Description
Book SynopsisA
New Yorker Best Book of 2023 • A
Smithsonian Staff Favorite of 2023
The
New York Times best-selling author on the source of great bounty—and now great peril—all over the world.
Trade Review"An enjoyable, lively, and thought-provoking read…[P]eppered with fascinating details…I highly recommend
The Devil's Element, which presents an easily digestible introduction to a major global issue." -- Robert W. Howarth - Science
"In the tradition of environmental clarion calls like
Silent Spring and
The Sixth Extinction…
The Devil's Element urges readers to confront another quietly unfolding disaster…Egan, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist for his work chronicling the threats facing the Great Lakes, has a knack for telling big, unwieldy stories through absorbing personal narratives." -- Julia Rosen - Undark
"In his crisply written new book…Dan Egan sounds alarms on both the scarcity and overabundance sides of the phosphorus-human equation." -- Jim Higgins - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"[Egan] builds a story of innovation, failure, recovery, and looming catastrophe…[A] deep humanity resides in his writing." -- Garin Cycholl - Chicago Review of Books
"A revelatory book that exposes human use of [phosphorus] as a double-edged sword capable of sustaining and destroying life." -- Booklist (starred review)
"A cautionary history…This will ignite readers’ curiosity." -- Publishers Weekly
"Disquieting…A fine account, worthy of fertile discussion, of yet another environmental disaster." -- Kirkus Reviews
