The Bookshelf: Feb. 8, 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.

WHERE THE WATER GOES: Life and Death along the Colorado River

by David Owen

Travels along the endangered Colorado River and its tributaries reveal the challenges of providing water to 36 million people throughout the West. New Yorker staff writer Owen elaborates on the critique he presented in his previous book, this time focusing on one crucial natural resource: water. Devising a sustainable water policy, he argues convincingly, is complicated and sometimes counterintuitive. “Many of the technological wonders that we think of as solutions to our gathering environmental problems actually exacerbate other environmental problems,” he asserts. ... The author chides off-the-grid environmentalists who are willfully blind to the energies they use to sustain their lives and makes a case for city life as environmentally responsible. As Owen amply proves, “water issues are never only about water.”

For the full review, visit kirkus.com.