Finalist for the National Book Award An intimate reckoning with aquifer depletion in America's heartland The Ogallala aquifer has nourished life on the American Great Plains for millennia. But less than a century of unsustainable irrigation farming has taxed much of the aquifer beyond repair. The imminent depletion of the Ogallala and other aquifers around the world is a defining planetary crisis of our times. Running Out offers a uniquely personal account of aquifer depletion and the deeper layers through which it gains meaning and force. Anthropologist Lucas Bessire journeyed back to western Kansas, where five generations of his family lived as irrigation farmers and ranchers, to try to make sense of this vital resource and its loss. His search for water across the drying High Plains brings the reader face to face with the stark realities of industrial agriculture, eroding democratic norms, and surreal interpretations of a looming disaster. Yet the destination is far from predictable, as the book seeks to move beyond the words and genres through which destruction is often known. Instead, this journey into the morass of eradication offers a series of unexpected discoveries about what it means to inherit the troubled legacies of the past and how we can take responsibility for a more inclusive, sustainable future. An urgent and unsettling meditation on environmental change, Running Out is a revelatory account of family, complicity, loss, and what it means to find your way back home.

When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, thirteen-year-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1996 tourist site under unseen observation by heartless scientists, and it's up to Jessie to escape the village and save the lives of the dying children.

A Children’s Book Review Seven Middle Grade Books for African American History Month Pick Fans of Elijah of Buxton, Trouble Don’t Last, and Stealing Freedom will be drawn to this tale of the incredible journey of an abused twelve-year-old white girl and an escaped slave girl who run away together and form a bond of friendship while seeking freedom. Every day is a misery for a nameless, motherless Southern girl who is treated cruelly by her pa and brothers. Her life changes forever when a runaway slave named Zenobia turns to her for help and shelter. Longing for her own freedom, the girl decides to run away, and she and Zenobia set off on a harrowing journey. Along the way, Zenobia names the girl Lark, after the bird, for her ability to mimic its song. Running by night, hiding by day, the girls are pursued by Lark’s pa and brothers and by ruthless slave catchers. Brightwell, another runaway slave, joins them, and the three follow secret signs to a stop on the Underground Railroad. When the hideout is raided and Zenobia and Brightwell are captured, Lark sets out alone to rescue her friends. A CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book of the Year An International Reading Association Best Chapter Book of the Year A Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Master List Selection A Great Stone Face Book Award Nominee A New Mexico’s Land of Enchantment Book Award Selection A Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Awards Selection "Lush, detailed, total-immersion storytelling."--Kirkus Reviews "Distinguished by lively descriptions and dialogue."--Publisher's Weekly "A gripping historical novel . . . heart-stopping, heart-racing and eventually heart-easing.--Library Voice "Powerful debut novel."--International Reading Association "An essential read for those interested in American history."--San Louis Obispo Tribune "A gritty, engrossing tale.--Slo Coast Journal

The Edgar Award-nominated Buck Schatz series of mysteries featuring a retired cop in Memphis continues with Running Out of Road. "Daniel Friedman has done it again—only better."— Michael Sears, bestselling author of Black Fridays Once, Detective Buck Schatz patrolled the city of Memphis, chasing down robbers and killers with a blackjack truncheon and a .357. But he's been retired for decades. Now he's frail and demented, and Rose, his wife of 72 years, is ill and facing a choice about her health care that Buck is terrified to even consider. The future looks short and bleak, and Buck's only escape is into the past. But Buck's past is under attack as well. After 35 years on death row, convicted serial killer Chester March finally has an execution date. Chester is the oldest condemned man in the United States, and his case has attracted the attention of NPR producer Carlos Watkins, who believes Chester was convicted on the strength of a coerced confession. Chester's conviction is the capstone on Buck's storied career, and, to save Chester's life, Watkins is prepared to tear down Buck's reputation and legacy.

"To inspire and motivate conscious lifestyle choices, to promote kindness and compassion for all living beings and to raise environmental awareness for a sustainable future, veteran raw vegan runner Janette Murray-Wakelin and Alan Murray ran around Australia, 15,782km, 366 marathons each in 366 days. On January 1, 2014, as they ran their 366th marathon, they set a new World Record for the most consecutive marathons, as the oldest and only couple to run around Australia, fuelled entirely on fruit and vegetables and wearing barefoot shoes. Having previously cured herself of cancer, Janette Murray-Wakelin is living proof that anything can be achieved when living a conscious lifestyle."--

Annotation. Ruth A. Morgan completed her PhD at The University of Western Australia in 2012 and took up a lecturing position at Monash University in the School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies. Her doctoral thesis was awarded the 2013 Margaret Medcalf Prize by the State Records Office of Western Australia for excellence in reference and research, and shortlisted for the Australian Historical Association's Serle Award for the best postgraduate thesis in Australian History. In 2013, Morgan was a visiting scholar at the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University. She has presented at international conferences at Renmin University in Beijing (co-sponsored by the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society); the Australian Historical Association in Wollongong; the European Society for Environmental History in Munich; and the International Water History Conference in Montpellier. Morgan has recently co-edited a volume of Studies in Western Australian History and is currently editing a volume of History of Meteorology. She is a member of the Australian Historical Association, the Australian Garden History Association, and the International Commission for the History of Meteorology. She also coordinates the 'Making Public Histories' seminar series, which is a joint initiative with the History Council of Victoria and the State Library of Victoria. Although still in her early career, Morgan has published several dozen articles in peer-reviewed journals, and in outlets such as The Conversation and The West Australian.

Water is the world's life source and essential to all living creatures. Although we live on the blue planet, only 3 percent of all our water is drinkable. Yet we've grown accustomed to using it with abandon – individuals consume about 80 to 100 gallons per day adding up to the equivalent of an Olympic sized swimming pool every year. By this decade's end, when the world population is predicted to reach 8 billion, we will face severe shortages. In this ground breaking and forward-looking book, Harvard professor Peter Rogers and former general manager of the San Francisco Utilities Commission, Susan Leal give us a sobering perspective on the water crisis—why it's happening, where it's likely to strike, and what puts the worst strain on our supply. They explain how water's unique status as a renewable but finite resource misleads us into thinking we can always produce more of it. They introduce exciting new technologies that can help revolutionize our consumption of water and explain how different areas of the world have taken the helm in alleviating the burden of water shortages. Rogers and Leal show how it takes individuals at all levels to make this happen, from grassroots organizations who monitor their community's water sources, to local officials who plan years in advance how they will appropriate water, to the national government who can invest in infrastructure for water conservation today. Informed and inspiring, Running out of Water is a clarion call for action and an innovative look at how we as a nation and individuals can confront the crisis.