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PREORDER THE BOOK

*SIGNED* They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals

$35.99

A landmark investigation of the chemical industry's decades-long campaign to hide the dangers of forever chemicals, told through the story of a small town on the frontlines of an epic public health crisis

In 2014, after losing several friends and relatives to cancer, an unassuming insurance underwriter in Hoosick Falls, New York, began to suspect that the local water supply was polluted. When he tested his tap water, he discovered dangerous levels of forever chemicals. This set off a chain of events that led to 100 million Americans learning their drinking water was tainted. Although the discovery came as a shock to most, the U.S. government and the manufacturers of these toxic chemicals—used in everything from lipstick and cookware to children’s clothing—had known about their hazards for decades.

In They Poisoned the World, investigative journalist Mariah Blake tells the astonishing story of this cover-up, tracing its roots back to the Manhattan Project and through the postwar years, as industry scientists discovered that these chemicals refused to break down and were saturating the blood of virtually every human being. By the 1980s, manufacturers were secretly testing their workers and finding links to birth defects, cancer, and other serious diseases. At every step, the industry’s deceptions were aided by our government’s appallingly lax regulatory system—a system that has made us all guinea pigs in a vast, uncontrolled chemistry experiment.

Drawing on years of on-the-ground reporting and tens of thousands of documents, Blake interweaves the secret history of forever chemicals with the moving story of how a lone village took on the chemical giants—and won. From the beloved local doctor to the young mother who took her fight all the way to the nation’s capital, citizen activists in Hoosick Falls and beyond have ignited the most powerful grassroots environmental movement since Silent Spring.

Humane and revelatory, this book will provoke outrage—and hopefully inspire the change we need to protect the health of every American for generations to come.

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COME TO THE LAUNCH EVENT

About the Eastern Panhandle Community Read

The Eastern Panhandle Community Read is a regional reading initiative created to bring neighbors, educators, advocates, and readers together around one shared story—and the urgent conversations it inspires.

Each year, Four Seasons Books selects a single powerful book that speaks to the unique challenges, values, and voices of our Appalachian communities. Through that book, we invite the public to read together, reflect deeply, and take part in a series of events that blend literature, civic engagement, and collective action.
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More than a book club, this is a movement rooted in the belief that storytelling can spark change—and that the most important conversations start with a shared page.

What It Includes:

• A featured Community Read title chosen for its relevance, power, and resonance
• Monthly book club meetings at Four Seasons Books and partner sites
• Public programs and speaker events in collaboration with local organizations
• A capstone author event with the book’s creator, open to all
• Resources and materials for schools, libraries, and community groups

​Our 2025 Pick:

They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals by Mariah Blake
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A fearless investigation into the global spread of “forever chemicals,” the corporations behind them, and the people fighting back.
This year’s selection is especially personal. With Jefferson County facing its own water contamination battles, They Poisoned the World gives us the chance to learn, connect, and organize through story.