Dam It!: Robert Underwood in Conversation with Mike Leonard

Independent bookstore, The Book Stall (811 Elm Street in Winnetka) is excited to host author Robert Underwood at the store on Thursday, May 11 at 6:30 pm for a discussion about his new book, Dam It!: Electrifying America and Taming Her Waterways. As told in Mr. Underwood’s crisp narrative and enhanced by his unique personal remembrances, Dam It! offers a riveting account of how dams restructured our landscape, powered our country, and became symbols of Americans’ resourcefulness and mastery over nature. Mr. Underwood will be in conversation with Mike Leonard.

This event is free with registration. Visit our website or CLICK HERE to register.

More About the Book: Dam It! winds its way through natural and manmade disasters, wars, cutthroat politics, financial wheeling and dealing, and bitter power struggles. It immerses us in immense hydroelectric construction projects from coast to coast, where we witness astounding engineering and construction feats. Underwood’s cast of characters includes Thomas Edison, J.P. Morgan, Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse, Henry Ford, Samuel Insull, and his own grandfather, George P. Jessup, who was “a dam engineer and proud of it.”

More About the Author: Robert Underwood has lived around dam people his entire life. His legendary grandfather managed the construction of several major hydroelectric facilities. Mr. Underwood has a doctorate in engineering from Stanford University and an MBA. He built his career developing technology-based businesses and has extensive experience with climate change and renewable energy. He is a long-time past member of the National Science Foundation’s Advisory Committee on Industrial Innovation and is considered an authority on the history of hydropower.

More About our Conversation Partner: Mike Leonard is an Emmy Award-winning American television journalist, New York Times bestselling author, filmmaker, and public speaker. During his 32 years as a news correspondent, he captivated millions of television viewers with his wry and witty feature stories on the often-overlooked aspects of everyday life for NBC’s The Today Show. In addition to his regular assignments for Today, Leonard’s stories have appeared on NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, Dateline, NBC Sports, and MSNBC. He has covered political conventions, presidential inaugurations, Super Bowls, Olympics, and championship boxing matches.