
A New War on Cancer
The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention
224 pages
6 x 9
For more than fifty years, we have been waging, but not winning, the war on cancer. We’re better than ever at treating the disease, yet cancer still claims the lives of one in five men and one in six women in the US. The astonishing news is that up to two-thirds of all cancer cases are linked to preventable environmental causes. If we can stop cancer before it begins, why don’t we?
That was the question that motivated Kristina Marusic’s revelatory inquiry into cancer prevention. In searching for answers, she met remarkable doctors, scientists, and advocates who are upending our understanding of cancer and how to fight it. They recognize that we will never reduce cancer rates without ridding our lives of the chemicals that increasingly trigger this deadly disease.
Most never imagined this role for themselves. One scientist grew up without seeing examples of Indian-American women in the field, yet went on to make shocking discoveries about racial disparities in cancer risk. Another leader knew her calling was children’s health, but realized only later in her career that kids can be harmed by invisible pollutants at their daycares. Others uncovered surprising links between cancer and the everyday items that fill our homes and offices.
For these individuals, the fight has become personal. And it certainly is personal for Berry, a young woman whose battle with breast cancer is woven throughout these pages. Might Berry have dodged cancer had she not grown up in Oil City, Pennsylvania, in the shadow of refineries? There is no way to know for sure. But she is certain that, even with the best treatment available, her life was changed irrevocably by her diagnosis. Marusic shows that, collectively, we have the power to prevent many cases like Berry’s. The war on cancer is winnable—if we revolutionize the way we fight.
"In this series of engaging profiles linked by an overarching investigation into the negative impacts of chemical pollution, readers will find themselves learning from researchers, health advocates, lawyers, and community activists about the many insidious ways cancer has been invited into our daily lives….This is a surprising and significant look at cancer research, an eye-opening book readers will feel compelled to talk about with everyone they know."
Booklist, Starred
"This is a quest to find the doctors who are not just treating people with cancer but looking to identify and tackle its causes, often linked to environmental pollution and chemical exposure. If you or anyone you know has ever suffered the indignity of cancer or chemo, this book offers a healthy dose of heroism and — dare I say it — hope."
The Revelator
"A New War on Cancer, Pittsburgh’s Kristina Marusic’s deeply reported book about the environmental causes of cancer, is infuriating, sobering and challenging…. Her passionate, advocacy journalism interweaves the stories of people on the front lines of environmental activism with facts that make you wonder how the fossil fuel industry continues to get away with making us sick."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"In this big-hearted book, Kristina Marusic profiles the everyday champions of the most important battlefront in the ‘war on cancer’: the too-often overlooked movement to prevent environmental illness instead of just to survive it."
Dan Fagin, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation
"Extraordinary journalist Kristina Marusic not only makes the case for a new war on cancer, she tells deeply human stories that inspire us to think beyond the defeatist myths of consumerism and confront polluters in our own communities. Best of all, her book helps those of us already diagnosed with cancer see ourselves as determined warriors."
Sandra Steingraber, author, Living Downstream: A Biologist’s Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment
"Kristina Marusic alerts us to a hidden but deadly crisis: the threat that everyday chemicals pose to our health and that of future generations. Readers can’t help but be drawn into this alarming story, vividly told through the lives of those affected."
Shanna Swan, author of Count Down and Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
"For decades, the ‘war on cancer’ has neglected environmental justice and the need to rid the nation of harmful chemicals. Marusic’s dramatic account puts a human face on the struggle to right this wrong. An excellent book!"
Robert D. Bullard, Director, Bullard Center for Environmental & Climate Justice, Texas Southern University
"An urgent exposé on the need for truly comprehensive cancer prevention."
Doris Browne, former Program Director, National Cancer Institute and 118th President, National Medical Association
Foreword by Philip J. Landrigan
Introduction
Chapter 1. Laurel: Safer Nourishment through Science
Chapter 2. Ami: Safer Beauty through Racial Justice
Chapter 3. Nse: Safer Little Ones through Politics
Chapter 4. Bill: Safer Homes and Offices through Market Pressure
Chapter 5. B. Braun: Safer Medical Treatment through Innovation
Chapter 6. Melanie: Safer Neighborhoods through Activism
Epilogue: Moving Beyond Survival
Acknowledgments
Appendix
Notes
Index
About the Author
Journalist and author Kristina Marusic will discuss her new book, A New War on Cancer, out on May 11, which profiles a growing national movement to prevent cancer by reducing our exposure to cancer-causing chemicals in our everyday lives.
Fifty years into the “war on cancer,” we’re better than ever at treating cancer, but one in six people in the U.S. and around the world still die from the disease. The astonishing news is that up to two-thirds of all cancer cases are linked to preventable environmental causes. If we can stop cancer before it begins, why don’t we?
