Customer Reviews

Blue Planet Run: The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Awesome, simply awesome. Not only do you learn about "water," its' characteristics and challenges to people all over the world, some one billion having little access to clean water, but the photography is magnificent. The scenes are realistic, yet compassionate and communicate deeply. The people shots become you, me.... Buy this book, you'll learn from it, delight in the photographs, you'll find sadness, joy, hope in it. And, you'll be inspired to action.

"We are all in it together" might sound trite, and what can be truer? Yet, if something is not in your immediate experience, it may remain somewhat sterile information or a concept or just far away from your life. I find that sometimes. Not so! You'll experience this book, it will come into your close-in world. It is excellent beyond words. Run and buy it! You will be glad you did and you may find yourself, as I did, just sharing it with so many family, friends, then ordering copies for special or any occasions! While this easily could be a table-top book and be a $50-75.00 item, it is a bargain, no doubt in the hope that it will create greater awareness and results.

Rick Smolan has managed once more to bring together powerful photographs and compelling essays that challenge all of us to see, think, and act differently about something we take for granted everyday - water. I was profoundly moved and even at times angered by what I read and saw. Truly a book to read and reread - and one to pass on to friends, family, colleagues. A gift to the world.....

This book is not only beautifully written (easy to understand), it has photographs that tell a clear story. Our water "issue" will be understood by all ages because the photos in this wonderful book tell their own story. As a gift or to keep, this book is a treasure.

I've had this book for months and am still digesting it. You can flip through it in one sitting or you can take your time digging into the details. Try that with other coffee table photo books! First off, the book is huge. The images are beautiful, even when illustrating the harsh realities of the world's water crisis. And the writing has so much variety and insite. Love the Diane Ackerman essay! It is so poetic and, of course, flows like water. A very cool way to bring one of our most pressing issues to the table. Pass it on.

My wife sent me a scary photo this week of my baby being bathed in brown water coming from the tap. The SF Department of Water was cleaning the water mains and the sight really made me realize how we take clean water for granted. The rest of the world doesn't have it as good and has to deal with a lot worse everyday. They risk their life at every turn drinking unsafe water and the developed world has to do something about it.

The Blue Planet Run is an eye opening experience to plight that most of the world faces struggling for the right to have clean water. Rick and Jennifer have crafted a masterpiece that you cannot put down till every photo and word has been consumed leaving you with the feeling that you have to do something about the water crisis at hand.

This is a must read for everyone. Only air is more critical to human life than water, yet water is one of the least valued commodities in most of the world. For those that have abundant, cheap supplies we take our water for granted. Water that has been protected at its source and carefully treated so it is safe enough to feed a baby without a second thought is needlessly dumped on dirt for the sake of a greener lawn than our neighbor's. It is only after you don't have water delivered to most rooms in your house 24/7 that you realize its value. As critical as this necessity for life is, we dump harmful chemicals, pesticides and pharmaceuticals into our water supplies without a second thought. This wonderful book is a wake-up call to the world to stop destroying this most precious resource. Our public water supplies (not "plastic water" in bottles) are a valuable resource that should not be taken for granted.

a great book to keep and for gifts. both for reading and viewing.

introduces the world of water thru beautiful pictures and essays.
brings on the issues, esp. around the lack of safe drinking water (the challenge being address by Blue Planet Run).

also shows how we (in usa) use water, and that of course leads to what we can do.
one area not addressed is one that is currently hot: bottled water and bottled drinks.

have to realize that it is very usa (or at least western) focused in terms of units (gallons) and also from the list of authors. however, the world-wide crisis is covered well, so it does serve an international audience.

This book is amazing. Much more than a brilliant "coffee table book." The photos are spectacular and the stories amazing. I decided to give this as a gift to all of my high school and college graduates this year. Especially at the new price!!?? As graduates enter into the "real world" what better way to encourage a dialogue of personal and social responsibility than with this beautiful book. Instead of a $25 gift card to Best Buy - give a gift that can really motivate and inspire. Wow that sounded cheesy. But it's true!! I really enjoyed this libro.

From the amazing photos to the profound yet simple graphics, the Blue Planet Run book makes a huge splash. The content is clear - we can all be part of the problem or the solution. After I read this book, I started saving my dishwater and the water I used to boil eggs/pasta. Now I water my garden with that water. It occurs to me that we blast through an enormous amount of gray water everyday. I am encouraged by the book to take the small actions and to support the larger ones. The documentation of the run around the world at the back of the book shows the level of dedication an individual or group can have to serve the greater good. When does the movie come out?

This book is incredible. The facts are thoughtprovoking, essays paradigm shifting, and photography moving. The book influences the way one thinks about water ,as well as addressing the current water crisis. However, the most riveting aspect of the book is the way it makes the reader reevaluate the efforts and accomplishments in their life while inspiring the reader to dream to be better and do more.