Toxic Tropics: A Horror Story of Environmental Injustice Jessica Oubli 9781951491345

An in-depth piece of comics journalism exploring the persistent use of the deadly chemical Chlordecone to support the banana crops in Martinique and Guadeloupe.

In 1975, pesticide producer LifeSciences closed their plant that produced the chemical chlordecone, after numerous employees had toxic chemical poisoning, and the local river had been polluted. But in the French Antilles, farmers continued to use the pesticide. Even after it was banned in 1993, planters continued to illegally import and use it. Chlordecone use became so widespread that it was in almost everything people on the islands ate and drank.

Today, 95% of the inhabitants of Guadeloupe and 92% of the inhabitants of Martinique are contaminated by the chemical, and the islands have one of the highest cancer rates in the world.

In this richly illustrated work, the author brings her personal experience and connection to the story as she interviews scores of local people as well as scientists and government officials to uncover the true story behind the decision to continue poisoning the water and the soil for the sake of global commerce. We, as global citizens, are urged to consider the decisions we are making through our consumer choices and how they affect the health of the planet and the survival of communities throughout the world.

• Possible author tour funded by a grant from the Villa Albertine.
• Potential strategic partnerships: The Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, Earth Justice, and more.
• Promotion through the author's and the artist's Instagram accounts: @jessicaoublie.bd and @nicola_gobbi
• Bookseller/Library promotions:
• ARC giveaways through the ABA Advance Access Newsletter
• Blad giveaways to librarians and educators who attend the San Diego Public Library Programming at San Diego ComicCon
• Book giveaways at the Brooklyn Book Festival, and Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD.

About the Author
Jessica Oublie studied art history and was the editor of the magazine Africultures. She worked with artist Marie-Ange Rousseau to create a graphic novel on institutionalized West Indian emigration from the 1920s to the 1960s, which won the France Culture Student Prize for Political Comics. After settling in Guadeloupe, she discovered the impact of chlordecone on the health of the people, the land, and the water, and is working to bring it to the attention of the world. Follow the author on Instagram @jessicaoublie.bd Nicola Gobbi has created several graphic novels and children's books in Italy, and then she moved to Paris, where she lives now and continues to make books. Follow the artist on Instagram @nicola_gobbi


Book Information
ISBN 9781951491345
Author Jessica Oubli
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Street Noise Books
Publisher Street Noise Books