That was the question that motivated Marusic’s revelatory inquiry into cancer prevention. In searching for answers, she met remarkable doctors, scientists, and advocates who are upending our understanding of cancer and how to fight it by working to rid our lives of the deadly chemicals that trigger the disease.
White Whale couldn't be happier to host Kristina Marusic in celebration of her nonfiction book, A New War on Cancer! Kristina will be in conversation with Dani Wilson, Executive Director of the Cancer and Environment Network of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
For more than fifty years, we have been waging, but not winning, the war on cancer. We’re better than ever at treating the disease, yet cancer still claims the lives of one in five men and one in six women in the US. The astonishing news is that up to two-thirds of all cancer cases are linked to preventable environmental causes. If we can stop cancer before it begins, why don’t we?
That was the question that motivated Kristina Marusic’s revelatory inquiry into cancer prevention. In searching for answers, she met remarkable doctors, scientists, and advocates who are upending our understanding of cancer and how to fight it. They recognize that we will never reduce cancer rates without ridding our lives of the chemicals that increasingly trigger this deadly disease.
Most never imagined this role for themselves. One scientist grew up without seeing examples of Indian-American women in the field, yet went on to make shocking discoveries about racial disparities in cancer risk. Another leader knew her calling was children’s health, but realized only later in her career that kids can be harmed by invisible pollutants at their daycares. Others uncovered surprising links between cancer and the everyday items that fill our homes and offices.
For these individuals, the fight has become personal. And it certainly is personal for Berry, a young woman whose battle with breast cancer is woven throughout these pages. Might Berry have dodged cancer had she not grown up in Oil City, Pennsylvania, in the shadow of refineries? There is no way to know for sure. But she is certain that, even with the best treatment available, her life was changed irrevocably by her diagnosis. Marusic shows that, collectively, we have the power to prevent many cases like Berry’s. The war on cancer is winnable—if we revolutionize the way we fight.
Kristina Marusic is an author and award-winning journalist who covers environmental health and justice for Environmental Health News. She holds an MFA in nonfiction writing from the University of San Francisco, and her personal essays and reporting on topics ranging from the environment, LGBTQ+ equality, and politics to feminism, food, and travel have been published by outlets including CNN, Slate, Vice, Women's Health, the Washington Post, MTV News, The Advocate, and Bustle, among others. She lives in Pittsburgh with her partner of ten years, Michael, and the cutest dog in the world, Mochi. Visit her online at KristinaMarusic.com
Dani Wilson is a macro social worker and strategic director of the Cancer & Environment Network of Southwest Pennsylvania, a group that envisions eliminating environmental threats that contribute to high rates of cancer in SWPA.
“If we can stop cancer before it begins, why don’t we?”
This question motivated a deep-dive inquiry into cancer prevention for award-winning journalist Kristina Marusic. Her exploration uncovered an often invisible community of creative, talented individuals who dedicate their careers to identifying and challenging environmental drivers of cancer.
Marusic shares the stories of some of these changemakers in her recently released book A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention.
“In searching for answers, she met remarkable doctors, scientists, and advocates who are upending our understanding of cancer and how to fight it. They recognize that we will never reduce cancer rates without ridding our lives of the chemicals that increasingly trigger this deadly disease.”
In this CHE Café conversation, Marusic will share highlights from her book including current cancer trends, and the latest scientific evidence linking cancer with exposure to chemicals found in consumer products and our food, water and air.
She’ll then be joined by one of the heroes profiled in the book — Children’s Environmental Health Network Executive Director Nsedu Obot Witherspoon — as well as renowned biologist, author, activist, and cancer survivor, Dr. Sandra Steingraber. The group will explore the power of storytelling as a tool for communicating complex scientific issues, and reaching people in ways that motivate action for change.
This CHE Café conversation will be co-hosted by The New School at Commonweal, and moderated by CHE Director Kristin Schafer.
“The war on cancer is winnable — if we revolutionize how we fight.” - Kristina Marusic
Kristina Marusic is an author and journalist who covers issues related to environmental health and justice for Environmental Health News. A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention is her first book. She's received recognition or awards from the Society of Environmental Journalists, the Association of Health Care Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Institute of Health Care Management, the Group Against Smog and Pollution, and the Carnegie Science Center for reporting on environmental health and justice. Marusic is also the co-founder of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Association of LGBTQ Journalists (a.k.a. NLGJA), and previously worked as a freelance journalist covering LGBT equality, feminism, social and environmental justice, activism, and politics with bylines at CNN, Slate, Vice, Women's Health, the Washington Post, MTV News, The Advocate, Logo TV's NewNowNext, and Bustle, among others. She believes true, well-told stories have the power to change the world for good.
