Standpipe: Delivering Water in Flint

A brief, elegant memoir of the author’s work as a Red Cross volunteer delivering emergency water to residents of Flint, Michigan. “A heartfelt portrait of a city, and a man, grieving.”―Kirkus Reviews

A collection of short essays and “exquisitely chiseled vignettes,” Standpipe: Delivering Water in Flint sets the struggles of a midwestern city in crisis against David Hardin’s narrative of his personal journey as his mother succumbs to dementia and death. Written with a poet’s eye for detail and quiet metaphor, Standpipe offers an intimate look at one man’s engagement with both civic and familial trauma. It’s also a vivid investigation into how we all heal as a community.

This gentle, observant book is for readers looking to understand the human experience of the Flint Water Crisis, and as well as “the deplorable conditions in Flint and the injustices that have plagued it for generations.”