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Description
Toms RiverBy: Dan Fagin WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE Winner of The New York Public Librarys Helen Bernstein Book Award A new classic of science reporting.The New York Times The riveting true story of a small town ravaged by industrial pollution, Toms River melds hard hitting investigative reporting, a fascinating scientific detective story, and an unforgettable cast of characters into a sweeping narrative in the tradition of A Civil Action, The Emperor of All
By: Dan FaginWINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • Winner of The New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Book Award • “A new classic of science reporting.”—The New York Times
The riveting true story of a small town ravaged by industrial pollution, Toms River melds hard-hitting investigative reporting, a fascinating scientific detective story, and an unforgettable cast of characters into a sweeping narrative in the tradition of A Civil Action, The Emperor of All Maladies, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
One of New Jersey’s seemingly innumerable quiet seaside towns, Toms River became the unlikely setting for a decades-long drama that culminated in 2001 with one of the largest legal settlements in the annals of toxic dumping. A town that would rather have been known for its Little League World Series champions ended up making history for an entirely different reason: a notorious cluster of childhood cancers scientifically linked to local air and water pollution. For years, large chemical companies had been using Toms River as their private dumping ground, burying tens of thousands of leaky drums in open pits and discharging billions of gallons of acid-laced wastewater into the town’s namesake river.
In an astonishing feat of investigative reporting, prize-winning journalist Dan Fagin recounts the sixty-year saga of rampant pollution and inadequate oversight that made Toms River a cautionary example for fast-growing industrial towns from South Jersey to South China. He tells the stories of the pioneering scientists and physicians who first identified pollutants as a cause of cancer, and brings to life the everyday heroes in Toms River who struggled for justice: a young boy whose cherubic smile belied the fast-growing tumors that had decimated his body from birth; a nurse who fought to bring the alarming incidence of childhood cancers to the attention of authorities who didn’t want to listen; and a mother whose love for her stricken child transformed her into a tenacious advocate for change.
A gripping human drama rooted in a centuries-old scientific quest, Toms River is a tale of dumpers at midnight and deceptions in broad daylight, of corporate avarice and government neglect, and of a few brave individuals who refused to keep silent until the truth was exposed.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR AND KIRKUS REVIEWS
“A thrilling journey full of twists and turns, Toms River is essential reading for our times. Dan Fagin handles topics of great complexity with the dexterity of a scholar, the honesty of a journalist, and the dramatic skill of a novelist.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Emperor of All Maladies
“A complex tale of powerful industry, local politics, water rights, epidemiology, public health and cancer in a gripping, page-turning environmental thriller.”—NPR
“Unstoppable reading.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Meticulously researched and compellingly recounted . . . It’s every bit as important—and as well-written—as A Civil Action and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”—The Star-Ledger
“Fascinating . . . a gripping environmental thriller.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“An honest, thoroughly researched, intelligently written book.”—Slate
“[A] hard-hitting account . . . a triumph.”—Nature
“Absorbing and thoughtful.”—USA Today
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4.6 ★★★★★
Based on 22 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
High Quality Rolling Chair
Color: Black/Silver
My son LOVES this desk chair. He has a drafting table to draw and do schoolwork on, and this provides him a comfortable chair to work in. It is sturdy and easy to clean. It does not fold, but it does roll easily. It was VERY EASY to put together. We were also pleased with the price. He will be able to use it for years to come.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2026
★★★★★ 5
The Greatest Chair I've Ever Sat In
Color: Black/Silver, Color: Black/Silver
When I was a boy, my first office chair that I used for PC and laptop work growing up was this chair. This was back before 2010 so it likely wasn't under the Amazon Basics brand but it was the exact same chair design. I've used that chair my entire life really and only had to buy this chair as a replacement as the leather started peeling significantly on my old chair after over 20 years of use. Even though the leather was heavily peeled, my old chair was still extremely comfortable and I would've kept on using it had I not gotten annoyed with having to pick up leather bits and pieces everyday from the peeling. I bought this chair as a replacement and the comfort is still as I remembered. No lower back pain, no butt numbness, no arm numbness, truly such a masterpiece of a chair where it lets you focus on the task at hand instead of focusing on the chair. Before I rebought this chair, I've bought & tried the Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen, Furmax executive office chair, Neo executive office chair, RS high back gaming chair w/ flip-up armrests, Bestfair high-back office chair, FDW executive office chair, Herman Miller Aeron, and OFIKA executive office chair in search of a potential "upgrade" - every single one of these other chairs was inferior to the Amazon Basics high back office chair in one way or the other. The only thing I will note is that the pneumatic gas cylinder of the Amazon Basics office chair seems to be different from my original chair - it goes higher and has a higher minimum seat height. If you would like to perfectly replicate the original lower seat depth you will have to buy the S6124 extra short office chair gas lift cylinder from ChairPartsOnline - my only nitpick about such a phenomenal chair. In my attached picture I have the Amazon Basics chair w/ S6124 gas cylinder on the right next to the Furmax high-back office chair which although inferior is what I consider to be the 2nd best chair if for some reason you cannot get the Amazon Basics high-back office chair. To sum it up - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS CHAIR!!!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2025
★★★★★ 4
Comfortable Office Chair
Color: Black/Silver
I have had several office chairs here in my office. Even though this office chair was a bit difficult to assemble, it appears to be a quality item. I was NOT impressed with the instructions - at all. More specific instructions would have been nice. Only time will tell if this was a good purchase and this chair is a good value. Not a bad price for the item as well.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2026
★★★★★ 5
All-around good chair, suitable for me at 6'6", comfortable and no issues
Pros:
The assembly is straightforward and doesn't require much strength; I would expect my mother to have no issue putting this chair together. If you're elderly or disabled, a relative or helper should have an easy and quick time of putting it together, and there is very little chance of making a mistake during assembly.
