The Bookshelf: Jan. 25, 2017

Trib+Water is joining with respected books authority Kirkus Reviews to bring you select reviews of books of note in the field of water studies. For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Kirkus.com.

SEASTEADING: How Ocean Cities Will Change the World

by Joe Quirk, Patri Friedman

Venture capitalist Friedman, the grandson of economist Milton Friedman, and novelist and science writer Quirk present an optimistic if biased argument for the many advantages to be gained by setting up floating cities outside of the control of any current national governments. The most intriguing of these arguments involve environmental concerns. … Their libertarian arguments are more problematic: suggesting that the world’s population will distribute itself more equitably outside of conventional governments is overly idealistic, and proposing that medical institutions operate offshore to avoid government regulation raises as many problems as it solves. … While the authors’ enthusiasm should be taken with more than a grain of salt, they raise ideas worth considering and offer hope for a future when life on land has grown grim.

For the full review, visit kirkus.com.