About a Mountain by John D'Agata
The book is an intricate exploration of the complexities surrounding Yucca Mountain in Nevada, proposed as a site for nuclear waste storage. It weaves together a narrative that is part investigative journalism, part philosophical reflection, and part personal anecdote. The author delves into the political, environmental, and ethical questions posed by the potential storage of radioactive material, while also examining the broader themes of human fallibility, the limits of knowledge, and the transient nature of truth. The narrative is punctuated by the story of a Las Vegas teenager's suicide, which serves as a poignant counterpoint to the monumental issues concerning the mountain, highlighting the interplay between the monumental and the intimate in the landscapes of the American West.