Jordan Chariton

The New Orleans Flood, U.S. Corruption, and Disasters "Rosenthal employs the surgical precision of an investigative journalist and the craft of a memoirist to expose the flaws, natural and human, behind the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina." —The Eric Hoffer Award Program 2020 Nautilus Silver Winner #1 New Release in Civil Engineering & Environmental, Urban & City Planning, Development, and Disaster Relief In the aftermath of one of the worst disasters in US history, Words Whispered in Water tells the story of one woman’s fight—against all odds—to expose a mammoth federal agency—and win. It’s a horror story, a mystery, and a David-and-Goliath story all in one. In 2005, the entire world watched as a major US city was nearly wiped off the map. The levees ruptured and New Orleans drowned. But while newscasters attributed the New Orleans flood to “natural catastrophes” and other types of disasters, citizen investigator Sandy Rosenthal set out to expose the true culprit and compel the media and government to tell the truth. This is her story. When the protective steel flood-walls broke, the Army Corps of Engineers—with cooperation from big media—turned the blame on natural disasters. In the chaotic aftermath, Rosenthal uncovers the US corruption and big media at its root. Follow this New Orleans hero as she exposes the federal agency’s egregious design errors and eventually changes the narrative surrounding the New Orleans flood. In this engaging and revealing tale of man versus nature and man versus man, Words Whispered in Water proves that the power of a single individual is alive and well. If you enjoyed books like The Johnstown Flood, Breach of Faith, or The Great Deluge, then Words Whispered in Water is your next read!

2020 Nautilus Silver Winner #1 New Release in Civil Engineering & Environmental, Urban & City Planning, Development, and Disaster Relief In the aftermath of one of the worst disasters in US history, Words Whispered in Water tells the story of one woman’s fight—against all odds—to expose a mammoth federal agency—and win. This anniversary edition, released twenty years after the devastating storm, includes a brand new foreword by Jordan Chariton. It’s a horror story, a mystery, and a David-and-Goliath story all in one. In 2005, the entire world watched as a major US city was nearly wiped off the map. The levees ruptured and New Orleans drowned. But while newscasters attributed the New Orleans flood to “natural catastrophes” and other types of disasters, citizen investigator Sandy Rosenthal set out to expose the true culprit and compel the media and government to tell the truth. This is the true story. When the protective steel flood-walls broke, the Army Corps of Engineers—with cooperation from big media—turned the blame on natural disasters. In the chaotic aftermath, Rosenthal uncovers the US corruption and big media at its root. Follow this New Orleans hero as she exposes the federal agency’s egregious design errors and eventually changes the narrative surrounding the New Orleans flood. In this engaging and revealing tale of man versus nature and man versus man, Words Whispered in Water proves that the power of a single individual is alive and well. If you enjoyed books like The Johnstown Flood, Breach of Faith, or The Great Deluge, then Words Whispered in Water is your next read!

Coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the Flint water crisis, Chariton uncovers new evidence that sheds light on the miscarriage of justice and corruption that led to the poisoning of Flint’s citizens. Most people perceive the Flint water crisis as a tragic failure, long in the rearview mirror, born from terrible government decisions to cut corners and save money. However, an active coverup is stillvictimizing Flint residents nearly a decade later. From crooked Wall Street financial schemes to illegal political payoffs, destruction of evidence, witness tampering, perjury, and threatened whistleblowers, Toxic Government: Exposing the Flint Water Crisis Cover Up and the Poisoning of 100,000 People will, for the first time, reveal the real story behind the government’s full involvement in the Flint water crisis. As the coverup continues today, innocent residents have been arrested, surveilled, threatened, and made to feel like they are crazy. With more immune-damaged residents slowly dying every year, Flint’s lead levels again on the rise, and a deadly pandemic thrown on top of it, it is time for the true story of the Flint water cover up to be told. Based on eight years of reporting, thousands of confidential documents from the criminal investigation, and the former Governor of Michigan’s own words under oath, Jordan Chariton takes readers on the road to crisis before the Flint River switch—when government officials blew through blinking red stop signs and orchestrated a financial scheme that allowed a nearly bankrupt Flint to borrow $100 million dollars for a new water system. As brown, smelly water flowed to the homes of Flint and residents grew sick, politicians intentionally and knowingly allowed Americans to drink poison for years as they prioritized their own political ambitions and survival. Readers will be shocked by the stunning scope of injustice unveiled.Toxic Government is a cautionary tale about “take charge” leaders who come to power with no real understanding of the workings of government and a willingness to make moral compromises to pursue their own path to power. Perhaps even more important, given the growing issue of water and environmental contamination surging across the US, Chariton provides information that could help prevent this tragedy from happening yet again in any other community.