Sturdy at and slightly above the recommended weight limit. I peaked around 256 or 258lbs while using this chair, and it didn't show any signs of complaint then, and it hasn't shown signs of wear since.
Really comfortable. I'm an eight-hours-a-day user, almost without exception, and I have no complaints.
The leather holds up very well. I don't expect this to be true forever, but after approximately 1800 hours of use, there is no tear or warning sign.
It leans back super stably. That's the most important aspect for me.
It's tall enough to support my 6'6" frame. My back rests comfortably, so the odds are yours will fit, too. For the scary few who tower over me, and so you can search it easily, here's a height guide:
6'3" 6'4" 6'5" - The chair is good for your heights
6'7" - You should also be well served, unless your height is mostly in your torso.
6'8" - You're at the cusp. I think you will be comfortable in this chair, and alternatives that are built for our (mostly your) height cost so much more. I'd give it a try. I wish you luck.
6'9" 6'10" 6'11" - This is written for 6'9. For 6'10, 6'11, scale the significance of the caution. I think this chair will prove uncomfortable for you or encourage bad posture. I'd encourage you to look elsewhere.
Cons:
This is well covered in other reviews: the caps that cover up the screws on the side of the arms are poorly designed. One falls off every day or two. It's a minor inconvenience, but it's optional. You can toss the caps in the trash. The screws are not exposed. They sit deep within the plastic of the arm. Personally, I just push the covers back on when I notice they fell.
The armrests could be better for me, I think. I'm not sure exactly what my complaint is. I think they are a little too narrow for my liking, but I'm 6'6" with broad shoulders and long arms and unusual joints. The spacing seems fine for a typical user.
Notes:
I only sit leaning the chair back or sitting up straight at the edge of my seat. Some aspects of this review may not translate perfectly to locked-in-place, sitting back, upright usage.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2018
★★★★★ 5
Awesome!
Update: March 2022 - Funny reading my previous review now. All the cons I mentioned before, I literally don’t even notice at all. In fact, I like the chair I got so much I just got another in white. My boyfriend is using the old one and I needed one for my home office. And sadly, my cats did scratch up the black chair a little (the cats live outside now) but the chair has otherwise stood up to use perfectly. Other than the scratches, is basically like new. I do wish I knew of a good repair kit cause I would like to fix up the scratches. The chair is just extremely comfortable and supportive which I need even more these days for my home business. A very good purchase!!
I just received my chair 2 days after ordering it. It took me about 20 minutes to put it together which was very easy. I am sitting in it now typing this review.
Pros:
-Very attractive. I ordered the black color and it appears just as in the pictures.
-Slides smoothly over my linoleum floors.
-Seat is soft and comfortable, hopefully it will stay that way over time, but too soon to tell.
-Very easy to assemble.
-The seat is good size for the average American and seems comparable in width to the chairs I use at work.
Cons:
-The chair does not lower as much as I wanted. I like my legs at a 90 degree angle when sitting. It is close with my shoes on, but about 2 inches to high. If I had known this, I very likely would not have ordered this chair as its one of my most important features for sitting comfortably. I am 5'6”. I hope that with a little wear the cushion will compress a bit, and if not I may get a small foot stool to solve the problem.
-As others have described, this chair pretty much doesn't recline in any appreciable way even at the loosest setting. Basically to stay reclined you have to keep your legs pushing back the whole time which eliminates the point of reclining. I have read from others that over time, this loosens up. This feature is not very important to me, but may be to others.
-The seat depth is about 2 inches shorter than I would like.
Overall, I think it is a quality chair for the price assuming the above negatives aren't deal breakers for you. I will be keeping this chair since I do not spend a lot of time at my desk and the overall quality outweighs the few negatives for me.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2016
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