When reading closer into Iverson’s Full Body Burden I have come to realize something. There are a lot of things that could bring people together. One of which- the one I think Iverson is trying to point out- is danger. The people who work at Rocky Flats have formed a sort of family. It is a dysfunctional family but they are still a family. Iverson states that the employees “looked out for one another on the job” (274). This made me question how could they not? When working in such a dangerous place one needs outlets. They need people who they can rely on to keep their spirits up on a day to day basis. Even though they don’t talk a lot about what is going on in the buildings having people who experience the same thing on a day to day basis is important. It is what brings them together to form this dysfunctional family.
When Iverson realizes that she wants to write the book about Rocky Flats she comes to the realization that her whole life is connected to Rocky Flats. “I can’t tell the story of the plant without telling the story of my family” (Iverson 283). I believe she means this in a deeper way than it would seem. Just looking at the quote you would think it is because everything was happening simultaneously, but I believe that she thinks they are connected because now she knows what it is like on the inside of the plant. The dysfunctional makeshift family that the employees have made and all the secrets really mirror her childhood. As a child Iverson couldn’t talk about her dad’s alcoholism. It was the biggest secret her family had and by keeping it a secret they tried to ignore it. Rocky Flats has a ton of secrets too. Their secrets just affect a lot more people.
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