The Control of Nature by John McPhee

For the month of July we discussed The Control of Nature by John McPhee. The book details three places in the world where people have been engaged in “all-out battles with nature”: the Mississippi, where the Army Corps of Engineers is tasked with preventing the river from diverting course to the Atchafalaya; Heimay, Iceland, where residents fought to control the flow of lava from a newly erupted volcano; and Los Angeles, where engineers attempt to control recurring debris flows that destroy houses built on the mountains.

People were fascinated by the details we never knew about—in some places in New Orleans, the land has settled so much (because soft sediments are not being replenished by regular floods) and the levees have been built so high, that you can be on the street and see a ship pass on the river overhead, like an elevated highway. The battles often seemed absurd—turning hoses on flowing lava to get it to stop, digging giant basins to catch mudslides but continuing to build in mudslide-prone areas. The author didn’t seem to take a stand or have a point to drive home. It was left to the readers to come to their own conclusions.

So what were our conclusions? Humans alter and control our environment, and this book was about the frontiers of that control, the edge of what is possible or reasonable. There was discussion of the idea that we shouldn’t be in those marginal places, and that they are examples of human hubris. We discussed the idea that people will build in unsuitable places if they feel that insurance or government will protect them, and is that a good idea? The Iceland story seemed different—more a heroic community response to a disaster, than an ongoing exercise in folly. We debated just how foolish some of these battles were, especially in the Mississippi—it seems insane, but then to let the river take its course would be so costly and destructive, maybe it’s the right thing to do after all. We talked about the very concept of control of nature. Some felt that attempting to control nature is wrong and impossible, and that nature will strike back and win. Others objected to viewing humans and nature as separate and oppositional—and nature as personified thing with a psyche and a will. They argued that humans are a part of nature. What do you think? Click on "comments" below to let us know!

An interesting read that let us look in on situations many of us knew nothing about. Next time we will be discussing something that most of us are familiar with: lawns! A timely summer topic. We will read the "Turf Wars" by Elizabeth Kolbert and "Why Mow?" by Michael Pollan. See sidebar for the schedule.

Happy Reading!

July Lewis & Eugenia Marks