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Yellow Dirt: An American Story of a Poisoned Land and a People Betrayed Audiobook
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(3.11) - 150 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From the 1930s to the 1960s, the United States knowingly used and discarded an entire tribe of people. The Navajo worked unprotected in the uranium mines that fueled the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. Long after these mines were abandoned, Navajos in all four corners of the Reservation (which borders Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona) continued grazing their animals on sagebrush flats riddled with uranium that had been blasted from the ground. They drank contaminated water from old pits, which had filled with rain. They built their houses out of chunks of yellowcake, they inhaled radioactive dust borne aloft from the waste piles the mining companies had left behind, and their children played in the unsealed mines themselves. Ten years after the mines closed, the cancer rate on the reservation shot up and the babies began to be born with crooked fingers that fused together into claws as they grew. Scientists filed complaints about the situation with the government but were told it was a mess "too expensive" to clean up.
Few had heard this story until Judy Pasternak exposed it in a prizewinning Los Angeles Times series. Her work not only inspired this book, which is already a winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Work-In-Progress Award, it also galvanized both a congressman and a famous prosecutor to clean the sites and get reparations for the tribe. Yellow Dirt powerfully chronicles both the scandal of neglect and the Navajo's fight for justice.
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"It took me several months to read this book. Every time I reached the point where my heart was breaking I had to put it away for a bit. And unfortunately that happened a lot throughout this book. Judy Pasternak brought the reality of greed and corruption in our government and the corporate world to light. The pain and suffering they caused the Navaho Nation is unbelievable! My heart goes out to all the families affected by this betrayal. Amazing read!"
— Carol (5 out of 5 stars)
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An explosive account.... Disturbing and well-documented.
— Kirkus Starred Review
Yellow Dirt Listener Reviews
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" Fascinating story, but rather poorly written. I've been to areas of Monument Valley, Grand Junction and the Navajo Reservation discussed in the book,so for that reason I found the book particularly interesting. And of course, the treatment of the Navajo by the US Gov't. makes me ill. "
— Carol, 1/19/2014 -
" They story of what happened to the Navajo Nation is terrible. The investigative writing of the events was well done. "
— Kathy, 1/3/2014 -
" Eye-opening account of Native Americans being f**d over again. This time it's radioactive uranium tailings on the Navajo reservation. Well written, but reading it became tedious toward the end. "
— FrankO, 11/22/2013 -
" This was an excellent book, although be prepared for the sad, frustrating neglect and exploitation - once again - of an indigenous community in the United States of America. Thank goodness for investigative journalism!! "
— Kim, 11/21/2013 -
" prepare to be angry the whole time you are reading this book. yet another true story of the US government abusing native americans and getting away with it. the page count is misleading because about 25 to 30 pages are reference pages. "
— Jan, 5/25/2013 -
" A disturbing account of one of the many terrible things done to the Navajo. The book is well-researched and reads easily. Some parts are just heart-wrenching, others beg the question "who the hell thought THAT was an okay thing to do?" "
— Patrick, 9/19/2012 -
" This was a wonderfully written account of the disgusting history of uranium mining in the Navajo nation. A piece of American history we should all learn. Highly recommend! "
— Andrea, 9/12/2012 -
" This is a great book. Pasternak did an excellent job of researching and getting the facts. Yellow Dirt is an easy read and has something for readers of all ages. Definitely gives you something to think about. "
— Sharon, 6/26/2012 -
" Just ok. Took too long to get where it was going. "
— Morgan, 6/24/2012 -
" Anyone who talks about nuclear energy as "green" needs to read this book and understand the human and environmental cost of uranium mining. "
— Curt, 1/14/2012 -
" the sad reality of what greed, fear, and wartime can do to our land and people. the Navajos are still suffering. "
— Faith, 10/9/2011 -
" Great reporting here, tragic story about the devastating effects of uranium mining on the Navajo people. I've seen enough of the area to picture everything she talks about. Such a collection of lessons about how wheels that don't squeak get no grease. "
— Barbara, 9/17/2011 -
" prepare to be angry the whole time you are reading this book. yet another true story of the US government abusing native americans and getting away with it. the page count is misleading because about 25 to 30 pages are reference pages. "
— Jan, 5/1/2011 -
" Great reporting here, tragic story about the devastating effects of uranium mining on the Navajo people. I've seen enough of the area to picture everything she talks about. Such a collection of lessons about how wheels that don't squeak get no grease. "
— Barbara, 1/14/2011 -
" This was an excellent book, although be prepared for the sad, frustrating neglect and exploitation - once again - of an indigenous community in the United States of America. Thank goodness for investigative journalism!! "
— Kim, 12/28/2010 -
" Fascinating story, but rather poorly written. I've been to areas of Monument Valley, Grand Junction and the Navajo Reservation discussed in the book,so for that reason I found the book particularly interesting. And of course, the treatment of the Navajo by the US Gov't. makes me ill. "
— Carol, 12/22/2010 -
" Just ok. Took too long to get where it was going. "
— Morgan, 10/13/2010
About Judy Pasternak
Judy Pasternak is a writer who lives near Washington, DC. An award-winning reporter, she worked for the Los Angeles Times for twenty-four years, in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, tackling subjects as varied as al-Qaeda’s private airline, a band of right-wing bank robbers, backstage maneuvering at Dick Cheney’s energy task force, and the giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way. She has won numerous awards for environmental and investigative journalism. Previously, she worked at the Detroit Free Press and Baltimore News American. She is married, with one son.
About Laural Merlington
Laural Merlington is an audiobook narrator with over two hundred titles to her credit and a winner of multiple Earphones Awards. An Audie Award nominee, she has also directed over one hundred audiobooks. She has performed and directed for thirty years in theaters throughout the country. In addition to her extensive theater and voice-over work, she teaches college in her home state of Michigan.