{"product_id":"the-great-black-swamp-toxic-algae-toxic-relationships-and-the-most-interesting-place-in-america-that-nobodys-ever-heard-of-paperback","title":"The Great Black Swamp: Toxic Algae, Toxic Relationships, and the Most Interesting Place in America That Nobody's Ever Heard of - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003ePatrick Wensink\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn the summer of 2014, a strange thing happened to one of the largest freshwater bodies on the planet: Lake Erie's western shore turned bright green with toxic algae that could have killed 400,000 Ohioans. \u003c\/strong\u003eStranger still, it was kind of Patrick Wensink's fault. Okay, \u003cem\u003epartially\u003c\/em\u003e his fault, but also to blame was industrial corn farming, greenhouse gasses, the Worst Road In America, his attraction to toxic relationships, Richard Nixon, Charles Dickens, cyanobacteria, high school bullies, and, most importantly, the untold history of the Great Black Swamp: a large swatch of what is now Ohio and Indiana that was once a dangerous, malaria-ridden wetland.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eToxic green algae has become a global problem. While the scientific community scrambles to find a solution, Wensink discovers that the answer might be hiding in his former home, a million acres of table-flat farmland so desolate that even other Ohioans look down upon it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGreat Black Swamp: Toxic Algae, Toxic Relationships, and the Most Interesting Place in America that Nobody's Ever Heard Of\u003c\/em\u003e mixes ecological reporting, Midwestern history, and memoir. As Wensink travels through Northwest Ohio, he tells us about his childhood there, his failing marriage, American history, Lake Erie, and the hopeful ecological interventions scientists are performing in the former Great Black Swamp. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePatrick Wensink is the author of five books, including the bestseller \u003cem\u003eBroken Piano for President\u003c\/em\u003e. His journalism appears in the\u003cem\u003e New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eEsquire\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSalon\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMen's Health\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOxford American\u003c\/em\u003e and others. He is a professor of Creative Writing and directs the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival at Lincoln Memorial University. He was born and raised in Deshler, Ohio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 272\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 7 x 5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 11, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51978185015597,"sku":"9781540270108","price":20.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/0rT-ShRPm79781540270108.webp?v=1775800898","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/the-great-black-swamp-toxic-algae-toxic-relationships-and-the-most-interesting-place-in-america-that-nobodys-ever-heard-of-paperback","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}