The The Wild River and the Great Dam by Simon Boughton

The The Wild River and the Great Dam by Simon Boughton

Discover the fascinating history behind the construction of Hoover Dam-and its lasting political and environmental effects on the Colorado River and the American west-in this propulsive nonfiction exploration of one of the country's most recognizable and far-reaching landmarks. At the time of its completion in 1936, Hoover Dam was the biggest dam in the world and the largest feat of architecture and engineering in the country-a statement of national ambition and technical achievement. It turned the wild Colorado River into a tame and securely managed water source, transforming millions of acres of desert into farmland while also providing water and power to the fast-growing population of the Southwest. The concrete monolith quickly became a symbol of American ingenuity; however, its history is laden with contradiction. It provided work for thousands, but it was a dangerous project that exploited desperate workers during the Depression. It helped secure the settlement and economies of the Southwest, but at the expense of Indigenous peoples and the environment; and it created a dependency on the Colorado River's water, which is under threat from overuse and climate change. Weaving together elements of engineering, geography, and political and socioeconomic history, and drawing heavily from unpublished oral histories taken from dam workers and their families, Simon Boughton's thoughtful and propulsive debut-featuring historical photographs throughout-follows the construction and impact of Hoover Dam, and how its promise of abundance ultimately created a river in crisis today.

Simon Boughton was born in England, attended Cambridge University and the University of Essex, and has worked as a book publisher in New York for the past thirty years. Books he has edited and published have won the Caldecott Medal, the Michael Printz Award, the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and many other awards and honors.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780316380744
ISBN 10	0316380741
Title	The The Wild River and the Great Dam
Author	Simon Boughton
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Little, Brown & Company
Year published	2024-03-14
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable