When a judge returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste in a small Mississippi town, the company's billionaire owner seeks to influence the appeal process by using his money to "buy" a seat on the state Supreme Court.

"From the author of 1491--the best-selling study of the pre-Columbian Americas--a deeply engaging new history that explores the most momentous biological event since the death of the dinosaurs. More than 200 million years ago, geological forces split apart the continents. Isolated from each other, the two halves of the world developed totally different suites of plants and animals. Columbus's voyages brought them back together--and marked the beginning...

Corporate salesman Steve Butler has been dispatched to the rural town of McKinley with his sales partner to offer much-needed relief to the economically hard-hit residents in exchange for drilling rights to their properties. As they grapple with a surprising array of both open hearts and closed doors, the outsiders soon discover the strength of an American small town at a crossroads.

Examines America's surprising loss of focus and national purpose since 9/11 and the global environmental crisis, and shows how the solutions to these two problems are linked-- we can restore the world and revive America at the same time.

Presents a story about a man whose private dream of establishing a bird sanctuary interferes with commercial development of a hunting resort. Shows the conflict that arises when he takes the law into his own hands. Designed to motivate students to assess their own feelings of responsibility to the environment and to other people.