The Water Factor: A Rightfully Mine Novel is a thriller with all it takes to motivate young adults to protect their right to clean air and water, which will be lost if they do nothing. James Hokama Byrne is an eighteen-year-old who rejects his parents’ desire for him to attend college. His interests are travel, adventure, and women. He supports himself by delivering water to rural communities in Oregon and Ethiopia. His encounters open his eyes; the world isn’t as rosy as he thought. The novel explores the conflict over the values of uninformed youth, people trapped by the way industry operates, and the corporate executives whose concern is increasing profits.
People ask why I chose water as the subject of the book. The answer is straightforward. Plants and animals need water to survive. UNICEF reports that four billion people, almost two-thirds of the world’s population, experience severe water scarcity for at least one month each year.
When corporate interests make access too expensive, our communities must regain ownership and operation of their water systems. Numerous studies conclude that private companies are not better managers than Public Utility Companies. The need to pay dividends to shareholders increases homeowner rates by 30%. Those with few resources can’t pay such high bills. Programs devised to assist them are underwritten by you and me, not the owners.
Before the Industrial Revolution, clean water and air were taken for granted. That changed when we built cities dependent on fossil fuels. Attempts to regulate industrial pollution and ensure that clean, affordable water is available for all receive continuous pushback from industry. Global warming intensified the crisis over water, especially in arid regions of the world. The increase in migration is partly due to a lack of water for farming and in part to wars over water rights. UNICEF says that some 700 million people will likely be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030. Matters worsened when water was declared a commodity rather than a right in the 1980s. It is heavily traded on Wall Street, adding to the world’s poverty.
Our lives will worsen if we don’t put skids on energy companies like Northwest Natural, which buy water rights in a five-state region. We need to control local governments from subcontracting services where there is marginal transparency. The companies have clever ways to increase expenses and hide profits. It takes a skilled auditor to uncover what is going on.
Do purchase and enjoy The Water Factor. It is a fast-moving novel that will make you think. If you are in Portland, you can learn more by attending my book talk at Annie Bloom’s on March 13th. I will read from the novel and explain the research that led to the situations the characters find themselves in.
I enjoy participating in book club discussions connected through Zoom. The first 25 clubs to contact me will be cost-free. If this interests you, let’s discuss this at a convenient time: marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.
