Dam It!

As told in Underwood’s crisp narratives 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. 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.” Along the way, 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. 

Bob Underwood has lived around dam people his entire life. His legendary grandfather managed the construction of a number of major hydroelectric facilities. A venture capital/private equity veteran, 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. He is considered an authority on the history of hydropower.