Self-Devouring Growth: A Planetary Parable as Told from Southern Africa (Critical Global Health: Evidence, Efficacy, Ethnography)

This is a concise and vivid book illustrating the unintended consequences of economic growth in Botswana, a country that's regarded as a development success story. It consists of narratives, many with a personal touch, about water management, the growth of the export beef industry, and the expansion of the country's road system. In her conclusion, the author observes that water, food and transport are all "complex relationships rather than resources that exist in isolation" (@125) -- her prior chapters will support this point very clearly.There are plenty of cites, endnotes and statistics, but the writing is in a more fluid and interesting style (including a focus on animals and actual human beings) than is usual in academic social science. If you've read and enjoyed any works by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing (who provides a back-cover blurb), you'll be very comfortable with this book. I will be using this as at least a recommended book in my sustainability course this year, and possibly as something more.