Our House is on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet

by Jeanette Winter
Our House is on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet cover
Good Books rating 4.5
Technical
  • ID: 4902
  • Added: 2025-10-22
  • Updated: 2025-10-22
  • Reviews: 3
Reviews
amightygirl.com · Unknown · 2025-10-22
eye-opening 4.50

The book highlights the higher rates of environmental poisoning in communities of colour in the United States, leading to decreased IQ and increased health concerns. It argues that IQ is not innate and explores the systemic issues and personal responsibility in environmental racism.

In her 2019 book, Harriet A. Washington sheds light on the higher rates of environmental poisoning in communities of colour in the United States. This poisoning has led to a decrease in IQ and an increase in health concerns, behavioural issues, and even crime. The book argues that IQ is not innate, genetic, or impervious to change, and explores the systemic issues and personal responsibility in environmental racism. Washington highlights the pervasive 'blame the victim' mentality and the challenges of mitigating the effects of untested or unregulated levels of potentially harmful chemicals. The final chapters on individual actions seem like an afterthought, as purchasing water filters and air purifiers is a band-aid solution to a much larger problem. Canadian readers will notice parallels in contaminated drinking water and pipelines on Indigenous land and elevated cancer rates in African Nova Scotian communities close to landfills. The book is a well-researched and eye-opening read that explores environmental racism in an accessible way and should be required reading for anyone interested in racial justice.

Quick quotes

    Washington begins the book by exploring misconceptions and myths about intelligence and race, arguing that IQ is not innate, genetic, or impervious to change.

    Washington highlights the pervasive 'blame the victim' mentality that emphasizes personal responsibility as a way out of systemic racism.

    The final chapters on how an individual could lessen the effects of environmental toxins seemed like an afterthought.

goodreads.com · Unknown · 2025-10-22
harrowing 4.50

The book 'Our House is on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet' discusses the disproportionate impact of environmental crises on poor people of color, highlighting how environmental hazards affect intelligence and IQ. The author argues that environmental racism has led to cognitive damage in communities like Anniston, Alabama, where residents have been exposed to toxic chemicals for decades.

The book 'Our House is on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet' delves into the severe and often overlooked issue of environmental racism. The author, Harriet A. Washington, presents a compelling argument that environmental hazards disproportionately affect poor communities of color, leading to significant cognitive damage. One of the most striking examples is the town of Anniston, Alabama, where residents were exposed to toxic chemicals for decades without their knowledge. This exposure led to a range of health issues, including heart disease, kidney disease, and various cancers. The book also explores how historical and systemic racism has contributed to this problem, with policies like segregation and redlining trapping people in hazardous areas. The author emphasizes the need for stronger environmental regulations and public policy changes to address these issues. The book is a powerful call to action, highlighting the urgent need to protect vulnerable communities from environmental hazards.

Quick quotes

    They had been the victims of several industries and the U.S. government that had various types of noxious chemicals that were used in industry. And when the industry polluted the area, they did not inform the people, you know, that their water, for example, was rife with PCPs.

    For the same reasons they're disproportionately affected by many things. It's various racist policies that have persisted for decades - and in some cases centuries - have herded them into areas where they are exposed to toxins.

    The thing is that for fetuses and very young children, one drop in 118 bathtubs full can indeed be harmful. They have this exquisite vulnerability caused by the fact that their brains are still forming.

slj.com · Unknown · 2019-09-27
powerful 4.50

Harriet A. Washington's 'A Terrible Thing to Waste' explores the devastating impact of environmental racism on the American mind, particularly focusing on the reduction of IQ in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. The book highlights the intergenerational effects of lead poisoning and other environmental hazards, calling for systemic change and activism.

Harriet A. Washington's 'A Terrible Thing to Waste' is a powerful examination of environmental racism and its profound effects on the American mind. The book delves into the historical and ongoing assault on BIPOC communities through environmental hazards such as lead poisoning, which has intergenerational consequences, including reduced IQ and increased health issues. Washington argues that these problems are not merely outliers but systemic issues that require universal environmental solutions. She calls for a shift from personal responsibility to institutional accountability, advocating for policies that address the root causes of environmental racism. The book is a call to arms, urging readers to recognize the interconnectedness of environmental justice and social equity.

Quick quotes

    Washington focuses on IQ, in a way similar to Carson’s focus on small animals, especially birds. And, just as the loss of certain species of small animals seemed less important before the publication of Carson’s book, a few IQ points might seem insignificant to most Americans now. That shortsightedness will change after they’ve read Washington’s book.

    Washington identifies heavy metal poisoning, like lead, as an intergenerational health problem.

    Washington’s book asks the nation to switch from the dangerous “mantra of ‘personal responsibility’” and instead engage in what Columbia University historian and public health professor David Rosner calls “universalist environmental solutions.

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