"Never before has the case been more compellingly made that America"s dependence on a free and abundant water supply has become an illusion. Cynthia Barnett does it by telling us the stories of the amazing personalities behind our water wars, the stunning contradictions that allow the wettest state to have the most watered lawns, and the thorough research that makes her conclusions inescapable. Barnett has established herself as one of Florida"s best journalists and Mirage is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of the state." Mary Ellen Klas, Capital Bureau Chief, Miami Herald "Mirage is the finest general study to date of the freshwater-supply crisis in Florida. Well-meaning villains abound in Cynthia Barnett"s story, but so too do heroes, such as Arthur R. Marshall Jr., Nathaniel Reed, and Marjorie Harris Carr. The author"s research is as thorough as her prose is graceful. Drinking water is the new oil. Get used to it." ...