist， from country girl to student civil rights organizer to environmental justice champion at Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative。 It shows how sanitation is becoming too big a problem to ignore as climate change brings sewage to more backyards， and not only those of poor minorities。

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Reviews

Rachel ，

I give this book only 3 stars， but Catherine Coleman Flowers gets all the stars。 She's an amazing lady， and I truly admire her。 I give this book only 3 stars， but Catherine Coleman Flowers gets all the stars。 She's an amazing lady， and I truly admire her。 。。。more

Erin Euler ，

A required read for anyone dedicated to environmental justice， public health， and the path toward reparatory actions the US must take to heal the blistering scars of slavery that challenge the beautiful beings that were born into rural poverty in Lowndes Alabama， and other parts of the states with neglected infrastructure。 Catherine Coleman Flowers is a deeply inspired woman who questioned the world， bravely honored her own integrity by standing up for justice and advocating for herself and her A required read for anyone dedicated to environmental justice， public health， and the path toward reparatory actions the US must take to heal the blistering scars of slavery that challenge the beautiful beings that were born into rural poverty in Lowndes Alabama， and other parts of the states with neglected infrastructure。 Catherine Coleman Flowers is a deeply inspired woman who questioned the world， bravely honored her own integrity by standing up for justice and advocating for herself and her community， while also having fun， making friends and building a beautiful life。 。。。more

Eliz ，

Wow。 Opened my eyes to a huge problem in the US， across the US。 Will we ever care enough about lifting up one another to make change？ The writing style reads a lot like “then I learned this， so I did this” but …。 WOW …。 all that she has learned and seen and done！ And how much more needs to be done！ Persistent， insistence， creative， energetic， committed。 We are lucky there are people like Catherine Coleman Flowers。 May we all be a little more like her。

Betsy ，

This was a very challenging book to read， mostly because of the subject matter。 But as challenging as it was， it’s one of the most important issues that most folks don’t know much about。I’ve been personally interested in the history and sociology of human waste management for a good two decades now， but I’ve mostly stuck with learning about the history of it。 The history is easier because it doesn’t involve the current lives of so many folks who are sometimes literally living in houses located w This was a very challenging book to read， mostly because of the subject matter。 But as challenging as it was， it’s one of the most important issues that most folks don’t know much about。I’ve been personally interested in the history and sociology of human waste management for a good two decades now， but I’ve mostly stuck with learning about the history of it。 The history is easier because it doesn’t involve the current lives of so many folks who are sometimes literally living in houses located within a lake of raw sewage。 The book meanders through the author’s life history before starting the really hard-hitting accounts of when the author returns to her home county and begins working in earnest with families whose level of poverty is actually criminalized。At these levels of poverty， families cannot afford to make the home improvements that would make their living situations either legal OR safe。 Such an important issue！ Even if you don’t read this particular book， try to learn more about the human waste crises happening all over the USA in （mostly） rural， poor communities。（Reference to current event while I finished this book today） — And yet someone with enough money to actually make a life-changing difference in these families’ lives （via private donations） is off buying Twitter today。 Twitter！ You could literally save people’s lives and yet decided to buy a social media company instead。 What a despicable， heinous waste。 。。。more

Jerry Wall ，

Story from Alabama about poor and septic system failure by individual born and raised there and her fight to change the system。 Her accomplishments and the problems that still exist。

Michelle Bizzell ，

More of a memoir about the author's journey to the fight for environmental justice。 I still have many questions about the technicalities of wastewater treatment failures， but the personal story did have some inspirational moments。 It is certainly an issue I didn't really know about before reading this book。 More of a memoir about the author's journey to the fight for environmental justice。 I still have many questions about the technicalities of wastewater treatment failures， but the personal story did have some inspirational moments。 It is certainly an issue I didn't really know about before reading this book。 。。。more

Rachel Hammond ，

This book is a long list of famous people the author knows with no real substance or light shed on the issues the author is working to address。

