Summary: Chapters 15–17

In Chapter 15, Hanna-Attisha’s goal is now to get the word out. Kirk Smith sends a letter to Howard Croft, director of Public Works in Flint. He responds, saying that the water meets all standards. However, Dayne Walling, the mayor, who is copied on the letter, seems concerned. Hanna-Attisha and LaChance begin to put together a presentation for the mayor. Hanna-Attisha knows it must be perfect because, if there is any small error or inconsistency, that will be used as a reason not to take them seriously. They involve Marc Edwards, who can lend his expertise gained in DC. Marc Edwards sees that the blood-lead levels are bad.

At the last event of her meeting, Hanna-Attisha explains her findings to the group and says they’re getting their congressman involved. They are all concerned. Hanna-Attisha is pleased because “The best thing about being a pediatrician is . . . advocating for kids is . . . [in] the job description.”

Hanna-Attisha’s brother, Mark, is in town, and the family has dinner. Elliott, Hanna-Attisha’s husband, tells Mark he’s worried about Hanna-Attisha because she’s stressed out. Hanna-Attisha tells Mark about the lead in the water, and he says that the mayor will be unhelpful. He’s up for reelection and will want to sweep it under the rug. He’s also worried that, since Hurley is a public hospital, the state may go after Hanna-Attisha for exposing the lead problems, like they’ve gone after others. Mark warns her that her life might be destroyed, but Hanna-Attisha says she’s more concerned about the kids than herself. But when Hanna-Attisha’s mother expresses concern, he tells her, “Don’t worry. [Hanna-Attisha]’s strong. Hadeeda,” meaning like steel. Hanna-Attisha is happy to have her family behind her but also worried about how this will affect them.

In Chapter 16, Hanna-Attisha’s father, Jidu, is in China on business. Otherwise, they would be playing Kunkan, and Hanna-Attisha would be winning. Jidu works because he has a fascination for problem-solving. He spent many hours learning about a Persian rug that has been in her mother’s family for a long time, depicting the great leaders of the world. He deciphered the meaning in the Farsi words and the pictures.

He had other research projects. He also traced their family’s lineage and found out about some ancient manuscripts used by a priest in their family. The manuscripts were a form of rebellion against the Catholic Church, which was trying to convert people to Catholicism. These same manuscripts later had to be hidden from the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIS). He also uncovered the story of a cousin named Nuri who was a revolutionary, fighting for Spain’s freedom. His own father helped Nuri in his fight, at great risk to himself.

Hanna-Attisha’s father never planned on leaving Iraq, but things changed. His father was arrested for suspected political opposition. This pushed Jidu to apply for a scholarship at a school in Yugoslavia. He learned Serbo-Croatian, got a degree in engineering, and married Hanna-Attisha’s mother. Then, they had to leave Iraq. Her father still protested, making opposition newsletters.

Hanna-Attisha’s parents wanted her to know what they had fled, so they showed her photographs of the genocide of Halabja, including a picture of a murdered child. This made her determined to help people. Hanna-Attisha writes, “Challenging injustice means standing up for the weak, the vulnerable, the abused, and the forgotten.” While she has sheltered her own children more than her parents sheltered her, she still hopes that they are learning that their family were strong people who made sacrifices.

In Chapter 17, Hanna-Attisha and LaChance meet with Dayne Walling. Hanna-Attisha expects it to go well. Walling is from Flint and raising his kids there. Still, she is nervous and chooses her outfit carefully, a suit.

Walling, Director of Public Works Howard Croft, and other bureaucrats show up. There are other doctors and residents there, including Dr. Reynolds, as well as Senator Ananich. Hanna-Attisha presents her data, using a made-up child named Makayla as an example, talking about her blood-lead levels and what might happen without intervention. She talks about the costs of fixing the problem and, also, the costs in the children’s future potential from lead exposure. She talks about how the data was gathered and compares Flint to the rest of Genesee County. She shows a picture of the child she’s calling Makayla and asks the group what her future holds.

After she finishes, the mayor starts speaking. He thinks Flint has been doing well with lead remediation, but he’s talking about lead paint. However, he says, the EPA and MDEQ say there is no corrosion issue with the water. Rather, it’s the old pipes in people’s houses. Also, people should be flushing their water. Croft backs him up.

Hanna-Attisha says it’s an emergency, that people are using bad water in baby bottles. They needed to switch back to Detroit water. Eventually, Hanna-Attisha gives the group an ultimatum. If they don’t fix it, her team is going to make a public announcement Wednesday, September 23. The mayor says Wednesday might be tough because he’s going to be in DC, meeting the new pope. Hanna-Attisha wonders if he’ll bring back some holy water.

The team gets back to work, each working on their own area of expertise. Hanna-Attisha calls Marc Edwards to gripe about “Republican bastards” who put dollars over kids. Marc Edwards says he’s a conservative Republican. She’s surprised because she saw him as a “lefty activist.” After all, the Republicans are the ones starving the government, making things like the water switch necessary. She wonders if Marc Edwards’s politics made his activism easier. After all, Hanna-Attisha had faith in the government.

They decide that, if the mayor and his office do nothing, they’ll contact the Flint Journal and the Washington Post. The deadline passes.

Analysis: Chapters 15–17

Hanna-Attisha again revisits her family in this section. While she seems like someone who has played by the rules a lot in her life, this hasn’t really been the case in her family. After all, they fled Iraq because they were in danger, and they were in danger because they often protested. This goes back further than just Hanna-Attisha’s parents, to her grandparents and even this dissident cousin. Her parents have taught Hanna-Attisha that it is important to speak out against injustice, that it is important to protect those who can’t protect themselves. That’s why they showed her the pictures of the genocide victims. Although Hanna-Attisha is trying to shelter her own children, she is showing them by her actions what to do.

The theme of corruption and injustice is foremost in this chapter, both through Hanna-Attisha’s reminiscences of her family’s past activism against a corrupt government and, later, through her description of the meeting with the Flint government. Mayor Walling seems like he would be amenable to fixing things, but really, he just wants to pat himself on the back over how much he thinks he’s already done about lead. He wants to seem concerned while really sweeping it under the rug, as Hanna-Attisha’s brother, Mark, warns her he will. It’s possible that these bureaucrats really do believe there is nothing wrong with the water. However, once presented with facts and statistics, they choose to try to see them in a way favorable to themselves. 

The author contrasts different people’s feelings of duty in this section. The mayor of Flint should feel a duty to protect people. After all, he was elected to serve them. Hanna-Attisha says he doesn’t seem to but is only worried about how he will look in an election year. Meanwhile, the doctors at the conference, not all of whom are even in Flint, feel concerned and duty-bound to help. Hanna-Attisha’s parents have taught her to challenge injustice and stand up for the weak. That’s what she’s doing here.