It’s always pleasant to notice the subtle changes of the summer letting go and slowly transitioning into fall. The afternoon sun, creeping closer to its yearly sojourn in the southern hemisphere, sends long shadows through the yard. The summer growth begins to bend under the weight of its early extravagance. And the searing heat is finally persuaded to loosen its grip on the evenings. Aware of the shorter days that are soon to come we’ve been sitting out evenings, with cool drinks, long shadows, temperate breezes, and some of our favorite reads. We hope you can find some time this season to do the same.
Water is never far from your mind in the Southwest. The region's extended drought conditions and this year's periodically heavy monsoonal storms have made it national news throughout the summer. It seems there are stories daily about the Colorado River, Lake Powell, Lake Mead, water rights and shortages, that travel into mazes as labyrinthine as any Utah canyon. Below are a few of the books we’ve used to guide us back out.
Cadillac Desert: The American West and its Disappearing Water, by Marc Reisner, is among the handful of books that belong on the shelf of every western library. A history roughly aligned with the 20th century, Cadillac Desert details the schemes of the entrepreneurs, developers and politicians, who saw the power and wealth that capturing water and delivering it to the growing cities and dusty fields could bring them, and how they would often stop at nothing in their pursuit of it. From William Mulholland to Floyd Dominy, snow capped peaks to gritty deserts, this book is dense with stories and characters that are often as preposterous as the landscapes they desired to conquer. Tattered copies of this classic have been lying around my home for years, as it’s rewarding to pick up and dive in anywhere. We can’t recommend it enough.
There are two essays in A Great Aridness: Climate Change and the Future of the American Southwest, by William deBuys, that are a perfect supplement to the American Nile chapters in Cadillac Desert. In those essays specifically, deBuys does an admirable job of wrapping his arms around the many Colorado River issues and distilling the information most necessary for understanding them, all in very accessible prose. But once you’re in the book, stay awhile. The themes, over-allocation, forest die-back, species loss, are sobering, yet deBuys is a keen observer of small details and is generous with his subjects. This collection about living in the arid southwest, uncovers the stories and people that are helping us understand our place in this often stark and desolate region.
Sticking with the Colorado River and books that belong on every western library shelf, our last recommendation this month is the Kevin Fedarko adventure classic The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Grand Canyon. This classic river read, and winner of the National Outdoor Book Award, tells the true story of an epic 1983 flood that was barely contained by Glen Canyon Dam, a wooden dory with a long history on the river, and a crazy attempt to capture the speed record through the Grand Canyon. This book is an exhilarating ride, with strong history-telling, colorful characters, and a sense of the river that is so vivid you’ll be saving up to book a raft for next year.
We hope you enjoy Quiet Shelters September book recommendations. If you would like to receive future recommendations make sure to sign up for our newsletter and feeds!
