Oneframe Studio Studio itibaren Jammalamadaka, Andhra Pradesh 522421, India
I remember the Bopal industrial disaster but not in any great detail when it actually occured and this is to my detriment. I wanted to learn about what actually happened as I still only have the vaguest recollections of Union Carbide and no real conception of the events that led to this disaster, or even it's true scope and legacy. I would like to have heard more on the legacy actually, but overall I enjoyed this book and I found the approach very well done. Books about disasters work best for me when they balance three elements in the account: 1. Historical context - so we understand the time, the situation, the current thinking at the time. This is essential in my view, to understanding how the events described could have happened. 2. Personal connection - we need to understand who the victims were, and those responsible for the event and the attempted rescus of victims 3. Detail on what caused the disaster - there is never just one cause. We need to understand the sequence of events, what was learned and how to prevent a recurrence This book does all these things well. The story is told through the eyes of several of the main protagonists. If anything, this detail is overdone and the book takes a long time to get to the main event. However that is nit-picking really - the events are built up in great detail and it is a complex story. Ultimately the pull and hold that Union Carbide had on its employees and the whole regaion is concerning - the authors explain very well how poor the region was and how UC was originally seen as a savior - at least until they began poisoning the water around Bopal. Ultimately it is a sad, depressing and familiar story. Major industry more concerned with efficiencies than safety despite protestations to the contrary, and those that suffer are the poorest in the world. We see it time and again. I would have like to here more about Bopal today, although this was touched upon also. A dreadful accident, made human in this book.