Great Michigan Read
What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City
The Kutsche Office in conjunction with the Grand Rapids Public Library is a Michigan Humanities Great Michigan Read partner. This year's selection, What the Eyes Don't See, is Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha’s riveting account of her discovery that Flint’s children were being poisoned by lead leaching into the city’s drinking water. The Great Michigan Read aims to connect Michigan residents by deepening readers’ understanding of our state, our society, and our humanity.
Join us for a public conversation and book signing on March 24, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. in Loosemore Auditorium in the Richard M. DeVos Center (401 W. Fulton Street, Grand Rapids, MI). Free parking is available in the Seward Parking Deck - simply let the attendant know that you are there for the Great Michigan Read event.
This event is free and open to the public, featuring a guided discussion led by State Representative Rachel Hood.
As part of this program, the Kutsche Office is hosting a book club around the Michigan Humanities Council's 2020 selection for Great Michigan Read. Join us for lively and thoughtful discussions about Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha's book about her involvement in revealing the Flint Water Crisis, and joining with community stakeholders to begin bringing justice to the city's families and children.
Register at bit.ly/GMRClub20 to participate in any or all of the following sessions in Kirkhof Center room 2266, GVSU Allendale Campus:
- Monday, February 3 @ 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. (discussing chapters 1-7)
- Monday, February 24 @ 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. (discussing chapters 8-15)
- Monday, March 16 @ 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. (discussing chapters 16-26)
The 2019–20 Great Michigan Read is presented by Michigan Humanities and supported by national, statewide, and local partners, including the National Endowment for the Humanities and The Meijer Foundation.
This program is funded in part by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities.
About the Author
Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a physician, scientist, and activist who has been called to testify twice before the United States Congress, awarded the Freedom of Expression Courage Award by PEN America, and named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Hanna-Attisha is the founder and director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, an innovative and model public health program in Flint. Currently an associate professor of pediatrics and human development at the MSU College of Human Medicine, she has been 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 was one of the first to question if lead was leaching from the city’s water pipes after an emergency manager switched the city’s water supply to the Flint River in 2014. She also is committed to increasing literacy in Flint and elsewhere.
