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by Dan Egan
A landmark work of science, history and reporting on the past, present and imperiled future of the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes - Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Superior - hold 20 percent of the world's supply of surface fresh water and provide sustenance, work and recreation for tens of millions of Americans. But they are under threat as never before, and their problems are spreading across the continent. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan's compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come.
For thousands of years the pristine Great Lakes were separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the roaring Niagara Falls and from the Mississippi River basin by a "sub-continental divide." Beginning in the late 1800s, these barriers were circumvented to attract oceangoing freighters from the Atlantic and to allow Chicago's sewage to float out to the Mississippi. These were engineering marvels in their time - and the changes in Chicago arrested a deadly cycle of waterborne illnesses - but they have had horrendous unforeseen consequences. Egan provides a chilling account of how sea lamprey, zebra and quagga mussels and other invaders have made their way into the lakes, decimating native species and largely destroying the age-old ecosystem. And because the lakes are no longer isolated, the invaders now threaten water intake pipes, hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure across the country.
Egan also explores why outbreaks of toxic algae stemming from the overapplication of farm fertilizer have left massive biological "dead zones" that threaten the supply of fresh water. He examines fluctuations in the levels of the lakes caused by manmade climate change and overzealous dredging of shipping channels. And he reports on the chronic threats to siphon off Great Lakes water to slake drier regions of America or to be sold abroad.
In an age when dire problems like the Flint water crisis or the California drought bring ever more attention to the indispensability of safe, clean, easily available water, The Death and the Life of the Great Lakes is a powerful paean to what is arguably our most precious resource, an urgent examination of what threatens it and a convincing call to arms about the relatively simple things we need to do to protect it.
"Starred Review. Not light reading but essential for policymakers - and highly recommended for the 40 million people who rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water." - Kirkus
"Starred Review. If, as he asserts, 'the biggest threat to the Great Lakes right now is our own ignorance,' then this book stands as important, timely mitigation ... This outstanding addition to science collections will appeal to general readers." - Library Journal
"Thought-provoking .... Egan highlights a range of issues that have affected these crucial waterways for decades." - Publishers Weekly
"Dan Egan's book is the story of our war against ourselves...This is essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of our natural world." - Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here
"A masterpiece. Dan Egan's epic story - how we've nearly killed the Great Lakes, and how we might save them - is one of those rare books that can change the world. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring sparked a national revolt against toxic pesticides. Egan's work could help save the world's biggest body of fresh water." - Tim Weiner, author of Legacy of Ashes and Enemies
"A blend of masterful reporting and elegant writing, this is the best book yet written about the liquid heart of the continent." - Tom Zoellner, author of Uranium
"In this beautifully vivid portrait of the Great Lakes, author Dan Egan explores one of America's most essential ecosystems, reminding us that its story?one of both harm and hope - is ultimately our own." - Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoner's Handbook
This information about The Death and Life of the Great Lakes was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Dan Egan is a reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and he has won the Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award, John B. Oakes Award, AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award, and J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award. A graduate of the Columbia Journalism School, he lives in Milwaukee with his wife and children.
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