Petrochemical America by Richard Misrach and Kate Orff

Excellent book …I wish there were more photographs … the documentary data is the greater portion of the book .. but it's thorough,informative, very clear. I purchased the book because it is both an creative endeavor, and a socio-political document … pleased on both counts.

Beautiful, haunting book of photographs by Richard Misrach, one of the world's great photographers, accompanied by landscape architect Kate Orff’s Ecological Atlas (drawings that map Louisiana's Chemical corridor, also called “Cancer Alley”, which spreads along the Mississippi River.) What is stunning about Misrach's photographs is that they have an ethereal beauty, and when you look more closely you see that each is underscored by the terrible death and decay that is 'cancer alley'.

My son is a chemical engineer and he loves this book. According to him, nothing else comes close to explaining the need for PetChems and also providing research and personal glimpses into the dark side of this issue. Hde highly recommends this for anyone who really cares about the issues and is willing to read carefully and with an open mind on all issues.

Mishrach is a master and he can't manage to print anything less than a beautiful, fascinating picture.The book has social and political importance and the accompany text is terrific.This is a rare art book that is informative and politically valuable.Buy it while it is still in print.

The artistry, information and writing is all incredible. A must read.

Awesome read with amazing graphics and photography. Kate orff is a genious. The wealth of knowledge in this book is unbelievable. Every person in the country should read this book. The petrochemical dependency paradigm shift is inevitable and this book portrays the need for it.

If you are a visual person, you will appreciate this vehicle for understanding the impact of petrochemicals. Words tell part of the story and photographs take you deeper into the insidious progression of blight and poison.

An incredible book. The images of the first half are so visually striking that you want to study the infographics and text of the second half. A must have.

Le livre est inhabituel, à la fois un livre de photographie et un ouvrage de géographie de la pollution en Louisiane, Cancer Alley, avec photographies, cartes, explications détaillées. La face que l'on évoque rarement de la vie quotidienne à proximité de la production du pétrole et des produits chimiques dérivés. La Louisiane qui est en filigrane dans le film "Dans la brume électrique" et dans la série "True Detective 1" dont le générique a été inspiré par le travail de Robert Misrach.

My girlfriend and I were fortunate enough to see this exhibition at the Aperture Gallery in New York last October. The great thing about this book is that it captures the essence of the exhibition and reproduces it perfectly; so that it doesn't matter whether you saw the exhibition or not. The only thing missing is the scale of the photography (which I suppose is important!) But anyway, Richard Misrach's photography is subtle yet powerfully conveys the damage that has been done to settlements in the lower reaches of the Mississippi river. The scenes of abandonment and desolation portrayed are moving and hard-hitting. Kate Orff's diagrams are beautiful and so detailed. I spent well over ten minutes in the gallery trying to unweave all the intricate webs of her analysis of the uses of petrochemical products.Overall this book is a wonderful reminder of the price we pay for our petrochemical world. 'Cancer alley' is a sad story for sure; but maybe it's just an unfortunate yet necessary component of twenty-first century life.

This book was worth the money. I find the issues of chemical waste dumping interesting and in particular i like that there is a section dedicated to solutions. The photographs are beautiful. As a second year masters of architecture student i would recommend this books as it is unique in highlighting the challenges and stresses on our natural resources that directly effects us and the ways in which we live. Representations of the information are also beautiful and informative.

This is a startling combination of moody photos and graphic information. Maps and collages document the consequences of the oil industry in one geographic area over time. The landscape architects focus on the ecology on land and water is very thorough. The term 'Cancer Alley' seems extreme but is well explained. This industry has been controlling lives in unhealthy ways over so many years...... we should detox! and take stock of what of value has been created as well as what harm continues to be done. The risks becoem greater as the easy sources of oil become exhausted.It is a large format book and hence a bit expensive.

Petrochemical America is an important narrative on petroleum and the side effects of our oil dominated culture. The graphic communication used in this book is provocative and convincing. Haunting pictures are overlaid with beautiful graphic information regarding petrochemicals, ecology, culture, and everything in between. This is a must read for anyone, but an absolute read for anyone studying Landscape Architecture.