If You Poison Us: Uranium and Native Americans

by Peter H. Eichstaedt, Peter H. Eichstaedt

The supply of uranium that fueled the Cold War came largely from the Four Corners area of the Colorado Plateau. Some of the richest deposits were found on the Navajo Reservation, where about one-fourth of the miners and millers were Native Americans. For nearly three decades in the face of growing evidence that uranium mining was dangerous, state and federal agencies neglected to warn the miners or to impose safety measures in the mines.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, History

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Peter Eichstaedt is the Africa editor for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting in The Hague. A veteran journalist, he has worked in locations worldwide, including Slovenia, Moldova, Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, and Uganda, where he was a senior editor for Uganda Radio Network. He is the author of If You Poison Us: Uranium and Native Americans.

Reviews

[Elexndra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Well written and researched! So sad for people affected

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author documents the health, environmental and spiritual impact of uranium mining on the Navajo and Pueblo nations of the Southwest and details the very sad relationship between the Native nations and the US government . Detailed and well researched, this book was challenging as a causal read, but the interviews in the appendix were deeply moving. I gave it 4 stars because the justice implications are immense for anyone interested in America's nuclear history or SW Native/ US govt. relations.

[b bb bbbb bbbbbbbb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked: (If I remember correctly) The author does a good job of documenting and giving historical context.. Covers the impact on the land and people of uranium mining in the southwest reservations. A sad book, with no happy ending.

[Peter Eichstaedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent exoloration of a health and environmental disaster that has been suffered by Native Americans in the Southwest.

[Antony Jauregui · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and accurate account of the uranium mining in the Navajo nation.