Jim Morris—The Cancer Factory: Industrial Chemicals, Corporate Deception, and the Hidden Deaths of American Workers

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover of the book The Cancer Factory: Industrial Chemicals, Corporate Deception, and the Hidden Deaths of American Workers by Jim Morris. Showing an old photograph of an industrial site where workers were unknowingly exposed to cancer-causing chemicals, with the title, author’s name, and a brief quote from a Publishers Weekly review superimposed on the photo. — The Cancer Factory

THE CANCER FACTORY:
INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS, CORPORATE DECEPTION,
AND THE HIDDEN DEATHS OF AMERICAN WORKERS
Jim Morris
Beacon Press, January 23, 2024
Hardcover, $29.95, Paperback, $18.95, eBook, $12.99
Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-0807059142
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-0807016428
eBook ASIN: B0C3C28TKY

Morris reports:

The Cancer Factory grew out of reporting that began in 1998, when I was working on an investigation of the chemical industry for the Houston Chronicle. I'd heard about a cluster of bladder cancer at the Goodyear chemical plant in Niagara Falls, New York, that was likely linked to a chemical called ortho-toluidine, a known bladder carcinogen in laboratory animals. The cases numbered in the dozens at that point.

Portrait photo of Jim Morris in an outdoor setting. — Jim Morris

I did a short story and didn't follow up until 2013, when I was working on another chemical industry investigation at the Center for Public Integrity. By that time, there were more than 50 cases. I went to Niagara Falls, got to know some of the retired Goodyear workers, reconnected with their lawyer, and did a longer piece in collaboration with a public radio station in Rochester.

This is when I knew I'd found the subject of my first book. I'd never wanted to write a dry "policy" book that would appeal only to academics or Washington insiders. I wanted to tell a story that would resonate with ordinary people as well as experts, and was confident I had the strong characters to make it work.

A fellowship from Harvard's Safra Center helped me do archival research and foundational interviews in 2013 and 2014. By 2019, my agent was shopping my proposal. Beacon Press in Boston offered me a contract, and grants from the Whiting Foundation and the Fund for Investigative Journalism allowed me to take unpaid leave. The Cancer Factory was published to positive reviews in January 2024.

My suggestions to other first-time authors: Wait for the right story to tell, even if it takes years to come together, as it did for me. And really take the time to know your main characters -- in my case, retired Goodyear worker Harry Weist, who's suffered five bouts of bladder cancer, and retired lawyer Steve Wodka, who gave me free access to his voluminous files. Now that my first book is behind me, I want to do another one, set in my home state of Texas. An idea is percolating, and I can't wait to get started.

Contact info:

Jim Morris, 202-431-5594, jmorris@publichealthwatch.org
- X: @JimGMorris
Book: The Cancer Factory: Industrial Chemicals, Corporate Deception, and the Hidden Deaths of American Workers
Publicist: Alyssa Hassan, AHassan@beacon.org
Agent: Esmond Harmsworth (deceased in 2025), Aevitas Creative; Kate Mack, kmack@aevitascreative.com

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Banner image adapted from original photo by Jim Morris.

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Advance Copy

The path from idea to book may take myriad routes. The Advance Copy column, started in 2000 by NASW volunteer book editor Lynne Lamberg, features NASW authors telling the stories behind their books. Authors are asked to report how they got their idea, honed it into a proposal, found an agent and a publisher, funded and conducted their research, and organized their writing process. They also are asked to share what they wish they’d known when they started or would do differently next time, and what advice they can offer aspiring authors. Lamberg edits the authors’ answers to produce the Advance Copy reports.

NASW members: Will your book be published soon? Visit www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines for information on submitting your report.

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