New York Times Bestseller Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Award
"Nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative.… Egan’s book is bursting with life (and yes, death)." —Robert Moor, New York Times Book Review
The Great Lakes—Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior—hold 20 percent of the world’s supply of surface fresh water and provide sustenance, work, and recreation for tens of millions of Americans. But they are under threat as never before, and their problems are spreading across the continent. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come.
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The Death and Life of the Great Lakes
New York Times Bestseller Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Award
"Nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative.… Egan’s book is bursting with life (and yes, death)." —Robert Moor, New York Times Book Review
The Great Lakes—Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior—hold 20 percent of the world’s supply of surface fresh water and provide sustenance, work, and recreation for tens of millions of Americans. But they are under threat as never before, and their problems are spreading across the continent. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come.
New York Times Bestseller Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Award
"Nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative.… Egan’s book is bursting with life (and yes, death)." —Robert Moor, New York Times Book Review
The Great Lakes—Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior—hold 20 percent of the world’s supply of surface fresh water and provide sustenance, work, and recreation for tens of millions of Americans. But they are under threat as never before, and their problems are spreading across the continent. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come.
Dan Egan is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. A two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, he lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with his wife and children.
Table of Contents
Introduction xi
Part 1 The Front Door
Chapter 1 Carving a Fourth Seacoast: Dreams of a Seaway 3
Chapter 2 Three Fish: The Story of Lake Trout, Sea Lampreys and Alewives 36
Chapter 3 The World's Great Fishing Hole: The Introduction of Coho and Chinook Salmon 75
Chapter 4 Noxious Cargo: The Invasion of Zebra and Quagga Mussels 108
Part 2 The Back Door
Chapter 5 Continental Undivide: Asian Carp and Chicago's Backwards River 151
Chapter 6 Conquering a Continent: The Mussel Infestation of the West 187
Chapter 7 North America's "Dead" Sea: Toxic Algae and the Threat to Toledo's Water Supply 212
Part 3 The Future
Chapter 8 Plugging the Drain: The Never-Ending Threat to Siphon away Great Lakes Water 247
Chapter 9 A Shaky Balancing Act: Climate Change and the Fall and Rise of the Lakes 277
Chapter 10 A Great Lake Revival: Charting a Course Toward Integrity. Stability and Balance 300
Look around: Climate change is here, from a hurricane crossing the California desert to devastating wildfires on Maui and flooding across Vermont. If you’re looking to better understand what’s happening now or trying to figure out where to go from here, we recommend starting with these books.