Listen to a sample
The Search for Water
- Author
- Virginia Mendoza
- Narrator
- Justine Midda
- Publisher
- Pushkin Press
- Publish Date
- 9 July 2026
- Run Time
- 10 hours 35 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Climate change, Memoirs
What to expect
Virginia Mendoza's first memories are of drought. She grew up in La Mancha, Spain, the driest region in Europe. Her parents, grandparents, and almost every word, tool, and tradition of her homeland conveyed one conviction: without water, there is no life; without water, there is no civilization.
In
The Search for Water, Mendoza weaves this personal reflection together with a dazzling scientific and anthropological enquiry into the ways the search for water has shaped the story of humanity. From flows of migration, agriculture and pagan rain gods to contemporary struggles with drought and climate change, Mendoza writes a gripping and inventive history of humankind as driven and united by one force: thirst.
Critics Review
-
An evocative, richly researched blend of family and human history that sparked my imagination and my sense of wonder
Helen Gordon, author of 'Notes from Deep Time'
-
An extraordinary tour-de-force: Mendoza creates a watercolour of history that is by turns soaring and intimate, arresting and paradigm-shifting, drawing on cave-paintings, dendrochronology, myths, folksongs and climate science to show how weather patterns have shaped civilisations, migrations, revolutions, religions, cultures and lives across the planet, providing an essential background to the water wars that lie ahead
Edward Wilson-Lee, author of 'A History of Water'
-
Mendoza roams across the planet to tell the fascinating story of the elementary drive for water. The Search for Water dives elegantly into meteorology, archeology, mythology, memory and more - enthralling
Jack Cornish, author of 'The Lost Paths'
-
What knowledge, what capacity to connect and explain things that seem unconnected. An intellectual pleasure
Irene Vallejo, author of 'Papyrus'
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Virginia Mendoza
- Narrator
- Justine Midda
- Duration
- 10 hours 35 minutes
- Release Date
- 9 July 2026
- ISBN
- 9781807760380
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Pushkin Press
- Genre
- Climate change, Memoirs
Synopsis
Virginia Mendoza's first memories are of drought. She grew up in La Mancha, Spain, the driest region in Europe. Her parents, grandparents, and almost every word, tool, and tradition of her homeland conveyed one conviction: without water, there is no life; without water, there is no civilization. In The Search for Water, Mendoza weaves this personal reflection together with a dazzling scientific and anthropological enquiry into the ways the search for water has shaped the story of humanity. From flows of migration, agriculture and pagan rain gods to contemporary struggles with drought and climate change, Mendoza writes a gripping and inventive history of humankind as driven and united by one force: thirst.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.