As part of the Marriott Library’s #readtothink campaign, we asked some of our U Water faculty affiliates and staff what texts they recommend to broaden an understanding of water issues.
Do you use the library to #readtothink about water? If so, say hi on Twitter or Instagram (@uwatercenter) and tell us what you’re reading with the hashtags #readtothink #UofUWater.
JOHN RUPLE | Research Professor; S.J. Quinney College of Law, Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment
"I’m going to go with Charles F. Wilkinson, Crossing the Next Meridian: Land, Water, and the Future of the West (Island Press, 1992). It’s about the unintended consequences of Reconstruction Era laws that encouraged western settlement and development, and how those laws--including the law of prior appropriation--continue to shape almost every aspect of life in the West. It provides the historical context necessary to make sense of decisions that can often seem illogical."
JENNIFER WEIDHAAS | Associate Professor; Civil & Environmental Engineering
"If you can broaden your definition a bit, I would recommend Practical Ethics by Peter Singer*. In particular, I recommend just one thought provoking chapter entitled “The Environment” in this controversial but very readable text. I had an undergraduate class read and openly discuss this chapter once and the diverse opinions that arose during the discourse were amazing. The discussion was simultaneously lively, argumentative, inspiring, partisan and consensus building."
*A third edition is available here.
ROBIN CRAIG | James. I. Farr Presidential Endowed Chair of Law; S.J. Quinney College of Law, Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment
"I'm going to slip in the classic—Cadillac Desert."
DAVEY STEVENSON | Exchange & Outreach Specialist, U Water Center / USPCASW
"The Water Knife manages to weave a story that is at once beautiful narrative and compelling case for why we must think about water. Bacigalupi draws from thoughtful research into water law, economics, and other water-related issues to paint a devastating picture of a potential future for the Western U.S."