Wastelands

By Corban Addison

A book that John Grisham says he wishes he’d written himself, Wastelands isn’t a suspense novel, but it certainly hooks you like one. The nonfiction book tells the story of neighbors in rural North Carolina who unleash their inner Erin Brockovich when commercial pollution harms their health and homes. Plaintiffs include Elsie Herring, who endures racism and threats, and Don Webb, a farmer turned organizer against the large hog farming operation next door. Corban Addison, a lawyer, spent hundreds of hours talking to more than 60 people about this David vs. Goliath story.