Several years before she died, Colleen McCullough wrote this unusual and stimulating work of nonfiction exploring a subject close to her heart - the role of water in human history, and how best to harness its power to ensure Australia's future. McCullough offers timely reminders for Australia's business and political communities to focus attention on our water resources - before it is too late. But this is only one of the compelling stories that Water is Life has to tell: the other is the biography of Michael Crouch, the visionary businessman who transformed the hot water systems of Zip Industries into an international success story, exporting innovative, Australian-made products to more than 70 countries. In weaving these two strands together, McCullough demonstrates her unparalleled gift for storytelling, impressing upon readers the central significance of water to our world, and the potential for today's leaders to fundamentally change the way we use it.