Simon Boughton was born in England, attended Cambridge University and the University of Essex, and has worked as a book publisher in New York for the past thirty years. Books he has edited and published have won the Caldecott Medal, the Michael Printz Award, the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and many other awards and honors.
Honors for The Wild River and the Great Dam:
Booklist Editors' Choice
An NSTA-CBC Best STEM Book
A School Library Journal Best Nonfiction Middle to High School
A Booklist Top Ten Sci-Tech Read of the Year
A CCBC Choice
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Bank Street College Best Book of the Year "In this detailed and
informative work, Boughton chronicles the construction of the
Hoover Dam via compellingly comprehensive text.... Personal stories
from the men who built the dam feature throughout and provide
context surrounding the consequences of such a drastic change on
the natural environment."--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"This engaging history of the construction of the Hoover Dam does a
very good job of recreating the political, social, geographic, and
environmental scenarios that swirled around this daunting and
ambitious project.... This well-written narrative is bound to
become the authority on this modern American marvel--and its
devastating effects on the environment."--Booklist, starred
review
"A fascinating, and at times heartbreaking history of the building
of the Hoover Dam.... This book discusses geographical issues of
flooding and water conservation, and the human impacts of the
building of the dam.... The book features period photos in black
and white, and several maps to help readers understand the
geography of the region.... A great addition to nonfiction
collections covering dams, ecology, and history of the
Southwest."--School Library Journal
"An extensively researched exploration into the people, the river,
and the economics behind the creation of Hoover Dam.... Visual aids
add immediacy, including maps, construction plans, advertisements,
and black-and-white photos showing the vast scope of the project,
the powerful white men in charge, the workers and their families,
and the devastating environmental consequences. A fascinating blend
of social and environmental history and engineering."--Kirkus
Reviews
"An exciting mix of research, storytelling, and an astounding true
story--one that's still unfolding today."--Steve Sheinkin,
three-time National Book Award finalist and Newbery Honor author of
Bomb
"Truly breathtaking. This is a powerful story and like the water
slowly rising behind that concrete barrier, it becomes more
powerful with each page turn."--David Macaulay, two-time recipient
of the Caldecott Medal and creator of the bestselling The Way
Things Work
"Weaving compelling facts and human stories into a cohesive
narrative, Boughton explores the dam's political, economic, social,
and environmental impacts on the region. He traces the need for a
system of dams to control and regulate water; the engineering feats
and specific labor skills that would be required to build the great
dam at such a breakneck pace; and how the experience shaped the
lives of those who built it. .... The book includes numerous
well-chosen black-and-white photographs, maps, diagrams, and
primary source quotes throughout the text."--The Horn Book
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