Patricia ，

It is important that everyone in the US know about the conditions in the South， especially the rural south， and the despicable state of sewage processing is one of the most crucial problems。 I'd have liked this book much more， though， if the author hadn't spent quite so much time telling her own story and singing her own praises。 She deserves to be proud of the job she has done， but it was hard to listen to--on and on--in an audio recording。 It is important that everyone in the US know about the conditions in the South， especially the rural south， and the despicable state of sewage processing is one of the most crucial problems。 I'd have liked this book much more， though， if the author hadn't spent quite so much time telling her own story and singing her own praises。 She deserves to be proud of the job she has done， but it was hard to listen to--on and on--in an audio recording。 。。。more

Cheryl ，

Good biography from an activist。 But I needed more of the science。 Why aren't septic systems working？ I understand clay soils and failed perc tests， but what are the alternatives？ （Composting toilets？ Space Station toilets systems？ Burner systems？） I don't know the solution， but I know the answer isn't going to come from politicians or 'government'。 I felt so bad for those folks that participated in the apparently endless parade of 'important people' who wanted to see their poverty。 Sounds like Good biography from an activist。 But I needed more of the science。 Why aren't septic systems working？ I understand clay soils and failed perc tests， but what are the alternatives？ （Composting toilets？ Space Station toilets systems？ Burner systems？） I don't know the solution， but I know the answer isn't going to come from politicians or 'government'。 I felt so bad for those folks that participated in the apparently endless parade of 'important people' who wanted to see their poverty。 Sounds like we need an out of the box thinker on this。。。 Somebody call Elon Musk。。。 。。。more

Book Club of One ，

* I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway。*Catherine Coleman Flowers is a driven and inspiring activist whose main focus is for the equalization of access to basic sanitation。 In Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret we are introduced to Flowers work by Bryan Stevenson， given a brief view of her working life and then， in detail， the evolution of Flowers development as a person and activist。 As highlighted in the book's summary， Flowers "tells the story * I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway。*Catherine Coleman Flowers is a driven and inspiring activist whose main focus is for the equalization of access to basic sanitation。 In Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret we are introduced to Flowers work by Bryan Stevenson， given a brief view of her working life and then， in detail， the evolution of Flowers development as a person and activist。 As highlighted in the book's summary， Flowers "tells the story of systemic class， racial and geographic prejudice that foster Third World conditions。"While Flowers has a clear and noteworthy message， this book does not serve as the best venue to express them。 There are moments in Waste that highlight the powerful reckoning visitors face when exposed to daily life for those less privileged due to poverty， race， or some combination of the above。 It is at its best in the first chapter detailing her work and the last chapter summarizing her and affiliated persons and organization's success on advocating for equitable access to sewage treatment。 Unfortunately， this slim volume tries to do too much with its limited space。 About half the narrative is Flowers' memoir， starting from her youth in an activist household， through her schooling and experiences in the wider world。 She eventually returns home and begins her work with the issue that has become her life's work。 There are many facets begging to be expanded that are just dropped or left unexplored。 Two examples are Flowers mentioning she served in the armed forces before leaving due to sexual harassment。 A second is being married but her husband when chose not to move with her to Detroit and that is the last he is mentioned。 Flowers voice is one that should and needs to be heard， but is better presented through her work or speeches。 。。。more

Sherrie ，

3。5 stars—5 for the subject matter and the author’s activism， 2。5 for the writing。 I was excited to read this book， and still believe it should be a must read。 That conditions like this exist in the US is a disgrace， and kudos to the author for the incredible work she’s done。 But there’s no getting around it: it’s a slog to read。 Instead of any kind of real story line， the book is basically a recitation of facts， people the author knows， and successes she’s had。 There is almost zero personal con 3。5 stars—5 for the subject matter and the author’s activism， 2。5 for the writing。 I was excited to read this book， and still believe it should be a must read。 That conditions like this exist in the US is a disgrace， and kudos to the author for the incredible work she’s done。 But there’s no getting around it: it’s a slog to read。 Instead of any kind of real story line， the book is basically a recitation of facts， people the author knows， and successes she’s had。 There is almost zero personal content short of her description of becoming an activist （and that falls into the same facts/people/successes trap mentioned above） and it seems like she must have had some failures along the way， but none of that is disclosed。 By the halfway point， the recitation becomes—and I do not say this lightly—almost boring。 Only the importance of the subject matter kept me reading。 。。。more

