Beyond Control: The Mississippi River's New Channel to the Gulf of

Excellent book that covers the history and challenges of the Mississippi. As someone who is totally unfamiliar with the area the diagrams and maps helped explain the enormous task the Corp of Engineers face.

I was redirected here at the end of a journey down Twain's "Life on the Mississippi". I had known next to nothing about this issue and the book enthralled me from start to finish. The author has done a superb job of meticulously researching the entire written history of the exploit, deftly explaining the technicalities and the colorful personalities involved. Above all this is a story of man versus nature. It is a recurring story of men who believe themselves to be experts and to be powerful, but nature in its majesty makes fools out of them, time and time and time again. It is a lesson for the ages....for the people in the path of the threat it is a dire warning but for people everywhere it is a stern lesson as to what can happen when people tinker with forces much bigger and more complex than they have any idea about......

I bought this book last summer when the Weather Channel was running a series of articles on the Old River Control System. I'd heard about the Atchafalaya Basin and the levees before and wanted to know more. Beyond Control had been recommended to me as a good in-depth book, and especially because of its maps. It did not disappoint. Not the lightest of reading, but very solid work. I just bought it as a gift for friends who've worked that section of the Mississippi for the Coast Guard. It was very well received.

The author builds a credible argument that the Mississippi River will eventually alter its course toward the much shorter path (the Atchafalaya River) to the Gulf of Mexico. However, exploration into alternatives views seem to be missing. An important read for those that live in the lower Mississippi River area.

I really enjoyed the history and details that were included in this study. As a native of South Louisiana, I am very familiar with the geography and the problems residents experience with flooding. I was not aware of the controversies behind the scenes and how close we came to catastrophe in 1973. Fascinating and educational! I couldn't put it down!!