{"product_id":"a-terrible-thing-to-waste-harriet-a-washington","title":"A Terrible Thing to Waste; Harriet A. Washington","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFrom injuries caused by lead poisoning to the devastating effects of atmospheric pollution, infectious disease, and industrial waste, Americans of color are harmed by environmental hazards in staggeringly disproportionate numbers. This systemic onslaught of toxic exposure and institutional negligence causes irreparable physical harm to millions of people across the country--cutting lives tragically short and needlessly burdening the health care system. But these deadly environments create another insidious and often overlooked consequence: robbing communities of color, and America as a whole, of intellectual power.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe 1994 publication of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Bell Curve\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e and its controversial thesis, catapulted the topic of genetic racial differences in IQ to the forefront of a renewed and heated debate. Now, in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA Terrible Thing to Waste\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e, award-winning science writer Harriet A. Washington adds her incisive analysis to the fray, arguing that IQ is a biased and flawed metric, but that it is useful for tracking cognitive damage. She tears apart the spurious notion of intelligence as an inherited trait, using copious data that instead point to a different cause of the reported African American-white IQ gap: environmental racism--a confluence of racism and other institutional factors that relegate marginalized communities to living and working near sites of toxic waste, pollution, and insufficient sanitation services. She investigates heavy metals, neuro-toxins, deficient prenatal care, bad nutrition, and even pathogens as chief agents influencing intelligence to explain why communities of color are disproportionately affected--and what can be done to remedy this devastating problem.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFeaturing extensive scientific research and Washington's sharp, lively reporting, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA Terrible Thing to Waste\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e is sure to outrage, transform the conversation, and inspire debate.\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"FREEAIR Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46524663398722,"sku":"","price":9.23,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/8735\/3154\/files\/waste.jpg?v=1693071049","url":"https:\/\/shop.freeairbooks.com\/products\/a-terrible-thing-to-waste-harriet-a-washington","provider":"FREEAIR Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}