- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Free Press; Reprint edition (Feb 14 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1439102082
- ISBN-13: 978-1439102084
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 340 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#145,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #13 in Books > Outdoors & Nature > Natural Resources > Water Supply & Land Use
- #14 in Books > Science > Nature & Ecology > Water Supply & Land Use
- #20 in Books > Outdoors & Nature > Conservation > Water
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"An engrossing, globe-trotting narrative [and] a comprehensive, remarkably readable panorama of our dependence on- and responsibilities to- a priceless resource." —Publishers Weekly(starred review)
"[A] lively and invaluable assessment of the current politics, economics, and culture of water. Lyrical in his descriptions of the beauty and wonder of water, Fishman is rigorous when explaining that the water we have now is all the water we will ever have."—Booklist (starred review)
"A wide-ranging look at that most precious of goods, water, and a world in which it is a subject of constant crisis...A timely warning." —Kirkus
"[A] lively and invaluable assessment of the current politics, economics, and culture of water. Lyrical in his descriptions of the beauty and wonder of water, Fishman is rigorous when explaining that the water we have now is all the water we will ever have."—Booklist (starred review)
"A wide-ranging look at that most precious of goods, water, and a world in which it is a subject of constant crisis...A timely warning." —Kirkus
Book Description
The water coming out of your kitchen tap is four billion years old and might well have been sipped by a Tyrannosaurus rex. Rather than only three states of water—liquid, ice, and vapor—there is a fourth, “molecular water,” fused into rock 400 miles deep in the Earth, and that’s where most of the planet’s water is found. Unlike most precious resources, water cannot be used up; it can always be made clean enough again to drink—indeed, water can be made so clean that it’s toxic. Water is the most vital substance in our lives but also more amazing and mysterious than we appreciate. As Charles Fishman brings vibrantly to life in this surprising and mind-changing narrative, water runs our world in a host of awe-inspiring ways, yet we take it completely for granted. But the era of easy water is over.
Bringing readers on a lively and fascinating journey—from the wet moons of Saturn to the water-obsessed hotels of Las Vegas, where dolphins swim in the desert, and from a rice farm in the parched Australian outback to a high-tech IBM plant that makes an exotic breed of pure water found nowhere in nature—Fishman vividly shows that we’ve already left behind a century-long golden age when water was thoughtlessly abundant, free, and safe and entered a new era of high-stakes water. In 2008, Atlanta came within ninety days of running entirely out of clean water. California is in a desperate battle to hold off a water catastrophe. And in the last five years Australia nearly ran out of water—and had to scramble to reinvent the country’s entire water system. But as dramatic as the challenges are, the deeper truth Fishman reveals is that there is no good reason for us to be overtaken by a global water crisis. We have more than enough water. We just don’t think about it, or use it, smartly.
The Big Thirst brilliantly explores our strange and complex relationship to water. We delight in watching waves roll in from the ocean; we take great comfort from sliding into a hot bath; and we will pay a thousand times the price of tap water to drink our preferred brand of the bottled version. We love water—but at the moment, we don’t appreciate it or respect it. Just as we’ve begun to reimagine our relationship to food, a change that is driving the growth of the organic and local food movements, we must also rethink how we approach and use water. The good news is that we can. As Fishman shows, a host of advances are under way, from the simplicity of harvesting rainwater to the brilliant innovations devised by companies such as IBM, GE, and Royal Caribbean that are making impressive breakthroughs in water productivity. Knowing what to do is not the problem. Ultimately, the hardest part is changing our water consciousness.
