The swamp : the Everglades, Florida, and the politics of paradise / Michael Grunwald

Introduction: "A treasure for our country" -- pt. 1. The natural Everglades. -- Grassy water -- The intruders -- Quagmire -- A new vision -- Drainage gets railroaded -- pt. 2. Draining the Everglades. -- The reclamation of a kingly domain -- The father of South Florida -- Protect the birds -- "Water will run downhill!" -- Land by the gallon -- Nature's revenge -- "Everglades permanence now assured" -- Taming the Everglades -- pt. 3. Restoring the Everglades. -- Making peace with nature -- Repairing the Everglades -- Something in the water -- Something for everyone -- Endgame -- Epilogue: The future of the Everglades

The Everglades was once reviled as a liquid wasteland, and Americans dreamed of draining it. Now it is revered as a national treasure, and Americans have launched the largest environmental project in history to try to save it. The Swamp is the stunning story of the destruction and possible resurrection of the Everglades, the saga of man's abuse of nature in southern Florida and his unprecedented efforts to make amends. Michael Grunwald, a prize-winning national reporter for The Washington Post, takes readers on a riveting journey from the Ice Ages to the present, illuminating the natural, social and political history of one of America's most beguiling but least understood patches of land.