As part of the Marriott Library’s #readtothink campaign, we asked some of our U Water faculty affiliates and staff what texts they recommend to broaden an understanding of water issues.
Do you use the library to #readtothink about water? If so, say hi on Twitter or Instagram (@uwatercenter) and tell us what you’re reading with the hashtags #readtothink #UofUWater.
PATRICK A. SHEA | Research Professor of Biology, Private Attorney
"I recommend River Republic: The Fall and Rise of America's Rivers by Daniel McCool. Dan is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Utah. He does a remarkable job of tracing the history of America's abuse and then rehabilitation of various American Rivers, with a particular focus on the Colorado River. This oversubscribed, yet vital water way, has many parallels to the Indus and the ever present tensions over its water between Pakistan and India."
SARAH JACK HINNERS | Director, Center for Ecological Planning + Design; Assistant Professor - Research, Dept. of City and Metropolitan Planning
"Taking on Water by Wendy J. Pabich. It is the story of the author’s personal attempts to reduce her water footprint in her own life, and the ways in which modern life and our built environment make it challenging to do so. It’s a light, entertaining, but very informative read and relevant to all of us living in the west."
SETH ARENS | U Water Affiliated Scientist; Research Scientist, Western Water Assessment (WWA)
"The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko. Outdoor adventure, historical non-fiction about running the Grand Canyon at flood stage in 1983 along with ample river history and riveting narratives of the destruction wrought to Glen Canyon Dam and in the Grand Canyon as the 1983 flood peaked and nearly took out the dam."
MERCEDES WARD | Researcher & Institutional Development Advisor, U Water Center / U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water
"I recommend Cultivating the Nile: The Everyday Politics of Water in Egypt by Jessica Barnes. This book was recommended to me by a colleague in Pakistan. The book’s author does a wonderful job of describing and analyzing the sociological aspects of irrigation in Egypt. She illuminates the social processes that affect where – and how much and to whom – water flows. She argues that water quantity and quality are made through decisions and actions of farmers, engineers, politicians, and donors. The integration of details about surface and groundwater irrigation, land reclamation, and drainage should help bridge disciplinary divides between engineers and social scientists. The book would be a great starting place for an interdisciplinary conversation about the political ecology of irrigation water management."