As Charles Fishman writes, “Many civilizations have been crippled or destroyed by an inability to understand water or manage it. We have a huge advantage over the generations of people who have come before us, because we can understand water and we can use it smartly.” The Big Thirst will forever change the way we think about water, about our essential relationship to it, and about the creativity we can bring to ensuring that we’ll always have plenty of it.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Water, Water, Everywhere . . . But Will You Drink It?,
By Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 112,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (#1 HALL OF FAME)
This review is from: The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water (MP3 CD)
"So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, 'Let me not see the death of the boy.' So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, 'What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.' Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink." -- Genesis 21:14-19 (NKJV)Charles Fishman does a great service in this CD (and related book) by taking a look ahead at how we are likely to handle future shortages of drinking water. He considers those who either ran out or came close . . . and how they responded. From this investigation, he concludes that the age of inexpensive potable water used indiscriminately for everything from irrigating farmland to flushing toilets is either at or near an end. In the future, waste water will be recycled for at least nonpotable purposes . . . and increasingly for potable ones. The book initially focuses on the United States and how drought and overuse of water resources threatened both Las Vegas and Atlanta . . . and how the two cities differed in their approaches. I was fascinated to learn that all waste water in Las Vegas is already treated and pumped back into Lake Mead for future reuse . . . and that the water utility pays people to take out lawns. Behavior is being changed . . . but there are limits: A luxury hotel wouldn't go all the way with low-flow shower heads and two-flush toilets. In Australia, severe drought has not only led to water reuse . . . but also to huge investments in desalination plants. When treating and reusing water wasn't handled diplomatically enough, a town failed to take the best choice. In India, there's a huge waste of resources as women and girls wait in lines to get filthy water, water that brings a lot of sickness. In richer areas, residential pumps store polluted water for drinking in ways that reduces water quality for everyone. Big decisions lie ahead: How much scarce water should go for agriculture in deserts and how much for suburban lawns? Big investments lie ahead: plumbing residences for both potable and nonpotable water. Hard decisions lie ahead: treating and drinking waste water. The good news is that we can do it. The bad news is that it takes a lot of money, a lot of time, and a lot of willingness to learn. We should get started. Be sure everyone you know either listens to the CD set or reads the book. Well done, Mr. Fishman!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (54 customer reviews) 27 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Too important to ignore,
By Glenn Ostle - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water (Hardcover)
As an editor in the pulp and paper industry, I'm aware of what our own industry is doing to use less water and recycle and reuse the water that it does use. But this book has given me a much broader view of the water issue thanks to Mr. Fishman's clever writing, excellent research, and fascinating stories drawn from his global travels. He has achieved the seemingly impossible by writing an entire book about the single topic of water, and making it fascinating reading. I'll never look at or think about water the same way again, and I've already found myself looking for little ways in which I can reduce my use of this precious resource.This should be required reading for everyone. Glenn Ostle Editorial Director/Associate Publisher Paper360 magazine 21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Water, water everywhere,
By Allison Adams - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water (Hardcover)
A whole book about water? Really?We all know water is precious and important in our lives, but like most U.S. citizens, I used to take safe, clean water for granted. Never again after reading "The Big Thirst." The book is compelling and fun to read, serious and hopeful. Charles Fishman is a great storyteller and writer. With humor and facts, he identifies and explores vital issues as he travels to Las Vegas, Australia, India, UAE and beyond. He presents ideas, information and critical issues in a thoughtful and calm manner. This important and book changed the way I think about water, and has lessons for individuals, communities and policy makers. I no longer feel numbed by water worries; I even feel hopeful. And I keep thinking about my relationship with water, including why a body of water makes me so happy, and why some fountains are amazing and others are just annoying (you know the type). This book will keep me (and others) thinking and talking about water for a long time to come. 10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun to read...cautionary tale...but optimistic,
By Mark Belmont - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water (Hardcover)
Truly entertaining stories that accomplish what few books of this type do: provides a stern warning without attempting to frighten. The book takes a hard look at some very dire situations but also provides some specific examples of places around the globe that have figured out an answer. Charles Fishman has crafted an impressionist painting that can be seen as a business book, a political book, a human drama, or a primer on the science and economics of water. The book takes the reader on a worldwide tour, from the splashy hotels on the Vegas strip to the poorest slums of India and lots of places in between.No matter your expectations, this book will exceed them. |
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