Toms River

A Story of Science and Salvation

By: Dan Fagin

Narrated by: Dan Woren

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • Winner of The New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Book Award • “A new classic of science reporting.”—The New York Times

The riveting true story of a small town ravaged by industrial pollution, Toms River melds hard-hitting investigative reporting, a fascinating scientific detective story, and an unforgettable cast of characters into a sweeping narrative in the tradition of A Civil Action, The Emperor of All Maladies, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

One of New Jersey’s seemingly innumerable quiet seaside towns, Toms River became the unlikely setting for a decades-long drama that culminated in 2001 with one of the largest legal settlements in the annals of toxic dumping. A town that would rather have been known for its Little League World Series champions ended up making history for an entirely different reason: a notorious cluster of childhood cancers scientifically linked to local air and water pollution. For years, large chemical companies had been using Toms River as their private dumping ground, burying tens of thousands of leaky drums in open pits and discharging billions of gallons of acid-laced wastewater into the town’s namesake river.

In an astonishing feat of investigative reporting, prize-winning journalist Dan Fagin recounts the sixty-year saga of rampant pollution and inadequate oversight that made Toms River a cautionary example for fast-growing industrial towns from South Jersey to South China. He tells the stories of the pioneering scientists and physicians who first identified pollutants as a cause of cancer, and brings to life the everyday heroes in Toms River who struggled for justice: a young boy whose cherubic smile belied the fast-growing tumors that had decimated his body from birth; a nurse who fought to bring the alarming incidence of childhood cancers to the attention of authorities who didn’t want to listen; and a mother whose love for her stricken child transformed her into a tenacious advocate for change.

A gripping human drama rooted in a centuries-old scientific quest, Toms River is a tale of dumpers at midnight and deceptions in broad daylight, of corporate avarice and government neglect, and of a few brave individuals who refused to keep silent until the truth was exposed.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR AND KIRKUS REVIEWS

“A thrilling journey full of twists and turns, Toms River is essential reading for our times. Dan Fagin handles topics of great complexity with the dexterity of a scholar, the honesty of a journalist, and the dramatic skill of a novelist.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Emperor of All Maladies

“A complex tale of powerful industry, local politics, water rights, epidemiology, public health and cancer in a gripping, page-turning environmental thriller.”—NPR

“Unstoppable reading.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Meticulously researched and compellingly recounted . . . It’s every bit as important—and as well-written—as A Civil Action and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”—The Star-Ledger

“Fascinating . . . a gripping environmental thriller.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“An honest, thoroughly researched, intelligently written book.”—Slate

“[A] hard-hitting account . . . a triumph.”—Nature

“Absorbing and thoughtful.”—USA Today

©2013 Dan Fagin (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Toms River is an epic tale for our chemical age. Dan Fagin has combined deep reporting with masterful storytelling to recount an extraordinary battle over cancer and pollution in a New Jersey town. Along the way—as we meet chemists, businessmen, doctors, criminals, and outraged citizens—we see how Toms River is actually a microcosm of a world that has come to depend on chemicals without quite comprehending what they might do to our health.” (Carl Zimmer, author of A Planet of Viruses and Parasite Rex)

"At once intimate and objective, Toms River is the heartbreaking account of one town's struggle with a legacy of toxic pollution. Dan Fagin has written a powerful and important book.” (Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe)

“An engaging and well-documented exposé about chemical contamination and the discovery of a cancer cluster . . . Toms River is a cautionary tale about the Faustian tradeoffs between unfettered economic growth and industrial pollution.” (New Jersey Monthly)

Wonderful writing - way too long and repetitive

Would you listen to Toms River again? Why?

No, I feel like I got everything I needed out of the story in one shot.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved to hear the very researched and interesting story of what CIBA-GEIGY did to Toms River, NJ - I was on the edge of my seat for the first half of the book

What does Dan Woren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I wouldn't have had the time to read it. However on my hour and a half drive to and from work, it was perfect to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but it would need to be seriously edited for that to happen.

Any additional comments?

I really loved the beginning of this book, and have recommended it to everyone I know... That being said, I decided to stop listening to it midway thru... It didn't need to be as long as it was - There was a lot of information repeated over and over with slight differences, and I just didn't want to hear them again. Now, I LOVED to hear the accounts the first time tho, so I do recommend the book... I just wish it was at least half the length it was...

Too technical!

It was somewhat interesting, but way to technical and way too long. I understand the importance of the situation but as a reader I feel it could have been condensed.

Great read

Toms River is a story about the scientists and doctors who identified pollutants that caused cancer only to be ignored for years.

This is about the residents of a small town that were lied to by a mega corporation.

The book chronicles the life of a young boy whose body was ravaged with cancer since birth.

The story details a handful of strong determined towns people who stayed brave , didn’t give up and refused to keep quiet so the truth finally could be exposed.

Fascinating, and Upsetting

This novel's kindled inside me a new fascination with industrial waste, and I never thought I'd be writing that sentence. As a homeowner with two little girls though, this book showed me how complacency in current local events can literally kill, while having wherewithal to stand up against the powers that be (big business, politics) is sometimes all that can save a few lives. I'd rate this five stars, but the narrator's voice--while professional--does come off a little dry. That might be because of the subject matter, hence just one star off 5, but I did have to change the book to podcasts a couple times while driving long distance. I will say though this novel has profoundly impacted me, and I am strongly considering purchasing this for all the members of my town board.

Complex but extremely well researched & written

I live in neighboring Lavallette NJ and had vaguely heard about the Toms River cancer cluster over the years. This book is an amazing and detailed account of the whole story. My heart breaks for the families affected. Dan Fagin is to be applauded for this work. Dan Woren’s narration is well done.

Epic, frightening and eye opening

An excellently executed well rounded true story which you wish was fiction. I'm sure this is the tip of the iceberg that we have already hit but we are too busy feasting and dancing on deck to notice. So well done and presented but a long and arduous story to endure....a must read though

Well researched and told

Even though this fine piece of environmental journalism is a horror story, I didn't shrink from it. Events and eras unfold in a compelling way.

Emotional read that will leave you

Tom’s River is a must-read for anyone interested in public health. I felt a range of emotions, mostly disappointment, as I listened to what the families of Tom’s River endured. They never really got the answers they had hoped for. This was also a very eye opening tale of how enough money can make issues just disappear.

Wow, how did I miss Toms River?

Any additional comments?

I thought this was a fascinating and well-written book. I never found it boring. Of course I have been in the environmental, health and safety business for over 30 years, so it is right in my main area of interest. Somehow, during that period, I missed all the Toms River press, I really liked the way he brought in the science in an easy to understand fashion, especially the epidemiology discussion..

great story about science and environment

well told story that puts the pieces together over an extended period. The author does a good job of illustrating why uncertainty remains despite significant efforts to determine what caused the cancers in Tom's River.