Sandra Steingraber, PhD, a Senior Scientist with the Science and Environmental Health Network, is the author of a trilogy of award-winning books on environmental health: Living Downstream: An Ecologist’s Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment (adapted as a documentary film in 2010); Having Faith: An Ecologist’s Journey to Motherhood; and Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis. Steingraber’s honors for her work as researcher and science writer include the Rachel Carson Leadership Award, the American Ethical Union’s Elliot-Black Award, and, in 2011, the Heinz Award. By donating the Heinz cash prize to the anti-fracking movement, she became, in 2012, co-founder of New Yorkers Against Fracking, a statewide coalition of hundreds of grassroots organizations that helped win a statewide ban on fracking in 2015. The 2018 documentary film Unfractured told the story of New York State’s fracking ban, featuring Steingraber as its subject. Steingraber was a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York from 2003-2021.
Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, MPH is the Executive Director for the Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN) and a key spokesperson for children’s vulnerabilities and the need for their protection. She holds leadership roles in many spaces, including the External Science Board for the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes at NIH, the Health/Science initiative of the Cancer Free Economy Network and the National Environmental Health Partnership Council. Witherspoon is also member of the Board for Pesticide Action Network North America and the Environmental Integrity Project, and serves on the Maryland Children’s Environmental Health Advisory Council. One of CEHN’s leadership awards, the Nsedu Obot Witherspoon (NOW) Youth Leadership Award, is named in her honor. She is also a recent recipient of the William R. Reilly Award in Environmental Leadership from the Center for Environmental Policy at American University and the Snowy Egret Award from the Eastern Queens Alliance. Witherspoon is a proud mom to four children.
Long building, 204 room, 2:30 - 3:30
Limited spaces are available for each author talk, and free registration is required. Stay tuned for the complete schedule. Join the email list on our website.
In A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention, award-winning journalist Kristina Marusic shows that, collectively, we have the power to prevent many cases of cancer. That’s because two-thirds of all cancer cases are linked to preventable environmental causes from exposure to toxics. Kristina asks the question, if we can stop cancer before it begins, why don’t we? And, most importantly, how do we?
During this event, Kristina will weave together stories about the remarkable doctors, scientists, and advocates who are upending our understanding of cancer and how to fight it. The war on cancer is winnable—if we revolutionize the way we fight.
Kristina Marusic is an author and award-winning journalist who covers environmental health and justice for Environmental Health News. She holds an MFA in nonfiction writing from the University of San Francisco, and her personal essays and reporting on topics ranging from the environment, LGBTQ+ equality, and politics to feminism, food, and travel have been published by outlets including CNN, Slate, Vice, Women's Health, the Washington Post, MTV News, The Advocate, and Bustle, among others. She lives in Pittsburgh with her partner of ten years, Michael, and the cutest dog in the world, Mochi. Visit her online at KristinaMarusic.com
Plastic is everywhere. The air we breathe, the foods we eat, the homes we live in, and the bodies we occupy are filled with micro- and nanoplastics. As plastic continues breaking down into tinier pieces, it infiltrates every element of our world. How is this toxin affecting our bodies and the bodies of our children?
Two-thirds of all cancer cases are linked to preventable environmental causes. Medical advances continue to improve disease treatment, yet cancer still claims the lives of one in five men and one in six women in the US. Is the rise in cancer related to a rise in plastic pollution?
We can’t buy our ways out of the omnipresence of plastic pollution. It’s time for a different approach. One where we venture beyond personal responsibility and into the sphere of corporate accountability and political will.
Join Island Press for a conversation with Kristina Marusic, author of A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention, and Matt Simon, author of A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies. Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics, Bennington College professor and former EPA regional administrator, will moderate and add her powerful perspective.
Read the foreword and introduction below or download it here.
In a new op-ed published in collaboration with the Urban Resilience Project, Kristina Marusic (author of A New War on Cancer) makes her case for what the next phase of President Biden's Cancer Moonshot should entail.
Marusic writes:
Our existing chemical regulations—or lack thereof—represent a vast, untapped potential for cancer prevention, and Biden could effectively mobilize the numerous federal agencies needed to address the scale of this crisis.
Biden’s plan will be a powerful tool when it comes to treating Americans who already have the disease. But it will only be truly revolutionary if it also includes specific, concrete plans to protect us from the chemicals giving us cancer in the first place.
Read the full piece published in The Progressive HERE.
In a new op-ed published in collaboration with Island Press, Kristina Marusic (author of A New War on Cancer) pushes back against attempts to normalize cancer as an inevitability.
Marusic writes:
Any cancer survivor will tell you they’d have preferred prevention over a cure. Treatment is painful and many survivors experience side effects and additional health problems related to the disease or its treatment that linger for a lifetime. This outlook posits that survival is all that matters and is the best we should dare hope for, denying the universal human desire for a healthy, comfortable quality of life for ourselves and the people we love.
Suggesting that we should no longer worry about preventing cancer because treatments have gotten better is like saying cars have gotten much safer, so none of us should bother wearing seatbelts anymore.
Read the full piece published in Environmental Health News HERE.