Using rivers as the focus, an avid fly fisherman presents a unique environmental history of America, exploring the paradox between trout rich rivers and the corporations that find them useful for industry, while also proposing solutions to these conflicting demands over a vital resource. *Starred Review* An ardent fly-fisherman, Black became deeply curious about the complex history of Connecticut's beautiful Housatonic watershed, home of his favorite trout-fishing spots. He is particularly intrigued with the opposite fates of two tributaries, the pristine Shepaug and the nearly moribund Naugatuck. What combination of chance and purpose protected one from industrialization and turned the other into a dammed and fouled ghost of its former self? And what can be learned from contemplating what Black calls the "trout pool paradox," the fact that the trout pool, beautiful and bountiful, possesses the very elements--limestone, fast water, and a forest canopy--needed for iron production, the first of several toxic industries to bring prosperity and pollution to Connecticut? Emulating the king of narrative nonfiction, John McPhee, Black, energetically inquiring and entertainingly informative, introduces a colorful cast of characters historic and living, from iron barons and brass magnates to politicians, scientists, fishermen, and environmental activists, as he tells the fascinating stories of wild trout and trout hatcheries, hydropower and blast furnaces, PCBs and caddis flies, unintended consequences and court cases. A many-faceted and illuminating tale of one man's love of fishing, three rivers, and the tremendous challenge of restoring rivers to health. Donna Seaman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved GEORGE BLACK is an avid fly fisherman who in light traffic can make it from his New York apartment to the banks of the Shepaug in just under an hour and a half. He has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and many other publications. He is the author of three books on foreign affairs. Used Book in Good Condition