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In her grief-stricken, gorgeously composed memoir, Lubbock native Kathleen Dorothy Blackburn writes about her father’s demise to a cancer likely caused by exposure to legacy chemicals while he was an Air Force pilot. There are two types of toxicity forming the bedrock of Loose of Earth: religious fanaticism and environmental contamination. With a scope that accommodates her personal traumas and wider environmental justice issues alike, Blackburn details her born-again family’s embrace of faith healers away from science alongside a larger investigation into PFAs, and in particular how they have impacted West Texas’ drinking water. She’ll be in conversation with ocean scientist and science writer Juli Berwald at Tuesday’s book launch; tickets include a copy of the book and a reserved seat. – Kimberley Jones