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A Dangerous Place: California's Unsettling Fate
Contributor(s): Reisner, Marc (Author)

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 ISBN: 0142003832     ISBN-13: 9780142003831
Publisher: Penguin Adult Hc/Tr
OUR PRICE: $22.80  

Binding Type: Paperback - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: July 2004
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Annotation: In "A Dangerous Place, Marc Reisner, the author of "Cadillac Desert, the classic history of the American West and its fatal dependence on water, returns to the subject that never ceased to seduce him: California.
Writing with his signature command of his subject and with compelling resonance, Reisner leads us through California's improbable history and rise from a largely desert land to the most populated state in the nation, fueled by an economic engine more productive than all of Africa. Reisner believes that the achievement of this, the last great desert civilization, hinges on California's denial of its own inescapable fate. Both the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas sit astride two of the most violently seismic zones on the planet. The earthquakes that have already rocked California were, according to Reisner, mere prologues to a future cataclysm that will result in destruction of such magnitude that the only recourse will be to rebuild from the ground up. Reisner concludes "A Dangerous Place with a hypothetical but chillingly realistic description of such a disaster and its horrifying aftereffects.
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- History | United States - State & Local - West (ak, Ca, Co, Hi, Id, Mt, Nv, Ut, Wy)
- Nature | Natural Disasters
- Nature | Earthquakes & Volcanoes
Dewey: 979.4
LCCN: 2002073375
Age Level: 18-UP
Grade Level: 13-UP
Physical Information: 0.53" H x 6.36" W x 7.52" L (0.37 lbs) 208 pages
Themes:
- Cultural Region - Western U.S.
- Cultural Region - West Coast
- Geographic Orientation - California
Features: Price on Product
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Writing with a signature command of his subject and with compelling resonance, Marc Reisner leads us through California's improbable rise from a largely desert land to the most populated state in the nation, fueled by an economic engine more productive than all of Africa. Reisner believes that the success of this last great desert civilization hinges on California's denial of its own inescapable fate: Both the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas sit astride two of the most violently seismic zones on the planet. The earthquakes that have already rocked California were, according to Reisner, a mere prologue to a future cataclysm that will result in immense destruction. Concluding with a hypothetical but chillingly realistic description of what such a disaster would look like, A Dangerous Place mixes science, history, and cultural commentary in a haunting work of profound importance.
 
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