The Swamp

The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise

By: Michael Grunwald

Narrated by: Adam Verner

The Everglades was America's last frontier, a wild country long after the West was won. In this book Michael Grunwald chronicles how a series of visionaries tried to drain and "reclaim" it and how Mother Nature refused to bend to their will; in the most harrowing tale, a 1928 hurricane drowned 2,500 people in the Everglades. But the Army Corps of Engineers finally tamed the beast with levees and canals, converting half the Everglades into sprawling suburbs and sugar plantations. And though the Southern Everglades was preserved as a national park, it soon deteriorated into an ecological mess. The River of Grass stopped flowing, and 90 percent of its wading birds vanished.

Now America wants its swamp back. Grunwald shows how a new breed of visionaries transformed Everglades politics, producing the $8 billion rescue plan. That plan is already the blueprint for a new worldwide era of ecosystem restoration. And The Swamp is a cautionary tale for that era. Through gripping narrative and dogged reporting, Grunwald shows how the Everglades is still threatened by the same hubris, greed, and well-intentioned folly that led to its decline.

©2006 Michael Grunwald (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Grunwald brings the zeal of his profession - and the skill that won him a Society of Environmental Journalists Award in 2003 - to this enthralling story." ( Publishers Weekly)

Great Book, Bad Narrator

"The Swamp" is an excellent comprehensive history of the Everglades. However, the narration leaves much to be desired. I know that a book with a lot of Florida Native American heritage names in it can present a challenge for a narrator (Tohopekaliga, Loxahatchee, etc.), but the correct pronunciation of “Kissimmee” should not be a heavy lift. It’s not “Kissimminnee” as this narrator apparently believes.

Florida forever

Let’s save Florida!!!
I hope the panther population can be revived, I hope we can clean up the Everglades for all to enjoy!

Great piece of south Florida history

The book was an interesting saga of my beloved backyard. From the construction of Chokoloskee island to the straightening of the Kissimmee river, this book covers the engineering battle to drain the swamp, then the political war to restore it.

Great book, bad narration ...

The only problem with the book is that it could have used more frequent reminders of years along the chronology (e.g.., “by 1989 ...”) Otherwise, excellent.

The narration wasn’t all that bad but for the repeated mispronunciation of Kissimmee - the guy actually adds a syllable(!), and it occurs well over a hundred times in the book. It really kills it.

Historical detail was on point.

As a person who loves the Everglades and has been involved with FL politics, I found this audio to be very informative. It did dust over some occurrences, at least they were included. Todays Florida politics seems more destined to destroy "The Swamp" then it has even been.