The most comprehensive - and comprehensible - book on contemporary water issues, A Thirsty Land by Seamus McGraw delves deep into the challenges faced not just by Texas but by the nation as a whole, as we struggle to find a way to balance the changing forces of nature with our own ever-expanding needs. Part history, part science, part adventure story, and part travelogue, this book puts a human face on the struggle to master that most precious and capricious of resources, water.

Observer editor Forrest Wilder, rural reporter Christopher Collins, environmental reporter Naveena Sadasivam, and McGraw will put on a series of conversations about Texas’ convoluted and outdated water policy.