Books & Publications

The Secret History of
the War on Cancer

Reviews

"Davis performs a valuable service in exposing sordid failures to protect the population from known cancer hazards. Her book lays the groundwork for a fundamentally different approach, that of taking precautions to reduce hazards in the workplace and the environment."
— Barry Castleman, Red Orbit (read full text)

"Davis presents a good discussion for the lay public."
— Journal of Clinical Investigation (June 2008)

“Devra Davis has written a brave and brilliant book. It is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered why we’ve spent so much more effort treating cancer than preventing it.”
— Lisa Heinzerling, Georgetown University Law Center, and author of Priceless: On Knowing the Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing

“The Secret History of the War on Cancer should be read by everyone who believes that our governments have done an effective job of promoting our health.”
— David O. Carpenter, M.D., Director, Institute for Health and the Environment, State University of New York at Albany

“Devra Lee Davis writes with clarity, passion and unassailable precision. This book is fascinating blend of history, science, politics and medicine that reads like a novel.”
— David Servan-Schreiber, author of The Instinct to Heal

“With the mastery of a great writer Devra Davis takes the reader inside the successes, the failures, and the ambiguity of research on cancer.”
— Lorenzo Tomatis, MD, Former Director, International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization

“A breathtaking, impeccably documented wake-up call for what we should have done and what we must do!”
— Teresa Heinz Kerry, co-author of This Moment on Earth

“The Secret History of the War on Cancer is a masterful combination of scientific insights and investigative journalism. If you want to know why one in three Americans develops cancer, read this book.”
— Mitchell Gaynor, MD, President, Gaynor Integrative Oncology

“…several big ACS [American Cancer Society] contributors, are heavily invested in keeping the public from becoming fully informed of the risks of myriad chemicals to which we and our children are exposed…Money, it seems, trumps all. Treatment and cures are hefty profit generators, and it’s expensive to change or eliminate the use of potentially toxic chemicals…Kudos to Davis for stepping up to the plate.”
— Booklist, starred review

“…a detailed history of workplace and environmental carcinogens that predates Nixon's "war" on cancer in the '70s. … fascinating reading as Davis reviews the tobacco story and describes conditions in steel mills, copper smelters, chemical factories and plastics plants, where workers are exposed to insidious and lethal solvents and agents such as asbestos, benzene, formaldehyde and dioxin. She also immortalizes the many poor people in small towns next to waste dumps or downstream from hugely polluted rivers who died from cancer or whose children suffered birth defects. In almost every case, the offending corporation lied, denied, delayed or bought-off complaints, recruiting the best legal talent and, sad to say, even highly respected scientists.”
— Kirkus

“Davis writes with passion, driven by the conviction that premature deaths among her family members resulted from exposure to industrial toxins… The Secret History is a powerful call to action; recommended for most libraries.”
— LJExpress.com

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