Years ago a business mentor of mine told me a story: “When I started out in business I thought that big companies were all evil. Then as I got older I started to realize that they were trying to do good, and often misunderstood. Then, I got a little older and realized I was right the first time.” 

This is a good summation of the career of Robert Bilott. Early in the book he describes his work as a corporate environmental attorney, helping good and moral companies deal with regulations and permits related to cleaning up waste, ensure compliance etc. DuPont is the comic-book villain of the corporate world, and Bilott came to realize this the hard way. 

We’re lucky to have Bilott for several reasons. He’s a skilled attorney who made real change in the world, and certainly saved lives with his work. He’s also a skilled writer. This book reads like a thriller (mostly), with plenty of tension and drama, but the author also breaks down legal and scientific ideas in a way that makes sense to the naive reader. I never felt out of my depth with this one, and some of the twists in the story could have come straight from a Grisham novel.

Billot is also lucky. He was lucky to have an employer with an open mind and deep pockets to let him fight this battle for 20 years, often with dim prospects. He was lucky to have a supportive wife and family, and to be able to continue this work for as long as he did — it’s clear several times that only someone as immersed as he is could have connected certain dots. 

Frequently when I was reading this, I thought of Servants of the Damned and When McKinsey Comes to Town — this is kind of the antidote to that. Sometimes the good guys win, and in this case, write a good book about the journey.