Reference Reviews

Doug’s Student Reference Room

How Safe is America's Infrastructure? Edited by Louise I. Gerdes. 114 p. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. ISBN: 978-0-7377-4104-9. $21.20.

The failure of New Orleans levees during Hurricane Katrina is only the most glaring example of what experts agree is a neglected national infrastructure. This short volume in Greenhaven Press's At Issue series focuses specifically on the infrastructure challenges related to roadways and water treatment and supply in the United States. The first four chapters provide an overview of the problems and detail the many weaknesses of the nation's water and transportation infrastructure. Subsequent chapters offer various and competing perspectives on the most effective remedies: should we raise gas taxes to pay for road and bridge maintenance and repair, or will this merely create an unacceptable drag on the economy? Should we privatize as much infrastructure as possible, depending on competition to guarantee efficiency, or should it be managed by the government, whose first obligation is to the public's safety? Should we expanding privately operated toll roads, or do toll roads place a disproportionate burden on a small group? Other chapters explore the roles local, state and federal governments should plan in building and maintaining such infrastructure. The title of this volume is somewhat misleading, as the majority of the articles focus more on causes and potential solutions rather than safety threats. “Infrastructure” in this collection also is very narrowly defined, with almost no mention of power, health, or technology systems that are part of the nation's infrastructure. Nevertheless, this collection effectively introduces middle school and high school students to a complex topic through short, comprehensible chapters well within the grasp of young teens. While more current examples of infrastructure failures are sure to arise, the issues raised here will surely remain relevant for years to come. An annotated list of relevant organizations, a bibliography of print materials and a general index are included. Recommended for middle school and high school libraries.