How to Breathe Underwater: Field Reports from an Age of Radical Change

This collection of essays is drawn from the career of award-winning journalist and author Turner (The War on Science) from 1999 to 2012. The 15 previously published essays range in subject from online gambling companies in Antigua to the beginnings of Cyberjaya, Malaysia's version of Silicon Valley, to the inevitable death of the Great Barrier Reef to the livability of Calgary. While the essays themselves are well-written, many are now dated and no contemporary context has been added. We therefore never learn whether Antigua is still a hotspot for Internet gambling startups or whether Cyberjaya was ultimately a successful endeavor or how the Great Barrier Reef is currently faring. Still, there are a few essays that stand the test of time, including the story of Pepsi's ill-fated attempt at marketing a morning cola or Turner's take on why it is important to tip well in Cuba. It is also interesting to read the essays chronologically to note how Turner's writing style progresses and how his interests shift from the technological world to the sustainability crisis. The topical nature of some of the essays, however, leaves the collection as a whole sinking in the waters of history. (Oct.)