McPhee is a well-known journalist, author of several books of creative nonfiction, and a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction for 1999’s Annals of the Former World, which collects several of his previous works. A professor journalism and a nonfiction writing instructor at Princeton University, McPhee covers a wide range of subjects in his own books, from geology to coal to the Alaskan wilderness. McPhee became interested in writing The Control of Nature after visiting the Atchafalaya and learning about the Army Corps of Engineers’ involvement in the area. McPhee occasionally adopts a first-person point of view to discuss his interactions with the people he interviews, and he often strikes a wry, sardonic tone when observing the events around him. He frequently breaks down tough scientific concepts for the layperson, and his signature brand of creative nonfiction relies on literary devices such as simile, pacing, and imagery to set the scene and help readers understand his subjects. 

The Army Corps of Engineers is the main body enforcing management of the Mississippi River and its tributary—the Atchafalaya. Congress initially established a River Commission in the 1800s run by the Corps to determine how best to manage the flow of the river to suit the needs of the growing population in Louisiana and other areas that depended on the Mississippi for drinking water.