‘Profits Over People’ book signing this weekend
Story of local family’s struggle with cancer from industrial contamination finds success
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Sherry Roe just wanted someone to notice. She wanted someone locally to acknowledge that industrial contamination from the old Delco plant had killed her father. So, she wrote a book about it.
“Profits Over People” went to press in September, and early demand for the book has exceeded all of Roe’s expectations. In fact, she had to postpone a book signing event because she sold out of copies so early.
“I started taking preorders, and we got to 300,” said Roe. “I thought that was pretty good, but it kept building and building. Right now, we’re at 1,000. It’s overwhelming! I had to reschedule the book signing because my initial order was 500 books. I thought that would be plenty. It wasn’t, so I made another order, but it just couldn’t get here in time.”
The book signing is rescheduled for this Saturday, Nov. 5, from noon until 2 p.m. at the Kokomo Howard County Public Library’s south branch, 1755 E. Center Road. Roe is confident there will be more than enough books to meet demand.
What is it about “Profits Over People” that has readers eager to get a copy? It is a story that is mirrored in many industrial communities around the nation. It is the horrifying tale of workers exposed to life-threatening chemicals and contaminants and the indifference from their corporate employers.
It is a story about how Roe picked up the pieces following the death of her father and began to fight. It turns out she isn’t fighting alone.
“I haven’t had one negative reaction from the book,” said Roe. “Pretty much everybody says the same thing. Once they pick it up, they can’t put it down. And I’m hearing a lot of stories, not just from Kokomo. I’ve sent copies all over the country. Colorado, California, Tennessee … a lot of places.
“To me, it’s just my story, my dad’s story, the workers’ story. But there are stories like ours all over. My publisher thinks someone will approach me wanting to do more. I didn’t think it would be this big of a deal. I had hoped to get someone locally to take notice, and I thought the audience for the book would just be retirees from Delco. I never expected this broad demand.
“I’ve talked to a lot of my readers, and I’ve cried a lot of tears. There are so many stories like mine. I think it is a healing journey, just to know there are other people out there who have had a similar experience. And they are experiencing the same relief, knowing someone is saying something about it.”
But Roe isn’t just saying something about it; she’s doing something. Aside from successfully suing the manufacturers of the chemicals that killed her father, she travels the state looking to help others who have been victimized by this pattern of corporate abuse and resulting tragedy. Currently, she is assisting a team of researchers from Purdue University as they investigate contamination illnesses and deaths in Martinsville, Ind.
“I’ve been down in Martinsville helping them,” said Roe. “They’ve helped me. They’ve taught me how to get into the files and read about the contamination. And they’ve been here in Kokomo privately already and tested a couple homes. The Purdue research team is coming to Kokomo.
“When they went to Martinsville, they contacted people and offered to test homes free of charge. That’s how it works. And it’s bad down there. They have a 38-acre plume of contamination that runs under their downtown. One house had six family members with six different kinds of cancer. How is that coincidental?”
Roe is concerned because the story she tells in “Profits Over People” is being re-enacted all over Kokomo and Howard County. The victims are different, but the culprit – industrial contamination – is the same. Roe, herself, survived cancer in 2015, after working near contaminated ground at Southside Lumber for 25 years. And she sees others suffering.
“When I went in for my seven-year check-up a couple months ago, the oncologist’s office was packed,” said Roe. “Young people. Old people. It’s not just AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia). It’s breast cancer, esophageal cancer. How is a waiting room full of people with cancer normal?”
At the end of her father’s story, corporations paid for the damage their products inflicted. But that wasn’t Roe’s goal. The apology she had hoped for and the change she wanted to see were replaced with settlement money.
“It’s not about getting money, but somebody needs to pay,” said Roe. “I learned early on that it doesn’t matter if it’s about money. That’s how these corporations apologize, with their wallet. They’ll never admit they did anything wrong, but they’ll open their wallet to make it go away.
“So, I’ll continue my work. I’ll continue helping out in Martinsville. I’ve had some people reach out here. This cancer and these deaths aren’t natural.”
Copies of “Profits Over People” will be available at the signing event for $15. Roe also has copies for purchase through her Facebook page, Profits Over People. For those who cannot reach her locally, the book is available on Amazon for $16.99.