The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man's Search for Justice

The gripping inside account of the real-life David-and-Goliath trial that inspired the upcoming Netflix drama Monsanto

“A blockbuster, right up there with page-turning thrillers by John Grisham. I could not put this book down, and cannot recommend it highly enough. . . . It reads like a novel.”—Marion Nestle, Food Politics

Lee Johnson was a man with simple dreams. All he wanted was a steady job and a nice home for his wife and children, something better than the hard life he knew growing up. He never imagined that he would become the face of a David-and-Goliath showdown against one of the world’s most powerful corporations. But a workplace accident left Lee doused in a toxic chemical—the herbicide glyphosate that Monsanto sold under Roundup and other names—and facing a deadly cancer that turned his life upside down. In 2018, the world watched as Lee was thrust to the forefront of one the most dramatic legal battles in recent history. In The Monsanto Papers, investigative journalist Carey Gillam, winner of the Rachel Carson Book Award, tells the inside story of Lee Johnson’s landmark lawsuit against Monsanto.

For Lee, the case was a race against the clock, with doctors predicting he wouldn’t survive long enough to take the witness stand. For the eclectic band of young, ambitious lawyers representing him, it was a matter of professional pride and personal risk, with millions of dollars and hard-earned reputations on the line. For the public at large, the lawsuit presented a question of corporate accountability. With enough money and influence, could a company endanger its customers, hide evidence, manipulate regulators, and get away with it all—for decades?

Readers will be astounded by the depth of corruption uncovered, captivated by the shocking twists, and moved by Lee’s quiet determination to see justice served. With gripping narrative force that reads like fiction, The Monsanto Papers takes readers behind the scenes of a grueling legal battle, pulling back the curtain on the frailties of the American court system and the lengths to which lawyers will go to fight corporate wrongdoing.