What the Eyes Don't See

What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, by Mona Hanna-Attisha, is SJSU's Campus Reading book for the fall 2020 incoming class of first-time freshmen. What the Eyes Don't See tells the inspiring story of how Dr. Hanna-Attisha, along with a team of researchers, parents, friends, and community leaders, discovered that the children of Flint, Michigan, were being exposed to lead in their tap water—and then battled their own government and a brutal backlash to expose that truth to the world. 

Paced like a scientific thriller, What the Eyes Don’t See reveals how misguided austerity policies, broken democracy, and callous bureaucratic indifference placed an entire city at risk. At the center of the story is Dr. Mona herself—an immigrant, doctor, scientist, and mother whose family’s activist roots inspired her pursuit of justice. 

Author Bio: Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha

  
                                                 © Mike Naddeo

Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP, is founder and director of the Pediatric Public Health Initiative at Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital in Flint, Michigan.

A pediatrician, scientist, activist and author, Dr. Hanna-Attisha received her Bachelor and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of Michigan and her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She completed her residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, where she was chief resident. She is currently Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Human Development and C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University.

Dr. Hanna-Attisha received the PEN America Freedom of Expression Courage Award for What the Eyes Don’t See and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery efforts. She has testified three times before the U.S. Congress about the crisis and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, BBC and other media outlets championing the cause of children in Flint and beyond.

Visit Dr. Hanna-Attisha's website for more information about her inspiring work.

Visit Pediatric Public Health Initiative for more information about Dr. Hanna-Attisha's ongoing work in the area of children's public health.