Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner
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(Paperback - REV)
- Pub. Date: June 2003
- 608pp
- Sales Rank: 23,696
Buy it Used: 37 copies from $6.50 See All Available
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: June 2003
- Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
- Format: Paperback, 608pp
- Sales Rank: 23,696
- ISBN-13: 9780140178241
- ISBN: 0140178244
- Edition Number: 1
- Edition Description: REV
Synopsis
The story of the American West is the story of a relentless quest for a precious resource: water. It is a tale of rivers diverted and dammed, of political corruption and intrigue, of billion-dollar battles over water rights, of ecologic and economic disaster. In Cadillac Desert Marc Reisner writes of the earliest settlers, lured by the promise of paradise, and of the ruthless tactics employed by Los Angeles politicians and business interests to ensure the city's growth. He documents the bitter rivalry between two government giants, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in the competition to transform the West.
Based on more than a decade of research, Cadillac Desert is a stunning expose and a dramatic, intriguing history of the creation of an Eden--and Eden that may be only a mirage.
Annotation
A study of the economics, politics, and ecology of water that covers more than a century of desert reclamation in the American West.
Customer Reviews
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- Ratings: 7Reviews: 5
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Exhaustive and Informativeby RLoughran
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July 02, 2009: The scope of research involved in "Cadillac Desert" is breathtaking. Highly readable, informative, scary. Shows government doing what government does best: serving itself with little or no regard for people.
I Also Recommend: High Steaks.
Cadillac Desert: A Vehicle for Changeby GustieReader
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May 15, 2009: A humorous narrative exposing the haphazard development of the American West, Cadillac Desert leaves no river undammed. From the journeys of early explorers to the government policies of yesteryear, Marc Reisner cunningly avoids producing another academic source denouncing water consumption throughout the world. Easy to read and simple to follow, the personalities of various characters throughout the region's history bring the story of deteriorating water resources alive. By describing the ascendancy of the American West despite constant conflict over fading water supplies, Reisner casts doubt upon the sustainability of current water demands. Through a wealth of information and knowledge, Reisner's Cadillac Desert demonstrates the diverse perceptions people hold and have held about water resources in the American West. Overall, Reisner's comical nature and ability to create compelling perspectives lightens the mood of this already depressing topic of dwindling, scarce resources. Both thought provoking and eye opening, Cadillac Desert is a must read for any environmentally cognizant citizen of the twenty first century.
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