The Books Issue
The book excerpts selected for this issue of
Energy Today
reflect the unique complexities of humanity’s most daunting challenge: the pursuit of abundant, affordable and safe energy. There is a common thread that connects all of the books: in
Superpower
, one man’s quixotic dream to build a massive renewable energy grid is part of the larger story told in
Power Trip
, which describes the evolutionary march of modern energy sources; and, one woman’s struggles with a family farm in
The Fate of Food
can be seen as a microcosm of
The Dreamt Land
, a story of drought and plenty in California’s agricultural empire. And, in
Signs On the Earth
, we see the impact that energy has on individuals, faith and whole civilizations.
Together these five books powerfully illustrate the impact of energy. All that is fundamental to human life—food, water, faith, modernity— is changing on a scale and at a pace never before seen. No doubt these five books will raise a lot of questions, many of which won’t have answers. But perhaps there is some comfort, and even inspiration, in recognizing that in the age-old quest to solve our energy challenges, we are not taking this journey alone.
