That key detail gives a light and true characterization of the town and helps set the context for the events that later occurred there-and it drew laughter.įagin shared more of his advice in a series of classroom visits and meetings with students.

So they renamed their main street to “Avenue of Americanism.” “The people of Toms River decided ‘Washington Avenue’ wasn’t patriotic enough,” Fagin said. Those qualities in his environmental writing are one of the reasons “Toms River” is so highly acclaimed.įor example, in describing the town of Toms River, he emphasized how fundamentally American the parade- and little league-loving town was. He relied on list making to ensure he made tangible progress every day.įagin’s talk showcased his sense of humor and deft storytelling. “My process was very chaotic,” Fagin said. It sent him deep into Toms River’s history, starting him on a journey that would take seven years and 560 pages to communicate. “That, as a journalist, was a hard combination to resist,” Fagin said. Fagin wanted to achieve more depth than could be handled in news stories, and he was struck by the juxtaposition of an all-American town and the tragic health crisis inflicted upon it by industry.

The project is the product of a combination of frustration, fascination and obsession. Fagin talked about his research and writing processes while telling the story of a New Jersey town that faced a cluster of child cancer after years of being a toxic waste dumping site.

Toms river by dan fagin