8 Good Reads About Drinking Water

If 71% of our planet is water, and 60% of the human body is water, shouldn’t we know more about this amazing substance?

If you want to learn more about water usage, water treatment, and water’s impact on humankind, put these books on your reading list.

1. The Drinking Water Book: How to Eliminate Harmful Toxins from Your Water by Colin Ingram

Do you want to know exactly what’s in your water? The Drinking Water Book provides a thorough guide to what’s in our water and how to test for it. You will also learn about how to clean up your water and will read reviews of various kinds of filters and bottled water.

2. Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious
Resource by Marq de Villiers

If the California drought has awakened you for the first time to the scarcity of water, this book will open your eyes to the worldwide water crisis. By examining crowded civilizations in China, the Middle East, and the United States, de Villiers talks about how people throughout the world have misused our fresh water sources.

3. The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks  by Joanna Cole (Illustrated by Bruce Degen)

If you have kids at home or are a kid at heart, you can’t miss this book-the first Magic School Bus book ever written. The eccentric Ms. Frizzle and her class go on a field trip to the waterworks. The kids shrink to raindrop size and experience the water cycle through the water’s point of view.

4. Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization by Steven Solomon

What is water’s role in global conflict? From ancient to modern civilizations, Solomon explores water’s crucial role in building and destroying societies. Solomon shows how water-not oil-is our most important diminishing resource.

5. Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What To Do About It by Robert Glennon

In cities throughout the US, people mindlessly neglect the luxury of running water. Glennon examines American’s ignorance about the value of water and argues that soon our water shortage problem will become a catastrophe. He also proposes potential conservation solutions.

6. Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a WaterStarved World by Seth M. Siegel

You know about the extent of the world’s water crisis-but what can be done about it? In this New York Times bestseller, Seth M. Siegel presents a fascinating picture of how Israel has dealt with its water problem, presenting it as a model for other nations. The San Francisco Chronicle calls it “a must-read that is both fascinating and informative.”

7. The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water by Charles Fishman

Fishman makes a compelling argument unique to the water shortage debate: we have more than enough water, but we just don’t use it correctly. Fishman examines breakthroughs in water conservation efforts and presents ideas for how we can better use our water supply. One Amazon reader commented after reading the book: “I no longer feel numbed by water worries; I even feel hopeful.”

8. When the Rivers Run Dry: Water-The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century by Fred Pearce

Science correspondent Fred Pearce traveled to more than 30 countries to learn more about their dwindling water supplies. His research provides the framework for this fascinating book. This book is one of the University of Cambridge’s Top 50 Sustainability Books.

After reading these books about water, you’ll find it hard to take water for granted. You may even feel inspired to safeguard your own water supply. So grab a cool glass of water and curl up with one of these fascinating books.