Deep River

Deep River: A Novel by Karl Marlantes

This book explores the history of a few related Finnish people who came to the Pacific Northwest around the turn of the 20th century. They were primarily attracted by the logging industry. It was a tough industry with hard work and serious chances of injury and death. Men were attracted to the income with some looking at the chance of going on their own. One woman was attracted with the possibility of organizing a large union to help the loggers. The book slowly goes through their experiences and struggles with the local impacts of widespread events like wards, union activities and prohibition. At times it has interludes describing events instead of having the characters live through them. Even so, the book is quite long and it can be difficult to tell the characters apart. The historical settings can almost be identified, but even parts of that have been fictionalized. The female union organizer gets a bit too much coverage, while I would like to see more coverage of the evolution of the society from rough-and-tumble to legitimate towns.

The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow's World

The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow's World by Charles C. Mann

Norman Borlaug and William Vogt had very different responses to the question of human population growth. Borlaug launched the green revolution. He found ways to increase the food production capacity. He helped breed high-yielding crops. By applying the proper fertilizer and water with the right breed of crop, farmers can produce much greater yields on smaller land. Vogt looked at the negativity of growth and encouraged reductions in the human footprint.

Borlaug won the Nobel prize. However, his achievements are now being reassessed. While it has helped increase yields, there have also been negative results, ranging from environmental degradation to unemployment and obesity.

Now climate change is a big concern. However, we continue to have wizards looking at ways we can continue to consume as before while limiting our carbon footprint. Maybe now is the time to re-think consumption and look at how we can get by with less.