The Great River :The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi
The Great River :The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi
hardback
Published:
11 June, 2024
hardback
Published:
11 June, 2024
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Description
Over thousands of years, the Mississippi watershed was home to millions of indigenous people who regarded “the great river” with awe and respect, adorning its banks with astonishing spiritual earthworks. But European settlers and American pioneers had a different vision: the river was a foe to conquer. In this landmark work of natural history, Boyce Upholt tells the epic story of human attempts to own and contain the Mississippi River, from Thomas Jefferson’s expansionist land hunger through today’s era of environmental concern. He reveals how an ambitious and sometimes contentious program of engineering—government-built levees, jetties, dikes and dams—has not only damaged once-vibrant ecosystems, but may not work much longer, and explores how scientists are scrambling to restore what’s been lost. Rich and powerful, The Great River delivers a startling account of what happens when we try to fight against nature instead of acknowledging and embracing its power.
Prizes
Winner of Willie Morris Award for Southern Nonfiction 2024
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9780393867879 |
| ISBN10 | 0393867870 |
| Number Of Pages | 352 |
| Item Weight | 536 g |
| Product Dimensions | 160 x 236 x 30 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | WW Norton & Co |
| Format | hardback |
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Author's Bio
Boyce Upholt is a journalist and essayist whose writing has appeared in the Atlantic, National Geographic, the Oxford American, and Virginia Quarterly Review, among other publications. He is the winner of a James Beard Award for investigative journalism, and he lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.