Di Do ，

A compelling memoir of the author's work on the frontlines of environmental injustice。 A compelling memoir of the author's work on the frontlines of environmental injustice。 。。。more

Heather McLaughlin ，

Wow。 Quite the eye opener。

Judy ，

I was a bit dismayed when one of my reading groups chose this one。 Why would I want to read about human waste？ It turned out to be educational and inspiring as well as disgusting。 Sanitation in the low income， especially Black rural areas， is a disgrace in the world's most prosperous nation。 I had no idea！ Another example of the negative side of capitalism and the ingrained racism at all levels of society and government。I admire Ms Flowers' energy， activism， ability to cross political barriers a I was a bit dismayed when one of my reading groups chose this one。 Why would I want to read about human waste？ It turned out to be educational and inspiring as well as disgusting。 Sanitation in the low income， especially Black rural areas， is a disgrace in the world's most prosperous nation。 I had no idea！ Another example of the negative side of capitalism and the ingrained racism at all levels of society and government。I admire Ms Flowers' energy， activism， ability to cross political barriers and make changes。 I always admire strong women and she is one of them。 。。。more

Isabella Zink ，

Like others， I felt a little misled that this ended up being more of a memoir than an overview of the issue。 I appreciate that this problem is far from solved， and Ms。 Flowers’ activist history is important to demonstrate how much individuals can accomplish， but wish that there had been more discussion of the issue in its own， and steps being taken to address it。

Aaron ，

I received a free copy of this book as part of the Goodreads Giveaway program。A tale of two stories: the life and times of Catherine Coleman Flowers， and the reality of infrastructure in poor communities across the US。 Both stories deserve to be told， but neither is really given its due in this particular book。 What starts out as a story of how wastewater is pooling in yards across Alabama devolves into a tale about the activism of Flowers and her upbringing in the very heart of the Civil Rights I received a free copy of this book as part of the Goodreads Giveaway program。A tale of two stories: the life and times of Catherine Coleman Flowers， and the reality of infrastructure in poor communities across the US。 Both stories deserve to be told， but neither is really given its due in this particular book。 What starts out as a story of how wastewater is pooling in yards across Alabama devolves into a tale about the activism of Flowers and her upbringing in the very heart of the Civil Rights movement and then winds it way slowly through the halls of DC where the wheels of government slowly churn。 It’s partly memoir， partly call to action， and both are certainly important， but the book subtitle leads you to believe that the call to action and how we get there will be the crux of the narrative。 Rather， we learn a lot about Flowers and the wastewater initiative feels tacked on。 。。。more

Grace ，

Catherine Coleman Flowers is doing great work at the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice and Equal Justice Initiative。 So grateful to have heard her speak at Wheaton and I hope to raise awareness in my own circles about the urgency of addressing rural poverty and sanitation in America。

Deborah Poppel ，

Unfortunately I was very disappointed in this book。 Ms。 Flowers seems to be an exceptional person with very interesting background， but I was not expecting that 90 percent of the book was memoir， and a poorly-written one at that。 I would have liked to learn more about the problems and solutions for the wastewater and septic systems， as the title of the book implied。

Brandon Lee ，

Reaction: wow Americans have it rough， no matter what we think because of our dark historyWriting Style: always racing forward， going from one tour to next or speech of event， simple to understand and digest big pictureArgumentation: sanitation issues are present in the US， and only recently have we been made aware of it and their related sociopolitical， economic， health， etc reasons that harm citizensCommendation: many great activist momentum， movements， and successCritique: felt a little too m Reaction: wow Americans have it rough， no matter what we think because of our dark historyWriting Style: always racing forward， going from one tour to next or speech of event， simple to understand and digest big pictureArgumentation: sanitation issues are present in the US， and only recently have we been made aware of it and their related sociopolitical， economic， health， etc reasons that harm citizensCommendation: many great activist momentum， movements， and successCritique: felt a little too much of a personal life journey and not entirely about the problem 。。。more

