The memoir of Kristen Iverson was one fraught with familial pain, hardships in life, nuclear troubles, sadness, loss, etc. This memoir in my opinion was not written so we would look up to her or dislike our government. This was written for herself and for herself alone. This is easy to tell because she never really portrays herself as a great or anything more than she actually was throughout her life. My interpretation is that this was written so she could finally come to terms with the forced silence and hardship of her life. Iverson says, "The cost of silence and the secrets it contains is high, but you don't learn the price until later. Secrets depend upon the smooth facade of silence, on the calm flat water that hides the darker depths."(Iverson 300). Her entire life she kept silent about her father's alcoholism, plutonium, Rocky Flats, and other aspects. A person can not keep a secret forever without having told someone, this book was Iverson's way of releasing herself of the knowledge that burdened her. I thought this was a very well written memoir and I was happy to have read it because I feel as if we as a class helped to break her silence.
The eighth chapter finally tied in all the stories and people that had existed besides Iverson throughout the book. What struck me the most was the lawyer Peter Nordberg, who tirelessly fought to get the people around Rocky Flats compensation. The fact that all his work is undone after he dies makes me rather sad. His life had been wasted just so companies could downplay peoples pain and injuries to save money. This shows the sad truth that money overshadows thousands of human lives.
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