Chapter eight starts off with a quote that I really liked.
Iversen explains, “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 façade of
silence, on the calm flat water that hides the darker depths” (300). It caught
my eye because Rocky Flats and the government were keeping secrets from the community
and resulted in contamination and multiple sicknesses. If the government had just
informed the people surrounding the Rocky Flats area, could the diseases been
avoided? Why not make the surrounding areas off limits for people to live in? That
would have saved a numerous amount of lives.
This book
has taught me an important lesson, life is unpredictable. It may not turn out
the way expected. It could be for the best or not. Iversen explains a few
instances where life took an unexpected turn. Her mother’s life as well as Peter’s
take a turn for the bad. “The years ahead will bring a host of health problems
for my mother, including Alzheimer’s. Her health will decline so quickly we
will hardly know how to deal with it” (Iversen 308). Was Kris’s mother’s
health caused by Rocky Flats? Even though Peter’s health wasn’t caused by Rocky
Flats, it was really upset how his health turned out. Iversen states, “It turns
out that Peter had a heart problem, a birth defect. His heart is four times the
size it should be” (329). Life can also change for the better. Tamara had
cancer and brain tumors but despite that, a miracle happens to her. “Six months
later, Tamara and David are the parents of a healthy baby boy. They name him
Isaac” (Iversen 327). I think that may be one of my favorite parts of the book.
It was such a happy moment.
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