"America's electrical grid, an engineering triumph of the twentieth century, is turning out to be a poor fit for the present. It's not just that the grid has grown old and is now in dire need of basic repair. Today, as we invest great hope in new energy sources-- solar, wind, and other alternatives-- the grid is what stands most firmly in the way of a brighter energy future. If we hope to realize this future, we need to reimagine the grid according to twenty-first-century values. It's a project which forces visionaries to work with bureaucrats, legislators with storm-flattened communities, moneymen with hippies, and the left with the right. And though it might not yet be obvious, this revolution is already well under way. Cultural anthropologist Gretchen Bakke unveils the many facets of America's energy infrastructure, its most dynamic moments and its most stable ones, and its essential role in personal and national life."--Page 4 of cover.

Originally published in hardcover by Bloomsbury in 2016.

The Way of the Wind -- How the Grid Got Its Wires -- The Consolidation of Power -- The Cardigan Path -- Things Fall Apart -- Two Birds, One Stone -- A Tale of Two Storms -- In Search of the Holy Grail -- American Zeitgeist -- Afterword: Contemplating Death in the Afternoon.