WATER

by Jennifer Wilson

City reporter Freja Folsom wants nothing to do with the environmental story she's been assigned. But a man who illegally dropped a well in to the city's aquifer leads Freja to the passionate showdown between farmers, government workers, worried citizens, and the sexy head of the Water Works utility. Suddenly, the poisoned water of Iowa seems like the story that might save Freja's life—and revive the spirit of the state she loves before it gives up and becomes Mississippi. Okay, so maybe it's not that fictional.

This novel pairs multiple award-winning journalist and author Jennifer Wilson with iconoclast Midwest retail giant RAYGUN in a unique new genre of breaking news overlaid with fictional drama in this illustrated limited edition book.

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2016

About the author

Jennifer Wilson is a reporter and editor who's worked for Esquire, National Geographic Traveler, No Depression, Traditional Home, Gourmet and many other national magazines and newspapers.

RUNNING AWAY TO HOME (St. Martin's Press) is about the time her family returned to live in the Croatian mountain village of her ancestors. It was chosen as Best Nonfiction Book in 2012 by the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

Her second book, WATER, is a novel about love, sex, and nitrate poisoning. It is available for pre-order now at http://ow.ly/VX8un.

She lives and writes in Iowa, the state that gave you Barack Obama and brought gay marriage to the Heartland. You're welcome.

Reviews

[Julie Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a master class in weaving truth into fiction. Terrifying and true. Hilarious and heartwarming. Every Iowan should read it. We are better than what we are doing to our water and each other.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Water has a lovable protagonist in Freja and a compelling mix of two modern problems: environmental disaster and the gutting of newspaper journalism. Not enough is said about how big ag impacts our water -- so why not take the reporting done about it and make it into a sexy political romp? This would make a great limited Netfllix series.

[Jimena González · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice reading about water quality issues related to agricultural runoff in Iowa

[Anne]

I got through Part 1 but couldn't seem to sit down and finish it.

[MsBrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First -let me digress for a moment. The musical "Caberet" used a tawdry nightclub and a doomed romance to convey a dark political reality - that of the danger of Nazi Germany. Now, back to "Water." The novel, "Water," similar to Cabaret," features politics and romance, in order to tell a an salient political story. This story, of course, is not of Nazi Germany, but of the unintentional, but preventable, poisoning of much of Iowa's drinking water.

I really enjoyed exploring Iowa with the protagonist, Freja Folsom. First, like the majority of Americans, she was naively ignorant of the poisoning of America's drinking water by agriculture. So she was a somewhat believable character. I also liked that her character remained realistic through her occasional embracing of casual sex, with her on-again, off-again lover.

The author did a good job of using Freja to demonstrate that there are two sides to every story, even one where it's obvious who the perpetrator is.

Occasionally, though, a few scenes seemed forced, such as when the farmers opened up to her, on their opinions on the interaction between agriculture and drinking water quality.

Overall, this was an easy bedtime read - and the clever chapter titles served to amuse the reader. Perhaps it is my own personal knowledge regarding the issues of water quality that prevented me from naming this as a 'great' book. I'd be curious how others, less knowledgeable on this niche issue, would find it.

[Jan Blazanin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freja Folsom loves her job as reporter in Des Moines, but she's not the least bit interested in the story her editor pushes on her. She's convinced nobody will read an article, much less a series, about water quality in Iowa. When she's given the option of writing the story or losing her job, Freja reluctantly takes the assignment. As she delves into the issue, she meets a chemist who has illegally tapped into the city's aquifer. He'd be a great source, but he refuses to grant her an interview, even after he's jailed for his actions. Not one to be thwarted, Freja takes to the road with her dog Bieber. As she meets with farmers and everyday people, she discovers the ugly secrets hidden in the water's depths.

I enjoyed Freja's hard-nosed yet vulnerable character and laughed at her gawky dog, but the best parts of this story for me were the frightening facts about Iowa's water. This well-researched novel is an eye-opener everyone should read.

[Ben Arzate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review

I think this is a book well-worth reading, even if you're not at all interested in Iowa pollution issues. It was also published through a local Iowa business, so you'll be supporting them by buying it.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Jennifer talk about her book, Water, at the Des Moines Book Festival in the summer of 2016 and picked it up to read. It was interesting to look at the clean water issue that Iowa has been struggling with through a fiction book and characters that I did enjoy.

[Christine Comito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done, Jennifer! A well- written story, with likable characters and an interesting, informational story to tell.