Book cover of Dumping In Dixie: Race, Class, And Environmental Quality

Book description

To be poor, working-class, or a person of colour in the United States often means bearing a disproportionate share of the country's environmental problems. Starting with the premise that all Americans have a basic right to live in a healthy environment, Dumping in Dixie chronicles the efforts of five African…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Dumping In Dixie as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is it. The book that launched the environmental justice movement.

Scientists today frequently talk about environmental racism, about the way that harmful substances in our environments are not distributed randomly but instead disproportionately on communities of color, which in turn takes an enormous toll on the health of people living in those communities.

It was this book that forcefully made the case for seeing this phenomenon through the lens of civil rights. It exposed the widespread and systemic nature of environmental racism and made the case for responding to it with all the concepts, collective action, and policy strategies…

From James' list on the environment and health.

Robert Bullard’s book opened many eyes and minds to the stark realities of environmental injustice and environmental racism.

Originally published at the dawn of the new millennium, Dumping in Dixie remains fresh and relevant today.

This book helped give birth to an environmentalism that does not partition the world into sacred groves for the rich and sacrifice zones for the poor, but instead fights for clean air and water in the places where people live, work, and play. 

If you love Dumping In Dixie...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like Dumping In Dixie?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Dumping In Dixie.

Browse books like Dumping In Dixie

Book cover of Silent Spring
Book cover of Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Climate Change
Book cover of A Field of One's Own: Gender and Land Rights in South Asia

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,340

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Dumping In Dixie, you might also like...

Miami Beat by Jorge E. Goyanes,

Book cover of Miami Beat

Jose Castillo is a cynical, wise-cracking Cuban-American who restores classic cars. He’s also a private eye whose sarcastic ways sometimes get him into trouble.

One day, in the process of installing a four-barrel carburetor on a 1965 Mustang, into his shop walks trouble—in the shape of a mysterious, beautiful woman…

Bruce Songs by Kenneth Womack,

Book cover of Bruce Songs: The Music of Bruce Springsteen, Album-by-Album, Song-by-Song

Bruce Songs is an authoritative guide that offers an in-depth exploration of Bruce Springsteen's musical legacy. Covering Springsteen's entire discography, from "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." to "Only the Strong Survive", this unique book combines historical context, literary analysis, and meticulous research.

Unlike any other resource, it provides detailed analyses…

5 book lists we think you will like!