Mill Town

The book blends memoir, investigative journalism, and creative nonfiction. How do these different modes work together (or not)? What does this hybrid form allow Arsenault to achieve?

How does the non-linear structure of the book—jumping between years and topics—mirror the nature of environmental disaster and investigation? Did this approach work for you as a reader?

Arsenault writes about the tension between being an insider and outsider in Mexico, Maine. How does her repeated pattern of leaving and returning shape her understanding of home? Have you experienced similar tensions with a place that shaped you?

How does Arsenault's Franco-American and Acadian heritage inform her perspective on the mill town experience? What role does cultural identity play in the town's relationship with the mill?

The phrase "That's money coming out of those smokestacks" captures how residents viewed pollution. How does economic dependence complicate environmental activism? What parallels do you see in other communities today?

Generational silence is a major theme. Why do you think mill workers and their families remained silent about workplace hazards and health concerns? What forces—cultural, economic, psychological—maintain this silence?

How does the book grapple with uncertainty and the difficulty of proving causation between pollution and disease? What are the implications of this ambiguity?

How "recognizable" is Mexico, Maine? Have you lived in, near, or driven through similar towns? What connections do you see between this story and other environmental justice issues?

What do you think the future will hold for mill towns like Mexico? What would meaningful reinvention look like? What obstacles stand in the way?