Marc reisner has written a tome on water rights in the american west with his book cadillac desert. Suggested books and resources to further your understanding of cadillac desert. Its a revealing, absorbing, often amusing and alarming report on where billions of their dollars have gone and where a lot more are going. Only by reading the entire book will you get the whole picture. Environmentalist and author marc reisners book cadillac desert, originally published in 1986 spurred nationwide awareness of. Would you consider the audio edition of cadillac desert, revised and updated edition to be better than the print version. The western us would never look like the eastern us in terms of plant coverage because it is a desert, and there is not much rain, so plant life that is able to grow within it. Buy cadillac desert by marc reisner online at alibris. In this century, a quarter of a million dams have been built in this country, two or three. Cadillac desert chapter summaries environmental junkie. Army corps of engineers, in the competition to transform the west. These things are all related, and this documentary examines the threats posed by our lust to develop areas that are unsuitable for development. Marc reisner worked for many years at the natural resources defense council. The undercover pursuit of wildlife poachers and a dangerous place.
On the far side of the cadillac desert with dead folks is a 1989 zombie apocalypse novella written by american author joe r. The american west and its disappearing water by marc reisner and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The american west and its disappearing water, revised edition ebook written by marc reisner. In contrast, the east coast has enough water and rain to sustain large amounts of plant life. Cadillac desert ebook by marc reisner rakuten kobo. Cadillac desert chapter summaries the only catalyst that determines the direction of ecomovement is the balance of water. To better understand the context and issues within these chapters. Essays and criticism on marc reisners cadillac desert. But whatever you do, id really warn against stopping with cadillac desert asked some years ago about suggested readings to understand california water, otpr wrote one of the best explanations ive seen of cadillac deserts proper place. Read cadillac desert the american west and its disappearing water, revised edition by marc reisner available from rakuten kobo. Marc reisner cadillac desert similar books books similar to cadillac desert. Almost all books and scholarship following cadillac desert have adopted or been underlain by these themes such as the great thirst, 1992, the king of california, 2005, and managing californias water, 2011. Apr 09, 2010 cadillac desert water and the transformation of nature 1997 an american fourpart documentary series about water, money, politics, and the transformation of nature.
Patterson journalism fellowship and began the research for cadillac desert. The 5 best environmental books of all time mnn mother. The book is longwinded the 1993 paperback edition is 518. It is a tale of rivers diverted and dammed, of political corruption and intrigue, of billiondollar battles over water rights, of ecological and economic disaster. On the far side of the cadillac desert with dead folks. Cadillac desert the american west and its disappearing water. Marc reisner author, joe spieler narrator, kate udall narrator try audible free. Indeed, cadillac desert clearly served as a major motivator behind bacigalupis novel. The american west and its disappearing water by marc reisner suggested reading marc reisner this study guide consists of approximately 36 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of cadillac desert. Cadillac desert, the backbone for the fourpart pbs series of the same name, should be required reading for every american who ever turned on a hose or a faucet and wondered about the costseconomic and environmentalof water politics. This is really well done and it may be even more timely today, after weve seen hurricane katrina and an inconvenient truth.
Cadillac desert water and the transformation of nature 1997 an american fourpart documentary series about water, money, politics, and the transformation of nature. Authors similar to edward abbey goodreads share book. The american west and its disappearing water by marc reisner online at alibris. Marc reisners cadillac desert exhaustively covers water management in the west from the late 1800s until its publication in 1986. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. This updated study of the economics, politics, and ecology of water covers more than a century of public and private desert reclamation in the american west. The american west and its disappearing water by marc reisner. Evoking the reallife visionaries, scoundrels and dark intrigues behind the fiction of the. The american west and its disappearing water, revised edition. The american west and its disappearing water from the worlds largest community of readers. Reisner somehow made john wesley powell seem boring, which is absolutely crazy because i love a good powell story. I found the book seminal, eyeopening, lifechanging.
Huge book but incredibly interesting and very approachable. Chapter 10 describes the misconception that california is a lush land filled with beaches and greens when in reality california is mainly a semidesert. Environmentalist and author marc reisners book cadillac desert, originally published in 1986 spurred nationwide awareness of water conservation issues. Bills answer was brief no one was writing much about groundwater three decades ago, he said, or if they were got relatively little attention. The american west and its disappearing water cadillac desert. When archaelogists from another planet sift through the bleached bones of our civilization, they may conclude that our temples were dams, says reisner in this angry, exhaustive and gracefully written account of americas quest to turn the inhospitable, irredeemably dry west into a garden of eden. This is the american west of porkbarrel construction projects. The titanic struggle over water in the american wests proof text is cadillac desert. Some scholars have described the book as reisners magnum opus. But much has changed since cadillac desert was written and revised in 1992.
