(Disclaimer: 20+ year resident of Boulder, Colorado, just up the road from Rocky Flats.)

I'm conflicted about this book: I enjoyed reading it very much, but the Rocky Flats story, with which I was unfamiliar, was appalling on pretty much every level. While I can certainly understand taking national defense seriously, I cannot understand the idea that national defense, during a time of peace, can be used as an excuse for slipshod production practices and--not to put too fine a point on it--to inadvertently poison everyone downwind, or downstream of your facility. The continual denial of any responsibility (or culpability) on the part of those contractors running the plant, as well as by the DOE,is outrageous.

The story of the grand jury was especially enraging. As was the tale of "pondcrete."

Graceful writing throughout (as befits someone who runs an MFA program). I have to say that I wasn't always enamored of the parallel narratives, and sometimes it felt like reading two separate (though equally interesting) books. My point being that I don't think that, ultimately, her personal and family tale was helped by (or helped to illuminate) the Rocky Flats tale.

Also, not an Allen Ginsburg fan, so I could have done without the appendix.

Recommended.