An in-person reading and conversation with author and Wall Street Journal reporter Kris Maher.

For two decades, the water in the taps and wells of Mingo County didn’t look, smell, or taste right. Could it be the root of the health problems—from kidney stones to cancer—in this Appalachian community? Environmental lawyer Kevin Thompson certainly thought so.

For seven years he waged an epic legal battle against Massey Energy, West Virginia’s most powerful coal company, and eventually uncovered the ruthless shortcuts that put the community’s drinking water at risk.

Desperate brings to life a rich cast of characters in Thompson’s story. It is a masterful work of investigative reporting about greed and denial, a revealing portrait of a town besieged by hardship and heartbreak, and an inspiring account of one tenacious environmental lawyer’s mission to expose the truth and demand justice.

Author Kris Maher joins us in person to discuss his work in conversation with Andrew Conte, Director of the center for Media Innovation at Point Park University.

Kris Maher has been a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal since 2005, writing about environmental issues, coal mining, labor, regional economics, and other topics. He has reported on the Flint water crisis, PFAS drinking water contamination, and Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine disaster. More recently, he wrote about the pandemic’s effect on families coping with remote learning. He lives in Pittsburgh with his son and daughter.

Desperate: The Battle for Clean Water in Appalachia