Product Description
"...a book as rich in detail as it is devastating in its argument." -SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN"Water Follies deserves a place alongside the late Marc Reisner's classic Cadillac Desert." -ENVIRONMENT"a lively account of hydrology" -NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS"if you want to scare yourself silly, read Water Follies, by Robert Glennon. In it you'll learn how America is irrigating itself to death-just like the Sumerians-while sucking its groundwater aquifers dry."-TORONTO GLOBE & MAIL

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 13 reviews)

Interesting book about an alarming problem by A. S. Johnson (Anchorage, AK)

4 Stars
November 10, 2009
This book discusses several places in America where we are depleting the groundwater at an unsustainable rate. The author gives the history of the areas and of groundwater pumping in general, then goes on to explain the science behind the pumping that makes it such a problem for long-term access to drinkable water. One of the things I really liked about this book is the author's discussion of bottled water, the sources for the water, and the effects on the areas that allow water extraction by the bottling companies. It was really enlightening. He also discusses desalination and its high costs. This author of this book does a good job describing both the political issues behind groundwater pumping and the long-term ecological damage we are causing because of it. If you are interested in water issues, it is a must-read.

Water Follies by Lisa Gruenisen

4 Stars
May 14, 2009
Water Follies (Robert Glennon, 2002) is an amusingly written book about a serious problem in America: namely, groundwater pumping and its effect on various surface water sources. Glennon takes his reader on a tour of the country stopping at various sites of groundwater overuse. He meticulously describes the state of affairs in sites ranging in scenario and geographical location from wetlands around Tampa Bay, to Salmon spawning grounds in eastern Maine, to the increasingly taxed area of Grand Canyon National Park. The tour makes eleven stops in total each one with its own unique spin on the overall water predicament in this country. Yet the book is not without its bright spots. Glennon writes with a playful sense of humor and his sometimes bitterly sarcastic view of the state of affairs regarding America's freshwaters does not leave the reader without hope for the future. Rather, Glennon is sure to end his discussion with eight clear and distinct steps for lawmakers and citizens alike toward righting the wrongs he sees in our current water usage.

Fate of America's Water by keith renick (Peachtree City, Ga. USA)

4 Stars
July 12, 2008
I like Mr. Glennon's book very much but I did think the writing style was just a little dry. I understand the theory behind "the Tragedy of Law and the Commons," but I think at some point in the future population growth will outstrip our ability to take care of our water needs regardless of laws or rights or where the water is located. I think most of the world is being fooled. Every one seems to be thinking oil and the price of gasoline at the pump. Water and not having it is the world's biggest problem. Some research I've read suggest that the population of the United States could grow as much as another 100 million by 2043. Where are we going to get all of the water for them? This book and others about water are an important subject for any family man concerned about his family and the future. Regards, Keith Renick, Peachtree City, Ga.

Water Follies by Walter R. Davenport (New Mexico, USA)

4 Stars
February 25, 2008
A well written and documented account of the tremendous pressure placed on the Earth's ability to continue to provide water for humans, communities, farmers, industry and recreation. No doubt, many of the Earth's citizens, no matter their country and location, are more concerned with the daily challenges and needs for themselves than for the future conservation of natural resources. It certainly behooves a minority of Earth's people, such as this author, to share information that directly and indirectly will have a serious consequence for the majority of earth's population if positive and reasonable action is not taken to provide for the future conservation of Earth's natural resources.

Water Follies - a must read for water concerns by cyn ann (Lexington, Kentucky USA)

5 Stars
June 07, 2007
I gave this book to a friend who just completed an environmental science degree. She said she thought it should be required reading. She learned about some major water concerns in this book that she wasn't taught in classes she took on this same subject. If you are at all concerned about the future of our water supply, you must read this book. While most of us cannot fight the big battles that this issue requires, we can stop buying McDonald's french fries, farm-raised salmon, farm-raised blueberries, etc. Even if you aren't majoring in environmental sciences, read this book. It is an eye opener. We are all going to be affected by a water shortage in the near future. We need to be educated about this very severe problem. Those who control the water will control the world.

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It by Robert Glennon (Author) In the middle of the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas casinos use billions of gallons of water for fountains, pirate lagoons, wave machines, and indoor canals. Meanwhile, the town of Orme, Tennessee, must truck in water from Alabama because it has literally run out. Robert Glennon captures the irony and tragedy of America s water crisis in a book that is both frightening and wickedly comical. From manufactured snow for tourists in Atlanta to trillions of gallons of water flushed down the toilet each...
	When the Rivers Run Dry: Water--The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century by Fred Pearce (Author) In this groundbreaking book, veteran science correspondent Fred Pearce travels to more than thirty countries to examine the current state of crucial water sources. Deftly weaving together the complicated scientific, economic, and historic dimensions of the world water crisis, he provides our most complete portrait yet of this growing danger and its ramifications for us all. “A strong—and scary—case that a worldwide water shortage is the most fearful looming environmental crisis....
	Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource by Marq de Villiers (Author) In his award-winning book WATER, Marq de Villiers provides an eye-opening account of how we are using, misusing, and abusing our planet's most vital resource. Encompassing ecological, historical, and cultural perspectives, de Villiers reports from hot spots as diverse as China, Las Vegas, and the Middle East, where swelling populations and unchecked development have stressed fresh water supplies nearly beyond remedy. Political struggles for control of water rage around the globe, and rampant...
	Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit by Vandana Shiva (Author) Vandana Shiva, "the world's most prominent radical scientist" (the Guardian), exposes yet another corporate maneuver to convert a critical world resource into a profitable commodity. Using the global water trade as a lens, she highlights the destruction of the earth and the disenfranchisement of the world's poor as they lose their right to a life-sustaining common good.
	Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition by Marc Reisner (Author) Newly updated, this timely history of the struggle to discover and control water in the American West is a tale of rivers diverted and damned, political corruption and intrigue, billion-dollar battles over water rights, and economic and ecological disaster. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award.