My only beef with this book was that it was a collection of stories about water conservation rather than a thesis that was argued. The water stories--as in "news stories"--are well-written, informative, and all together they paint a dire picture of the (non)-water-world to come. Although not written in the apocalyptic style, it does enumerate the many challenges the world's water supplies face from dams, irrigation, pollution, sinking water tables, and so on. Especially concerning, I think, were Pearce's accounts of China's use of dams to serve its own ends, much to the anguish of its less powerful downstream neighbors, from India to Vietnam. It's a problem that has roots, I think, in the same post-communistic imperialistic outlook that has China wanting to claim the entire South China Sea, crush Hong Kong's semi-independence, and win back Taiwan. The problem of water imperialism, however, exists all over the world, as major rivers often run through several countries. This book inspires me to get involved in my local water conservation organization. I recommend this book.

This book should have been titled "When My Creativity Runs Dry". Though Pierce provides interesting historical background to global water use and brings to light important issues, he does not make the story engaging and fun to read. The importance of teh topic is lost in the authors inability to tell a vivid story.

I'm sure you saw the two stars and thought, "How could she!?". I can practically here the gasps, people. And what I have to say is this: This is not my niche. The only reason I read this was to become informed and educated, and now I am. But I can't say it was pleasurable. I would have rather gone to the dentist for three root canals over reading this book. Seriously. I was overwhelmed with people, places, numbers, techniques, and vocabulary. It's a lot to handle. For me, it wasn't presented in a way that my brain could absorb the information efficiently.
However, if this is your thing. If you are passionate about sustainability, then please help yourself to this book. This book was made for you, and you both deserve each other. It will be a happy union, I promise.

This book is the best. If you only read one book on the water crisis, this should be the one. This is a comprehensive look at how water shortages impact people all over the world and how they have dealt with it in the twenty-first century. Pearce did an amazing job researching and performing case studies in order to be able to put this book together. I love the way that it is organized and broken down into sections. His writing style is both captivating and interesting. Love it.