Katy Koivastik ，

This is an important book in need of a good editor。 As other reviewers have noted， the author has written a hybrid: a memoir of her upbringing， education， accomplishments， accolades and interactions with boldface names， and what the cover and title say it is， an expose of wastewater problems in Lowndes County Alabama and other cities across America。I learned much from this book。 I lived in California for many years， but had never heard of Allensworth， a town 30 miles north of Bakersfield， founde This is an important book in need of a good editor。 As other reviewers have noted， the author has written a hybrid: a memoir of her upbringing， education， accomplishments， accolades and interactions with boldface names， and what the cover and title say it is， an expose of wastewater problems in Lowndes County Alabama and other cities across America。I learned much from this book。 I lived in California for many years， but had never heard of Allensworth， a town 30 miles north of Bakersfield， founded and funded by Colonel Allen Allensworth and other Black Americans fleeing the segregated South。 Nor did I know of the problem of arsenic in the water there that ultimately caused the town to fail。An eye-opening call to action that should be read by anyone who cares about access to clean water for all。Well narrated by actor and writer Karen Chilton。 。。。more

Liz ，

I think it’s an essential read and teaches a lot about environmental racism， as well as the history of Civil Rights in our country。 I do have to agree with other reviews that it was poorly made。 Reads like a first or second draft with flaws in effectively introducing information。 It feels like this is the fault of the editor/publisher so hoping for more work from this author。

Katie Centabar ，

really high hopes dashed by repetitive writing and near constant name dropping。 if you're interested in the issues of environmental justice， I might recommend skipping this one。 really high hopes dashed by repetitive writing and near constant name dropping。 if you're interested in the issues of environmental justice， I might recommend skipping this one。 。。。more

LTown ，

Great look into how people in poverty are treated in the south and what’s being done about it。

Caroline ，

Read for labor history class。 Flowers has such an interesting life and is a compelling author。 Some details felt unnecessary at times but， overall， the book portrayed many aspects of an often forgotten America。 Would recommend。

Samuel ，

A quick and easy read， but misnamed。 Far less of the book is about wastewater infrastructure and more about Ms。 Flowers accomplishments in the racial inequality realm。 At times， the book read as a memoir or auto-biography than a telling of her battle against "America's dirty secret"。 The writing style is also a little simplistic and formulaic， with Flowers explaining how she garnered support from big names in government and in non-profits。 Individual doesn't believe that issue exists， Ms。 Flower A quick and easy read， but misnamed。 Far less of the book is about wastewater infrastructure and more about Ms。 Flowers accomplishments in the racial inequality realm。 At times， the book read as a memoir or auto-biography than a telling of her battle against "America's dirty secret"。 The writing style is also a little simplistic and formulaic， with Flowers explaining how she garnered support from big names in government and in non-profits。 Individual doesn't believe that issue exists， Ms。 Flowers takes them on a tour of her home county， and then they believe and are astonished that such an issue exists in America。 Ms。 Flowers has seeimingly done a fantastic job of highlighting the wastewater inequality issue around the country with important stakeholders， but book read as a name-dropping， including those that were active with Ms。 Flower's parents。The book did accomplish its goal as I am now aware of an issue of which I was previously ignorant。 。。。more

Danielle ，

This one is getting 5 stars， not because it's a particularly good book - I'd probably give it 3 stars based on my engagement and enjoyment of the "read。" It's getting 5 stars because the author and the cause are so important。 I picked this book up months ago after hearing Flowers on NPR。 I was surprised I didn't know her name or her cause despite living in Louisiana and reading so much about justice initiatives。 Did you know that there are Americans with raw sewage in their lawns？ Did you know t This one is getting 5 stars， not because it's a particularly good book - I'd probably give it 3 stars based on my engagement and enjoyment of the "read。" It's getting 5 stars because the author and the cause are so important。 I picked this book up months ago after hearing Flowers on NPR。 I was surprised I didn't know her name or her cause despite living in Louisiana and reading so much about justice initiatives。 Did you know that there are Americans with raw sewage in their lawns？ Did you know tropical diseases thought to be eradicated from the US are back because of that raw sewage？ Did you know that we fine people who can't afford to replace their septic systems as if the reason they don't have updated systems isn't directly the result of not having any money？ Catherine Coleman Flowers knows about it and she's been trying to fix the problem for 20 years！My critiques that aren't reflected in the stars: Throughout much of the book I was overwhelmed by all the names of people mentioned。 While I understand the importance of giving credit， I feel like many of these names could have been saved for the acknowledgements。 Additionally， the part I wanted to know about - the waste - didn't get mentioned until the second half of the book。 I think this would have been a great book if it was written like Stevenson's Just Mercy alternating between the work and the people。 Regardless of my feelings about the text， this is important and Catherine Coleman Flowers should be a name you know and look out for because she is making a difference and deserves all the support。 。。。more

