Failure and Fortitude (Paperback)

Nathaniel Gee

ISBN 10: 1462151345 / ISBN 13: 9781462151349

Published by Cedar Fort, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. In 1976, the Teton Dam collapsed, unleashing a wall of water that ravaged eastern Idaho and shattered the public'AEos trust in American infrastructure. Engineers, historians, and survivors have asked the same question: 'AEuWhy did it fail?'AEu For decades, the disaster has been reduced to a cautionary tale, a grim case study, a footnote in engineering textbooks. But what if the real story is more complicated than we'AEove ever been told? Failure and Fortitude is a meticulously researched, vividly written account of the Teton Dam'AEos rise and ruin. It reconstructs the hours that changed everything and the decisions behind the failure. Failure and Fortitude also recounts the remarkable story of the communities who refused to be defined by devastation'AEineighbors who dug each other out, rebuilt from mud and memory, and proved that resilience can be as powerful as any flood. This is not just a story of seepage and soil mechanics, but of faith and ambition, bureaucracy and blind spots, and the razor'AEethin line between confidence and catastrophe. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781462151349

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Failure and Fortitude (Paperback)
• Publisher: Cedar Fort
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1462151345
• ISBN 13: 9781462151349
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

In 1976, the Teton Dam collapsed, unleashing a wall of water that ravaged eastern Idaho and shattered the publics trust in American infrastructure. Engineers, historians, and survivors have asked the same question: Why did it fail? For decades, the disaster has been reduced to a cautionary tale, a grim case study, a footnote in engineering textbooks. But what if the real story is more complicated than we have ever been told?Failure and Fortitude is a meticulously researched, vividly written account of the Teton Dams rise and ruin. It reconstructs the hours that changed everything and the decisions behind the failure. Failure and Fortitude also recounts the remarkable story of the communities who refused to be defined by devastation - neighbors who dug each other out, rebuilt from mud and memory, and proved that resilience can be as powerful as any flood. This is not just a story of seepage and soil mechanics, but of faith and ambition, bureaucracy and blind spots, and the razor-thin line between confidence and catastrophe.

About the Author

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Nathaniel Gee is a dam safety engineer who spent twelve years with the Bureau of Reclamation, serving as regional engineer for the lower Colorado region, which oversees many of the Southwest's most significant dams--including the iconic Hoover Dam. He now works across the Tennessee Valley and serves on committees for the United States Society on Dams and the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, where he enjoys spending time with other dam-people. This is his third book; the first two featured more kissing and less filter drains. He lives on a Mountain in Tennessee and is equally delighted and exhausted by the laughter, questions, and constant chaos his eleven children bring to daily life. When not working, chasing kids, writing romantic comedies, or performing on stage, he's digging into history with the same precision he brings to engineering--one detail at a time.

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