The smog beast wafted into downtown Los Angeles on July 26, 1943. Nobody knew what it was. Secretaries rubbed their eyes. Traffic cops seemed to disappear in the mysterious haze. Were Japanese saboteurs responsible? A reckless factory? The truth was much worse--it came from within, from Southern California's burgeoning car-addicted, suburban lifestyle.

Smogtown is the story of pollution, progress, and how an optimistic people confronted the epic struggle against airborne poisons barraging their hometowns. With wit, verve, and a fresh look at history, California based journalists Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly highlight the bold personalities involved, the corporate- tainted science, the terrifying health costs, the attempts at cleanup, and how the smog battle helped mold the modern-day culture of Los Angeles. There are scofflaws aplenty and dirty deals, plus murders, suicides, spiritual despair, and an ever-present paranoia about mass disaster.

Brimming with historic photographs, forgotten anecdotes, and new revelations about our environmentally precarious present, Smogtown is a journalistic classic for the modern age.

[美]奇普·雅各布斯（Chip Jacobs）：获奖作家、记者，曾为《洛杉矶时报》（Los Angeles Times）、《洛杉矶每日新闻》（Daily News of Los Angeles）、《洛杉矶周刊》（L.A. Weekly）撰稿，著有Wheeling the Deal The Outrageous Legend of Gordon Zahler, Hollywood‘s Flashiest Quadriplegic等。

[美] 威廉·凯莉（William J. Kelly）：记者，为《洛杉矶周刊》、《洛杉矶时报》、美国Alternet杂志和《加州期刊》（California Journal）撰稿，曾任大洛杉矶烟雾控制局南海岸空气质量管理区发言人，著有Home Sweet Home等。

译者简介

曹军骥（译者）：大气气溶胶与环境、PM2.5污染研究权威专家。中国科学院地球环境研究所所长，兼任亚洲气溶胶学会主席、国际气溶胶学会执委、国际空气与废弃物管理学会以及中国颗粒学会气溶胶专业委员会副主任等。

国家基金委杰出青年科学基金获得者。曾获得Frank A. Chambers国际空气污染控制杰出成就奖（2013年，亚洲唯一）、国际空气与废物管理学会空气污染控制杰出成就奖（2013年）、第三届亚洲气溶胶研究青年科学家奖(2009年，国内首次)。其主持参与的研究项目在2008年、2012年分别获得国家自然科学二等奖。