Sep 22, 2008 cadillac desert, the backbone for the fourpart pbs series of the same name, should be required reading for every american who ever turned on a hose or a faucet and wondered about the costseconomic and environmentalof water politics. When cadillac desert was published, the washington post said, cadillac desert is timely and of national importance. The book is longwinded the 1993 paperback edition is 518 pages long and occasionally scampers down lessthanrewarding rabbit trails. It was also adapted to a comic book series 3 issues and a graphic novel on the far side with dead folks. Based on more than a decade of research, cadillac desert is a stunning expose and a dramatic, intriguing history of the creation of an edenan eden that may only be a mirage. But ive injected myself, awkwardly, into a long non. Jul 25, 2016 over the objections of republican and democratic presidents, western congressmen pushed water projects, trading them like currency, trying to tame the west. He documents the bitter rivalry between two government giants, the bureau of reclamation and the u. The author mentions meriwether lewis and william clark as historical figures and their travels to the frontier. The american west and its disappearing water audible audio edition. If you want a rundown of the titanic economic and governmental forces behind our wasteful system of water allocation and distribution in the american west, read cadillac desert by marc reisner.
In my own search for the answers to how we might resolve resolve the western water dilemma, i followed up the essential cadillac desert with the equally essential donald worsters rivers of empire which, like reisners work, places our common problem into a 20th century context. The american west and its disappearing water, but they should. The american west and its disappearing water, by the late marc reisner. Cadillac desert is one of those books that causes a person to seriously question the system no matter your ideological affiliation. The story of the american west is the story of a relentless quest. In his landmark book, cadillac desert, marc reisner writes.
Like many classics, cadillac desert is by no means perfect. The book exposes the blantant contradictions and hypocrisy that have permeated the history of the west which history is the history of water and it being reigned in. So i figured, hey lets do a onetwo, fictionnonfiction combo. Cadillac desert, by marc reisner, is a 1986 book published by viking isbn 0140178244 about land development and water policy in the western united states. So if you only have time for two books, id suggest a second, less well known effort. When people barley settled in the west, beaver hats. The american west and its disappearing water follow author marc reisner was an american environmentalist and writer best known for his book cadillac desert, a history of water management in the american west. This edition includes a new postscript by lawrie mott, a former staff scientist at the natural resources defense council, that updates western water issues over the last. The book exposes the blantant contradictions and hypocrisy that have permeated the history of the west which history is the history of water and it. A country of alussion history of the settlement of california is described in this chapter.
Jul 12, 2017 if you only read one book about the water crisis. Does optimism have a place in western water politics. The american west and its disappearing water that is overly long. Newsweek the story of the american west is the story of a relentless. Oct 17, 2012 the 5 best environmental books of all time environmental news junkie peter dykstra ranks his favorite books about how science, politics, ideology, money and passion collide. Its unlikely that most taxpayers will read cadillac desert.
Its funny that a book all about water could be so dry. If you like desert solitaire you might like similar books the monkey wrench gang, a sand county almanac, a sand county almanac and sketches here and there, my first summer in the sierra, the wild muir. The american west and its disappearing water, revised edition paperback june 1, 1993. Reflections on cadillac desert california waterblog. I was now attempting to move cadillac desert, which had shaped my life, from its dominant place on the american bookshelf. The 5 best environmental books of all time environmental news junkie peter dykstra ranks his favorite books about how science, politics, ideology, money and passion collide. Sep 16, 2015 when cadillac desert was published, the washington post said, cadillac desert is timely and of national importance. Subtitled the american west and its disappearing water, it gives the history of the bureau of reclamation and u. Reisner also goes over the 1960 state water project and its effects on the economy and ecology of the united states. The american west and its disappearing water essays and criticism. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The updated version is important and brings us up to date on water policy, all the way into 2018. I read this nonfiction book after reading the fiction book, the water knife, which mentions cadillac desert multiple times. Newsweekthe story of the american west is the story of a relentless quest for a precious resource.
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