Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water
Author: Marc P. Reisner
List Price: $22.95
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ISBN: 0670199273
Publisher: Viking Press (August, 1986)
Sales Rank: 2,345,477
Average Customer Rating: 4.66 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Required Reading
Cadillac Desert should be required reading for every American. On the surface it tells the story of water development and conservation (or lack thereof) in the American west in particular and the nation in general. Throughout the book however, you are given an understanding of how our government actually works. I always wondered why a company in California will contribute heavily to a congressman from New York. Now I know. I also know why our government will spend so much tax money on seemingly wastful projects. Anyone interested in engineering will be fascinated by the construction of the huge dams. Marc Reisner also relates some of the disasters that resulted from poorly constucted or situated dams. This book is well researched and well written and for a book with so much technical information, quite easy and enjoyable to read. Anyone interested in water conservation, irrigation, American government, American history, engineering feats or development of the American west will love this book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Water woes...
I first read this book during graduate school, in a class which covered many subjects in the natural resource management field as well as environmental-economic conflict. At the time, I knew very little regarding the West and its constant conflict regarding water usage and water rights. The book proved to be an excellent primer on the state of affairs regarding the history and present-day usage of water in the American southwest. It gives a remarkably thorough history as well as a very intimate portrayal of its author and his relationship to the geography about which he writes. Other books, as well, complement this one (e.g. "A River No More" -Friedkin). But, none really do so as gracefully as this. Two years after I finished this book, I travelled extensively throughout the West and visited (or, passed-through) many of the locations Reisner discusses in the book. Such an experience only reinforced the significance of the subject-matter and enabled me to appreciate the material even more. This book, most definitely, changed my understanding of the West and its water.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Rewarding Reading
This reader highly recommends this work to show the complexity involved in answering the question, "How much does a glass of water cost in the American Southwest "? The author wrote a well-researched book in an attempt to show the factors involved in answering that question. The author portrays a complex web of jurisdictions on the state local and federal levels that are involved in various projects. Every policy has its winners and losers. The book contains a little history of the Southwest, some personal interviews, many stories of the pork barrel politics involved to make sure the rest of the country buys into these irrigation and dam projects. This book will be an eye-opener for most Easterners in this country where battling over water rights is generally not on the local political agenda. A very rewarding book. Similar Products
Rivers of Empire: Water, Aridity, and the Growth of the American West
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