{"product_id":"thirst-isbn-9780787984588","title":"Thirst","description":"Out of sight of most Americans, global corporations like Nestlé, Suez, and Veolia are rapidly buying up our local water sources—lakes, streams, and springs—and taking control of public water services. In their drive to privatize and commodify water, they have manipulated and bought politicians, clinched backroom deals, and subverted the democratic process by trying to deny citizens a voice in fundamental decisions about their most essential public resource.  \u003cp\u003eThe authors' PBS documentary \u003ci\u003eThirst\u003c\/i\u003e showed how communities around the world are resisting the privatization and commodification of water. \u003ci\u003eThirst\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e,\u003c\/b\u003e the book, picks up where the documentary left off, revealing the emergence of controversial new water wars in the United States and showing how communities here are fighting this battle, often against companies headquartered overseas.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRead a review...http:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/cgi-bin\/article.cgi?f=\/c\/a\/2007\/03\/18\/RVGS9OHPKT1.DTL\u003c\/p\u003e  Preface.  \u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e1. Water: Commodity or Human Right?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBattles for Water in the West.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2. Hardball vs. the High Road.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eStockton, California.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3. Small-Town Surprise for a Corporate Water Giant.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFelton, California.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eScandals in the South.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4. The Price of Incompetence.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAtlanta, Georgia.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e5. The Hundred-Year War.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLexington, Kentucky.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew England Skirmishes.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e6. Keeping the Companies at Bay.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLee, Massachusetts.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e7. Cooking the Numbers.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHolyoke, Massachusetts.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCorporate Target: The Great Lakes.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e8. When Nestlé Comes.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e9. To Quench a Thirst.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMecosta County, Michigan.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e10. Whose Water, Whose World Is It?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eResources.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Authors.\u003c\/p\u003e  2008 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Winner in the category of Conscious Media\/Journalism  \u003cp\u003e\"...an interesting read, well-written and thoroughly documented… completed by 50 pages of careful notes and references, helpful and informative.\" (\u003ci\u003eWorld Business,\u003c\/i\u003e March 2007)\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIs water a human right or a commodity to be marketed for profit? Should water be run by local governments or by distant corporations? Why do we pay more for bottled water than for gasoline?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese are some of the tough-minded questions Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman first asked in their provocative and memorable 2004 documentary, also titled \"Thirst.\"\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn their new book, the authors investigate how the growing \"water business\" is trying to privatize water systems in cities scattered across the United States.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMore often than not, local citizens don't even know their water is being sold. But when people do know what's happening, they form powerful coalitions, fueled by indignation and outrage. In the process, citizens rediscover some of the basic principles of democracy, namely, that they should have a voice in their government.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis is the cautionary tale the authors tell through their vivid descriptions of eight conflicts over water -- from Stockton to Atlanta, Ga.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eShould we worry about these new water wars? Yes. Water is not only a limited resource; it is also necessary for biological survival.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"The current conflict between corporations and citizens movements to control this precious resource,\" they write, \"will be decided in the years to come. The outcome of the conflict will surely be a measure of our democracy in the 21st Century.\"\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThey're right. See their film. Read this important book. Then decide if you agree that public control of water is essential for our health and the health of our democracy. (\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e, Excerpts of a review by Ruth Rosen)\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cb\u003eAlan Snitow\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist. Kaufman and Snitow's films include \u003ci\u003eThirst\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSecrets of Silicon Valley\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBlacks and Jews\u003c\/i\u003e.  \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDeborah Kaufman\u003c\/b\u003e is a film producer, director, and writer.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Fox\u003c\/b\u003e is a film critic, journalist, and teacher.\u003c\/p\u003e  Is water a human right or a commodity to be bought, sold, and traded in the global marketplace? Will it become the oil of the twenty-first century? Is it a source of profit for those in control and a commodity available only to those who can afford to pay?  \u003cp\u003eOut of sight of most Americans, global corporations like Nestlé, Suez, and Veolia are rapidly buying up our local water sources—lakes, streams, and springs—and taking control of public water services. In their drive to privatize and commodify water, they have manipulated and bought politicians, clinched backroom deals, and subverted the democratic process by trying to deny citizens a voice in fundamental decisions about their most essential public resource.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe authors' PBS documentary \u003ci\u003eThirst\u003c\/i\u003e showed how communities around the world are resisting the privatization and commodification of water. \u003ci\u003eThirst\u003c\/i\u003e, the book, picks up where the documentary left off, revealing the emergence of controversial new water wars in the United States and showing how communities here are fighting this battle, often against companies headquartered overseas.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBoth fast paced and sharply observant, \u003ci\u003eThirst\u003c\/i\u003e exposes corporate attempts to take over municipally controlled water in communities around the country, to buy up rights to groundwater in the United States, and to create and corner the market on bottled water.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt also shows how people in affected communities are fighting back to keep water affordable, accessible, sustainable, and public by creating new methods to challenge the corporate juggernaut in an age of globalization.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe are at the tipping point in the new global water wars. The United States is ground zero. What happens in the next few years will determine the fate of water and our basic democratic rights here and abroad. Thirst is a battlefield account of the conflict.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThirst\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\"As a congressman from the Great Lakes region, I appreciate this timely and important work on a critical public policy question: Is water a natural resource to be protected by the public realm, or is it just another commodity?\"\u003cbr\u003e —Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Ohio\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"A riveting and engaging account of one of the most important environmental issues of our time: Will corporations or citizens control our water?\"\u003cbr\u003e —Carl Pope, executive director, Sierra Club\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"A smart, gripping narrative of the way 'big money' is cornering the market for life's basic ingredient. It will shock you—and it should!\"\u003cbr\u003e —Jeff Faux, founder of the Economic Policy Institute, and author, \u003ci\u003eThe Global Class War\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"The fight for the right to water has hit the U.S. heartland and this passionate, information-packed book tells the story of ordinary Americans engaged in extraordinary struggles to save their water heritage for future generations. Every American should read it.\"\u003cbr\u003e —Maude Barlow, chair of Council of Canadians, and author, \u003ci\u003eBlue Gold\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Who really owns your water? It may not be who you think. Read this provocative and insightful book and find out about the politics and economics of growing attempts to privatize our most vital public resource—the stuff that comes out of your tap.\"\u003cbr\u003e —Peter Gleick, president, Pacific Institute for Development, Environment and Security\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"A terrific read—startling and motivating. \u003ci\u003eThirst\u003c\/i\u003e helps us see that the fight for the right to water is in fact a struggle for democracy itself. Read \u003ci\u003eThirst\u003c\/i\u003e and dive into the twenty-first century's core challenge: Do we save ourselves by the market's logic, or as citizens do we deepen democracy's logic?\"\u003cbr\u003e —Frances Moore Lappé, author, \u003ci\u003eDemocracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \"As a congressman from the Great Lakes region, I appreciate this timely and important work on a critical public policy question: Is water a natural resource to be protected by the public realm, or is it just another commodity?\"\u003cbr\u003e —Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Ohio  \u003cp\u003e\"A riveting and engaging account of one of the most important environmental issues of our time: Will corporations or citizens control our water?\"\u003cbr\u003e —Carl Pope, executive director, Sierra Club\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"A smart, gripping narrative of the way 'big money' is cornering the market for life's basic ingredient. It will shock you—and it should!\"\u003cbr\u003e —Jeff Faux, founder of the Economic Policy Institute, and author, \u003ci\u003eThe Global Class War\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"The fight for the right to water has hit the U.S. heartland and this passionate, information-packed book tells the story of ordinary Americans engaged in extraordinary struggles to save their water heritage for future generations. Every American should read it.\"\u003cbr\u003e —Maude Barlow, chair of Council of Canadians, and author, \u003ci\u003eBlue Gold\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Who really owns your water? It may not be who you think. Read this provocative and insightful book and find out about the politics and economics of growing attempts to privatize our most vital public resource—the stuff that comes out of your tap.\"\u003cbr\u003e —Peter Gleick, president, Pacific Institute for Development, Environment and Security\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"A terrific read—startling and motivating. \u003ci\u003eThirst\u003c\/i\u003e helps us see that the fight for the right to water is in fact a struggle for democracy itself. Read \u003ci\u003eThirst\u003c\/i\u003e and dive into the twenty-first century's core challenge: Do we save ourselves by the market's logic, or as citizens do we deepen democracy's logic?\"\u003cbr\u003e —Frances Moore Lappé, author, \u003ci\u003eDemocracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jossey-Bass","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47990387572965,"sku":"NP9780787984588","price":31.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780787984588.jpg?v=1761787622","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/thirst-isbn-9780787984588","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}