Synopses & Reviews
Highly readable . . . . interdisciplinary history of a high order.
-- The Historian
Well-written and superbly documented . . . . Both physicians and lawyers will find this book useful and fascinating.
-- Journal of the American Medical Association
This is the first book-length historical study of medical malpractice in 19th-century America and it is exceedingly well done . . . . The author reveals that, beginning in the 1840s, Americans began to initiate malpractice lawsuits against their physicians and surgeons. Among the reasons for this development were the decline in the belief in divine providence, increased competition between physicians and medical sects, and advances in medical science that led to unrealistically high expectations of the ability of physicians to cure . . . . This book is well written, often entertaining and witty, and is historically accurate, based on the best secondary, as well as primary sources from the time period. Highly recommended.
-- Choice
Adept at not only traditional historical research but also cultural studies, the author treats the reader to an intriguing discussion of how 19th-century Americans came truly to see their bodies differently . . . . a sophisticated new standard in the field of malpractice history.
-- The Journal of the Early Republic
By far the best compilation and analysis of early medical malpractice cases I have seen . . . . this excellently crafted study is bound to be of interest to a large number of readers.
-- James C. Mohr, author of Abortion in America: The Origins and Evolution of a National Policy
Review
"Provides a timely and necessary counter-balance to the incessant 'new economy' hype that touts Silicon Valley as the answer to the myriad economic and environmental challenges around the world. This comprehensive overview helps to peel away the veneer by using an innovative combination of research methods, including direct participatory research. It raises disturbing and compelling concerns by examining the many environmental and gender injustices that have been at the center of the 'Silicon Valley miracle.' An important contribution to the key debates of the twenty-first century about sustainable development."-Ted Smith,Executive Director, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
Review
"This landmark study adds significantly to our understanding of both the underside of Silicon Valley and the high-tech industry in specific, and the historic links between social inequality and environmental inequality in general. The authors also leave us with a sense of hope by offering examples of effective movements for justice."-Karen Hossfeld,San Francisco State University
Review
"An important contribution to the contemporary critique of high tech industry." -Contemporary Sociology,
Review
"Offers a lot for the general reader. The authors must be congratulated."-International Migration Review,
Review
"Powerful and passionate exposé"-Journal of American Ethnic History,
Review
"Provides a timely and necessary counter-balance to the incessant 'new economy' hype that touts Silicon Valley as the answer to the myriad economic and environmental challenges around the world. This comprehensive overview helps to peel away the veneer by using an innovative combination of research methods, including direct participatory research. It raises disturbing and compelling concerns by examining the many environmental and gender injustices that have been at the center of the 'Silicon Valley miracle.' An important contribution to the key debates of the twenty-first century about sustainable development."
"This landmark study adds significantly to our understanding of both the underside of Silicon Valley and the high-tech industry in specific, and the historic links between social inequality and environmental inequality in general. The authors also leave us with a sense of hope by offering examples of effective movements for justice."
"An important contribution to the contemporary critique of high tech industry."
"Offers a lot for the general reader. The authors must be congratulated."
"Powerful and passionate exposé"
Review
"Powerful and passionate exposé"
Synopsis
Next to the nuclear industry, the largest producer of contaminants in the air, land, and water is the electronics industry. Silicon Valley hosts the highest density of Superfund sites anywhere in the nation and leads the country in the number of temporary workers per capita and in workforce gender inequities. Silicon Valley offers a sobering illustration of environmental inequality and other problems that are increasingly linked to the globalization of the world's economies.
In The Silicon Valley of Dreams, the authors take a hard look at the high-tech region of Silicon Valley to examine environmental racism within the context of immigrant patterns, labor markets, and the historical patterns of colonialism. One cannot understand Silicon Valley or the high-tech global economy in general, they contend, without also understanding the role people of color play in the labor force, working in the electronic industry's toxic environments. These toxic work environments produce chemical pollution that, in turn, disrupts the ecosystems of surrounding communities inhabited by people of color and immigrants. The authors trace the origins of this exploitation and provide a new understanding of the present-day struggles for occupational health and safety.
The Silicon Valley of Dreams will be critical reading for students and scholars in ethnic studies, immigration, urban studies, gender studies, social movements, and the environment, as well as activists and policy-makers working to address the needs of workers, communities, and industry.
Synopsis
Examines the environmental racism at the foundation of the Silicon Valley economy
Next to the nuclear industry, the largest producer of contaminants in the air, land, and water is the electronics industry. Silicon Valley hosts the highest density of Superfund sites anywhere in the nation and leads the country in the number of temporary workers per capita and in workforce gender inequities. Silicon Valley offers a sobering illustration of environmental inequality and other problems that are increasingly linked to the globalization of the world's economies.
In The Silicon Valley of Dreams, the authors take a hard look at the high-tech region of Silicon Valley to examine environmental racism within the context of immigrant patterns, labor markets, and the historical patterns of colonialism. One cannot understand Silicon Valley or the high-tech global economy in general, they contend, without also understanding the role people of color play in the labor force, working in the electronic industry's toxic environments. These toxic work environments produce chemical pollution that, in turn, disrupts the ecosystems of surrounding communities inhabited by people of color and immigrants. The authors trace the origins of this exploitation and provide a new understanding of the present-day struggles for occupational health and safety.
The Silicon Valley of Dreams will be critical reading for students and scholars in ethnic studies, immigration, urban studies, gender studies, social movements, and the environment, as well as activists and policy-makers working to address the needs of workers, communities, and industry.
Synopsis
Examines environmental inequality and racism in our globalized culture as evidenced by the social demographics of Silicon Valley.
About the Author
David Naguib Pellow is Don A. Martindale Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of Garbage Wars: The Struggle for Environmental Justice in Chicago and Urban Recycling and the Search for Sustainable Community Development, and co-author of The Slums of Aspen: Immigrants vs. the Environment in America's Eden and The Silicon Valley of Dreams: Immigrant Labor, Environmental Injustice, and the High Tech Global Economy, with Lisa Sun-Hee Park, available from NYU Press.
Lisa Sun-Hee Park is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota. She is the author of Consuming Citizenship: Children of Asian Immigrant Entrepreneurs and the co-author, with David Pellow, of The Slums of Aspen: Immigrants vs. the Environment in America's Eden and Silicon Valley of Dreams: Immigrant Labor, Environmental Injustice, and the High Tech Global Economy, also available from NYU Press.
Table of Contents
Early history and the struggle for resources -- The valley of the heart's delight -- The emergence of Silicon Valley -- The political economy of work and health in Silicon Valley -- The core -- The periphery -- Beyond Silicon Valley -- Toward environmental and social justice in Silicon Valley, USA, and beyond -- The broader picture.