I am about halfway through Sandra Steingraber’s new book “Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis” and I can’t wait any longer to tell you what an interesting and worthwhile read it’s been.  It’s kind of hard to explain how a book that shares serious, often disturbing information can at the same time be so personal and empowering.  I’m sure the answer lies in the fact that Sandra is both a talented author and a real mom, who makes real mistakes, who lives in the real world -  like all of us.

As a mom with an ear to the ground on environmental health issues (ie. no BPA products for us, no vinyl toys, no canned food, etc) I sometimes wonder if I’ve heard it all.  Of course, I have not.  And then the real question emerges – do I want to hear more?

“… a steady onslaught of information about a problem over which people feel little sense of personal agency gives rise to futility.  Ironically, the more knowledgeable we are about such a problem, the more we are filled with paralyzing futility.  Futility, in turn, forestalls action.  But action is exactly what is necessary to overcome futility” (pg 46).

The truth is, I do want to hear more, but mostly in terms of what can be done about it.  And so far, that’s what Sandra delivers.  I was appalled to hear the story behind how pressure-treated-wood came to the market.  All of the sudden I realized, our hand-me-down wooden playground could be made of this poisonous substance!  So, off a sample goes to be tested for arsenic, a serious carcinogen (free tests available through The Safe Playground Project).  And, remember last year’s post about newly approved and highly dangerous strawberry pesticides in CA?  Sandra reminded me of this crazy industry decision, which spurred me to make sure that we are NEVER buying strawberries from California.

There’s a lot more to be said about Raising Elijah, and I expect I’ll be back with more later.  For now, let me say that if you want to be an informed parent this book is something you won’t want to miss.  I think it’s my next choice for book club!