My New Friend, "MILL TOWN: Reckoning with What Remains" by Kerri Arsenault

 

Me and my new friend, "MILL TOWN" by Kerri Arsenault. It should be YOUR new friend, too.

Hi. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. You may not believe me, in which case, you have probably never met me. And if you did, you would probably say, "Yeah, books are probably your best bet." 

That's okay. 

Today I want to talk about a new friend I made, a new friend that I think is very important and one you should all make friends with, too. Not only make friends with, but talk about with other friends and your local and state representatives. 

My new friend's name is "MILL TOWN: Reckoning with What Remains" by Kerri Arsenault. My new friend is Kerri Arsenault's first book. Within the pages, she describes the many, many jobs she has undertaken over the years, but on the book jacket, it mentions how she is the book review editor for Orion magazine and a contributing editor at Lit Hub. Saying this is a stunning and accomplished debut book is an understatement.

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

In the town of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, where I live, the hometown library is called the Thompson Free. It is run by people who are constantly trying to bring events to the community. There is also a book club, and one of the selections was my new friend "MILL TOWN". I am not part of the book club (see the name of the blog or the old Groucho joke about not belonging to any club that would have me as a member), but I was interested to join in on a Zoom event with author Kerri Arsenault, as I had heard nothing but good things about the book, and I always find it interesting to hear writers talk. Especially writers who grew up in Maine. 

I had only read two chapters when I logged on to the Zoom event, but still enjoyed every moment of it, and was even able to ask her a few questions. Regardless of having had dental work that day, Ms. Arsenault was very generous with her time, very encouraging of conversation, and clearly passionate about her work, while still being easygoing. If you've got a little over an hour to spare, you can actually catch this book talk on YouTube by CLICKING HERE.

A BIT ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

"MILL TOWN: Reckoning with What Remains" tells the personal story of Kerri Arsenault growing up in Mexico, Maine, near the paper mill in Rumford, responsible for the economic survival for the area. Unfortunately, as we should all know, economic survival and public health do not always go hand-in-hand. This area in Maine became nicknamed "Cancer Valley" by its own residents because of the truly shocking inordinate amount of certain types of cancers that claim both men and women in the region. Many seem to inherently understand that the Mill and its pollution are at the heart of this public health issue, but no conclusive evidence can be drawn. More to the fact, one wonders if even conclusive evidence could change things. The area recognizes that the smell that permeates their town is the smell of pollution, the smell of potential sickness. But they also understand that it is the smell of money. 

My new friend is part memoir, and partly a call to environmental action and discussion. As the great Jonathan Lethem blurbs on the back cover, Arsenault's "pursuit of truth is as compassionate as it is relentless."

I am not lying when I say this project is personal for Arsenault:  both her grandfather and father died like so many others do in "Cancer Valley". And one need only read the book and acknowledgements to see how many people she talked to for the book died throughout the writing or before publication. 

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

I love that my new friend is not just a lecture. I find Arsenault's account of growing up happy in her mill town to be an interesting memoir. Her prose is exquisite, as fine as in any literary novel, which is important, I think, in nonfiction. 

What I love most is that Arsenault's scope is wide and holistic. This is not just an environmental treatise. Her discussions of the working class and the anti-union politicians who could care less about them are just as important as the dioxin levels and chlorine gassings--- because it is the anti-union politicians and the notion of profit over public health which makes such horrors possible. Kerri Arsenault knows these people, knows Maine, because she grew up here. You can't fake that, even if people do make you feel like an interloper at times after you have left. But she knows what drove Mexico to go from overwhelming support to Obama to overwhelming support for Trump, and understands it was hope for change both times, because the working class sees very little change that has an effect on their lives. 

We all have to learn, as Arsenault lays out, that environmental health is directly related to public health, sure, but also related to poverty and grossly unchecked capitalism. 

It is literally killing us. 

PERSONAL CHALLENGES FOR ME

I read through this book slowly (twice). The reason I my readings were slow is because I live with what some call Illness Anxiety, some call Health Anxiety, and yet others simply call being a Hypochondriac (exacerbated by the pandemic, but that's another story). Reading about the levels of dioxins not only in our water but in our bodies, the levels of pollution in a place called "Cancer Valley", and the fact that it can't be addressed without major economic upheaval, makes me anxious. I can't lie. This is no fault of the book, and it is important to know these things. I just have to work hard to stay out of my head. 

And I need to buy a heavy-duty water filtration system. 

PERSONALLY FUN FOR ME

While this book is not just for Maine readers, Maine readers (especially in the rural communities) will have extra insight. I was especially glad to read a brief section calling out former Congressman Bruce Poliquin's phoniness. He comes around my area to events like County Fairs, smiles his fake smile from his face that looks like Millhouse's dad from The Simpsons, then disappears. He is running for his old seat, and hope he will be thoroughly defeated again. 

Arsenault also has a section on her fight against Nestle and I remember much of that from the news. 

More personally, her brief section on Roxanne Quimby, Burt's Bees, and Quimby's National Park made me smile. I went to school Roxanne's son and daughter, Lucas and Hannah. But I first met them when Roxanne was in a community theater production of Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward with my parents, and us kids would hand around waiting for the rehearsals to be over. 

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

There are too many beautiful quotes to begin sharing here. 

I do not read a ton of nonfiction, but I loved this book because it is an important book that speaks to the working class, and to everyone who cares about public health, the environment. What the working class feels forced to submit to is not only dangerous for them, but for all of us who can't afford to live upstream of the pollution. 

Seriously:  read it. 

Thanks for checking out my thoughts on my new friend. Come back soon and you'll meet another new friend of mine, every Monday and Thursday.