Mere weeks after the Twin Towers fell, releasing toxic dust, debris, and smoke into the air, students at the nearby Stuyvesant High School were sent back to class at the urging of local and federal officials, and with the assurance of safety by the EPA. When, inevitably, students started falling ill, there was little recourse for anyone who hadn’t been in the towers that day. For Lila Nordstrom, this injustice sparked a lifetime of activism to secure the healthcare and survivors’ benefits that she and her classmates desperately needed and deserved.
Told with biting wit, irreverent humor, and startling honesty, Some Kids Left Behind is both a brilliant portrait of a changemaker in the making and a crash course in grassroots advocacy. As Lila learns to stand out from the pack and have her voice rise above those of political heavyweights—including Jon Stewart, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi—and more than a few burly firefighters, she lays bare the absurdities of Washington politics and the persistence it takes to turn outrage into lasting change.
At a time when the world forgets its disasters faster than it recovers from them, Some Kids Left Behind offers a blueprint for action and a bracing reminder that courage, humor, and community are the foundations of progress and will guide us toward a better future.
Author Information
Lila Nordstrom is a writer, producer, activist, and the founder of StuyHealth, an advocacy group representing former students who were in Lower Manhattan during 9/11 and the resulting cleanup. She has worked with the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health as well as New York City’s Health + Hospitals and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to raise awareness for the health programs that support 9/11 survivors; was appointed to the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program’s Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee, where she served three terms; served on the WTC Survivors Steering Committee; and has organized lobbying trips to Washington, DC, to share the student 9/11 story with members of Congress. In June 2019, Lila testified before the House Judiciary Committee on behalf of the estimated three hundred thousand NYC community members eligible for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, and in December 2019 she was awarded New York City’s Bronze Medallion, the city’s highest civic honor, given by the mayor. Under Lila’s direction, StuyHealth has received media coverage from outlets including The New York Times, The Economist, CBS, Fox, and NBC, and Lila’s writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian, Bustle, the New York Daily News, and other outlets. Lila is also the producer and host of Brain Trust Live, a weekly independent political podcast started in 2012, and the podcast What Can I Do? with Kelly Pollack. She has worked in film and television production and development for fifteen years. Originally from New York City, Lila now lives in Los Angeles.
Congressman Jerrold Nadler represented New York’s 10th Congressional District for more than three decades. He was the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and served for thirteen years as chair or ranking member of its subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. He also served as the ranking member of the subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, and was the vice chair and founding member of the House’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality Caucus, and coauthor of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, later leading the fight for its reauthorization. Congressman Nadler resides in New York City.
Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney represented New York’s 12th Congressional District for more than three decades. The first woman to represent her district, Congresswoman Maloney was also the first woman to chair the Joint Economic Committee. She served as chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform and senior member of the House Financial Services Committee and the Joint Economic Committee. Maloney cofounded the House 9/11 Commission Caucus where she pushed for the legislation that created the 9/11 Commission. She also worked to create and fund what would become the World Trade Center Health Program, and fought to expand and reactivate the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Congresswoman Maloney sponsored the James Zadroga 9/11 Health Care and Compensation Act from its earliest iteration in 2006 to its passage in 2010, championing its reauthorizations in following years. Congresswoman Maloney resides in New York City.
