KYLE PAOLETTA’S debut, American Oasis: Finding the Future in the Cities of the Southwest (Pantheon Books), offers a compelling exploration of five Southwestern metropolises, with Albuquerque—the author’s hometown—at its heart. Unlike the runaway sprawl of Phoenix or Las Vegas, Albuquerque emerges as a complex city fighting to maintain its cultural identity while navigating a challenging economy. With analysis that is both critical and affectionate, Paoletta argues that these cities offer lessons for how to sustain a large populace amid climate change. “Despite its popular connotation of nothingness,” Paoletta writes, “the desert provides.” American Oasis is essential reading for understanding the forces shaping the modern Southwest—and, possibly, the planet’s future.
What We're Reading: American Oasis
Kyle Paoletta's "American Oasis" looks into the challenges and hopes facing Southwestern cities like Albuquerque amid growth and climate change.