Lung-Burning History That Turned Green from Color to Cause

The smog beast wafted into downtown Los Angeles on July 26, 1943. Nobody knew what the mysterious plume was, let alone the marathon crisis it'd portend, as traffic cops disappeared in the acrid haze and politicians tried mollifying a jittery pubic. Rumors spread that Japanese bombers might've dropped chemical shells, then the knee-jerk theory a malfunctioning smokestack was behind the gray-brown skies making so many ill. The truth, once ferreted out, was far worse. The poisonous air originated from within, specifically from Southern California’s exploding, car-addicted lifestyle. Now, every breath could feel a little apocalyptic. This is the story of Smogtown.

Smogtown is the sprawling account of the 20th Century's first, major climate crisis, as dark-hued air barraged America's coolest city, stranding the West Coast metropolis for years in its bid to reclaim blue skies before mass disaster or civic unraveling struck. With dynamic storytelling and and a fresh look at the past, this acclaimed social history highlights the bold personalities dragged into the mess, and the brazen collusion by America's carmakers to only pretend they were re-engineering their lucrative models to run cleaner. Beyond those broad strokes were brave scientists who cracked the mystery no one else could solve, among them a brilliant biochemist who'd fled the Nazis to land at Caltech, and the women's activist group ever-cunning at mobilizing change. When the bureaucracy and vested interests moved too slowly for a demoralized public came Rube-Goldberg ideas -- time machines to "smog sewers" - in search of a magic bullet that didn't exist. Anyway you cut it, the marathon, air-pollution battle contoured and warped the modern-day identity of one of the planet's most desirable locales.

Sprinkled throughout are the more human stories -- the conmen and vigilantes, the apoplectic moms and secret dealmakers -- as well as the bleak reality of pollution-fueled murders, suicides, and spiritual despair. Behind the scenes, mortified doctors worried the region had become America's "national cancer experiment," while politicians white-knuckled at the threat of a toxic-air event that could kill thousands on single day. The LA saga holds lessons aplenty about public psychology when the future no longer sparkles, and the double-edged sword of the "great" automobile as an industrial complex. Brimming with forgotten anecdotes, new revelations about L.A.’s murky past, and vintage photographs, this story remains as relevant as ever on a planet where Mother Nature rarely gets a break. Whether as environmental parable or sociology study of what unfolds when a sun-splashed paradise is soured from above, it's no wonder Smogtown is hailed as a classic of creative, non-fiction.

Reviews & Praise

— “[A] remarkably entertaining and informative chronicle of the birth and—so far—inexorable evolution of smog…This book is just amazing, a gripping story well told, with the requisite plucky scientists (including Arie Haagen-Smit, a Dutch biochemist who was “the Elvis of his field”), hapless politicians, and a nebulous biochemical villain who just will not be stopped.” —Booklist (Starred review)

— “…Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly demonstrate that our current air quality is a free-breathing dream compared to the nightmare that enveloped the city for a good portion of the last century…(this) book is not lacking in historical heft. Instead, style delivers substance in true Hollywood fashion, with character-driven plots draped in glamour and sensation … the history of smog has never been so sexy…” — Los Angeles Times

— “This colorful history of smog in Los Angeles begins in the 1940s and ends with a warning call for action. Self-proclaimed “survivors” of “L.A.’s greatest crisis,”…Jacobs…and… Kelly dredge up the story of smog in all its hazy—and sometimes humorous—permutations … the authors offer a zany and provocative cultural history.” — Kirkus Review

— “Finished with a particularly powerful, forward-looking epilogue, this friendly, accessible history should appeal to any American environmentalist.” — Publishers Weekly

— “…a meticulous chronicle of the city’s signature airborne grime and of the civic and social forces that emerged to stop it…the authors toss in a dose of gallows humor and a light brushing of melodrama…the point of Smogtown is well made: that the truth really is inconvenient …The story of Smogtown is that of a city vying against time to reconcile incommensurables…” —Bookforum

— “The narrative that emerges is more than a tale of a region and a populace besieged by smog; it is also a parable for a nation beset by environmental and social problems…a well-researched cultural history (that) expose(s) both hapless guesses and dogged persistence on the way to smog literacy.” — Slate

— “Writing in a hip, lively style, [Jacobs and Kelly] recount the efforts…to rid L.A. of the smog with a can-do spirit and an unlimited faith in science, technology, and human ingenuity…[An] intriguing social history of an environmental problem that won’t go away. Recommended.” — Library Journal

— A “seminal book” — Patt Morrison, award-winning Los Angeles Times columnist

— An “essential book” — KPCC/Southern California Public Radio

— ”…a literary, scientific and (ideologically) winning (book), known as the atmospheric…Silent Spring” — Shanghai Book Award

— “… a well-documented, highly engaging, and widely relevant account of southern California’s battle with “the beast”…Smogtown is not your typical “green’s” diatribe…Exposes…how a prodigious population explosion and growing consumption “essentially…turned nature against itself.” — Sustainablog

— “…thoroughly entertaining from start to finish…It’s a dramatic story, playing out like it was written for the screen, with clear protagonists and villains—and humor peppered throughout…a gripping tale that will keep you eagerly turning the pages …” – Earth First

* INDEPENDENT BOOK PUBLISHERS (IPPY) AWARD SILVER MEDAL, BEST ENVIRONMENTAL/ECOLOGY WORK

* CITY OF SANTA MONICA GREEN PRIZE FOR SUSTAINABLE LITERATURE

* A BOOKLIST MAGAZINE TOP ENVIRONMENTAL BOOK OF THE YEAR”

* WENJIN BOOK AWARD

* GREEN BOOK FESTIVAL SILVER MEDAL, BEST NON-FICTION

* LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE OFFICIAL PICK, AMONG OTHERS

* SHAPED THE WGA-AWARD-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY “CLEARING THE AIR: THE WAR SMOG” / PBS‘ “AMERICAN EXPERIENCE” SERIES

* SACRAMENTO BEE & AMAZON BESTSELLER; MANDARIN VERSION INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

Media & Appearances

* “SMOGLANDIA: WE HAVEN’T ALWAYS BEEN SMOGGY, BUT WE’RE BUILT THAT WAY” – LOS ANGELES TIMES

* “CLEARING THE AIR: THE WAR ON SMOG” – AMERICAN EXPERIENCE SERIES – PBS & PANGLOSS FILMS DOCUMENTARY

* “CLEARING THE AIR: THE WAR ON SMOG” – VIRTUAL SCREENING AND PANEL DISCUSSION WITH TWO OF THE FILMMAKERS & ME – YOUTUBE