Cassandra ，

A very humbling book as Catherine Coleman Flowers gets help for her rural， Black community from all types of people， even those I'd thought to be villains。 I thought it was well written and very informative in the area of racial justice especially as it leads into the latter half of the book focused on environmental racism。While I already knew of these sanitation issues and the deep connection to racism， I had no idea it was so wide spread at 20-40% of people in rural communities and 10-20% over A very humbling book as Catherine Coleman Flowers gets help for her rural， Black community from all types of people， even those I'd thought to be villains。 I thought it was well written and very informative in the area of racial justice especially as it leads into the latter half of the book focused on environmental racism。While I already knew of these sanitation issues and the deep connection to racism， I had no idea it was so wide spread at 20-40% of people in rural communities and 10-20% overall。 One thing missing from the book， however， is the racism that forces people onto poor land。 To understand many of these issues and why they are caused by racism， check out Dorceta Taylor's book Toxic Communities。 Some of the communities had their resources stripped from them and are in fine locations。 The sewage issue is widespread， even in Atlanta， we had communities of color with septic tanks very close to the city center。 Nevertheless， in the end， some of these communities are in flood plains and have such high water tables， it would be better to move them， I suspect。 She mentions 65% of land might be unsuitable for septic systems in the US。 Of course， I see that moving communities can be cruel and blocking land from residential development is a last resort， but it does seem like it should be considered。Since some people seem surprised that activism in environmental racism would be proceeded by other forms of activism against racism， the first half of the book recounts the many feats that lead Catherine Coleman Flowers to her current roles， skills， and understanding。 I found them illuminating and essential to the story。 However， they detour from a story centered on sewage。 This story is centered on inequality and racism - which are keystones of a lot of environmental pollution and exploitation。 。。。more

Fran ，

The topic attracted me to the book， so I was mildly disappointed that it was half memoir。Nothing wrong with a memoir， and somewhat relevant to the author's intersection with the book topic。 My interest was mostly in the latter half。 I hope to find related stories of the policy and technology innovation addressing this situation across the US。 The topic attracted me to the book， so I was mildly disappointed that it was half memoir。Nothing wrong with a memoir， and somewhat relevant to the author's intersection with the book topic。 My interest was mostly in the latter half。 I hope to find related stories of the policy and technology innovation addressing this situation across the US。 。。。more

Marcia McLaughlin ，

A must read for all who want justice。 The challenge challenge is what to do。

Miranda Satterwhite ，

3。8 - It was hard to get through for a memoir。 I wish there was more details on the hardships that were overcome， especially in reference to the waste/fecal problem （main point of the book）。 It seemed almost like she would detail out one problem， then say she had another problem to face， then she would fix that。 It seemed like there was a bunch she has done with her life， and there was more than enough room to go into detail about the issues and resolution。 The book was definitely an introductio 3。8 - It was hard to get through for a memoir。 I wish there was more details on the hardships that were overcome， especially in reference to the waste/fecal problem （main point of the book）。 It seemed almost like she would detail out one problem， then say she had another problem to face， then she would fix that。 It seemed like there was a bunch she has done with her life， and there was more than enough room to go into detail about the issues and resolution。 The book was definitely an introduction into a deeper rooted issue in America， which was refreshing。 I had assumed this was about waste （recycling， reusing， pollution， etc。） but was I got was so much more than that。 It's about an issue that no one talks about， despite many events in the book taking place well over 10 years ago。 A huge highlight of the book was the fact that she didn't focus on the problems in her community， but rather， all the communities that was plagued by this issue。 It made the book more relatable， and helped to combat the ignorant response of "It's just one place。 That's not a big deal。" 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0