The Water Gods

Rating:
Summary: An In Depth Journey
Review: This book gives the reader an intimate glimpse of one pivotal moment during the struggle to stop the Arun III mega-damn project in Nepal. The writer, Anna Paskal, takes the reader along on her trek up the Arun Valley with a group of local and international activists, reporters and filmmakers. She makes a point to present to the reader the, at times, precariously diverging agendas of all of those on the trek. Her willingness to expose her emotional and intellectual responses to the various situations the group finds itself in gives the text a raw immediate feeling. The snippets from interviews of government officials and activists that she weaves into her tale lend this travelogue unexpected depth. For me, the only drawback of this book is that I would have liked to hear more about the time the author spent before and after the trek. Overall, this book is a quick, truly worthwhile read.

"The Water Gods", might be good for anyone interested in the politics behind World Bank sponsored aid programs, international activism or the rural people and politics of Nepal.