Book
Loading book
Preparing this book and its discovery paths.
Book
Preparing this book and its discovery paths.
Reader fitReaders who enjoy explanatory journalism that traces technical decision-making over time.
Three extended nonfiction essays look closely at distinct episodes where people tried to redirect, constrain, or rebuild around powerful natural forces: efforts on a major river system, responses to a volcanic eruption, and work against mountain debris flows. Each case focuses on practical engineering choices, the communities involved, and the tension between technical control and geological or hydrological forces.
Chapters are self-contained long essays that use granular reporting and technical detail to create a forensic sense of each episode. McPhee focuses on people who plan and execute engineering responses - agency officials, local residents, and scientists - while including clear descriptions of the physical processes at issue. The writing is patient and observant, privileging concrete scenes, technical decisions, and the material consequences of those choices; it rewards readers who like explanatory journalism with a narrative arc. A caveat: readers uninterested in infrastructure detail or technical descriptions may find some sections dense and procedural.
Themes:
Mood:
Pace:
Style:
Sibyl may earn a commission from some purchase links; Sibyl does not add a separate fee. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
John Angus McPhee is an American author. He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. He is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category General Nonfiction, and he won that award on the fourth occasion in 1999 for Annals of the Former World. In 2008, he received the George Polk Career Award for his "indelible mark on American journalism during his nearly half-century career". Since 1974, McPhee has been the Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University.
Follow the book’s themes, texture, and reading experience into meaningfully related books.
Finding related books…
See all · More Like ThisNo public Stack includes The Control of Nature yet. Build a path for readers who should find it.
