First, I was able to finish up The Death and Life of The Great Lakes, by Dan Egan. European explorers first set eyes on the Great Lakes in about 1535. They found what they thought was a freshwater sea that they hoped would lead to China. The area was rich in wildlife and the lakes were teaming with fish. It was perhaps inevitable that huge cities would grow up on the banks of the lakes.
From the beginning modification of the lakes was a priority. The largest modification, perhaps, are the canals, (the Erie Canal and the St. Lawrence Seaway) that allow shipping from the Atlantic. The canals bypassed the natural barrier of the Niagara Falls, so that huge ships could make their way into the lakes and the ports of Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Toronto, and other cities. Unfortunately, the ships were not just loaded with cargo. Hitchhikers from the sea and other ports around the world were also brought into the previously isolated lakes. The first of these was the sea lamprey. An adaptive species, it is able to live in the freshwater of the lakes, and it found an abundant food source in the native trout. In the 1930's, millions of pounds of native trout and whitefish were being harvested from the lake annually. By the 50's that number was near zero, due entirely to the lamprey. This was only the first ecological disaster to befall the lakes.
The book details several more ecological disasters and resurgences, and more modern problems, such as huge demands for water to supply cities both near the lakes, and further away. I was afraid this book would be political in nature, but it wasn't. It was very informative and made me look at our water, and fish, supplies differently.
My second read was One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline. Chris Brennan is applying for a job as a high school government teacher and coach, but his name isn't really Chris Brennan, it's Curt Abbot, and he's not really a teacher. He's looking for a young man to manipulate. He zeros in on Raz, Jordan, and Evan. Raz lost his father last year and his family is struggling to cope. Jordan is the son of a single mother who works hard to support her son, but he lacks a father figure. Evan is a spoiled rich kid, the child of a stay at home mom and an affluent oncology surgeon. The book is divided into three parts labeled Step One, Step Two, and Step Three. For most of Step One, the reader doesn't know what's going on or what Chris/Curt's motives are. Things become much clearer in Step Two. My only gripe with the story was that the ending seemed a little far fetched. It didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story though. It was a quick read that I was able to knock out in just a few hours.
Both The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, and One Perfect Lie are available for checkout at Franklin County Library.
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