United States
£ GBP
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.
Dan Egan is a reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and a senior water policy fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences. 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.
"Highly recommended [...] An absorbing narrative of science and human folly."
– Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Dan Egan has done more than any other journalist in America to chronicle the decline of this once-great ecosystem, to alert the public to new threats, and to force governments to take remedial action."
– Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment, Special Merit citation
"Dan Egan's deeply researched and sharply written The Death and Life of The Great Lakes [...] nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative [...] Egan's book is bursting with life (and yes, death)."
– Robert Moor, New York Times Book Review
"Outstanding [...] Egan skillfully mixes science, history, and reportage to craft a compelling story."
– Library Journal (starred review)
"Engaging [...] [and] impeccably researched [...] Told like a great story rather than an academic lecture."
– Anna M. Michalak, Nature
"Dan Egan's book is the story of our war against ourselves. With narrative flair, Egan tells the story of how is it we can be so shortsighted and negligent when it comes to something as wondrous and essential as our Great Lakes, and yet so industrious and inventive in trying to undo our mistakes. This is essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of our natural world."
– Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here
"Living up to [...] early acclaim, [The Death and Life of the Great Lakes] is easy to read, offering well-paced, intellectually stimulating arguments, bolstered by well-researched and captivating narratives."
– Lekelia Danielle Jenkins, Science
"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
"Fascinating and brilliant."
– Vicky Albritton and Fredrik Albritton Jonsson, Los Angeles Review of Books
"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
"This book feels urgent to policymakers and laypersons alike."
– Kerri Arsenault, Literary Hub
"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
"An accessible, even gripping narrative about the massive, unforeseen costs of our interventions in the natural world [...] The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is an engaging, vitally important work of science journalism."
– Eva Holland, The Globe and Mail
"The Death and Life of the Great Lakes reads like a mystery [...] Egan knows how to pare a story to its most interesting elements. Having finished the book, I immediately started over."
– Louise Erdrich
"Dan Egan has done more than any other journalist in America to chronicle the decline of this once-great ecosystem, to alert the public to new threats, and to force governments to take remedial action."
– Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment, Special Merit citation
![Costa Rica Wildlife Guide: Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Butterflies [English / Spanish]](http://mediacdn.nhbs.com/jackets/jackets_resizer_medium/19/196493.jpg?height=150&width=65)
