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Title: The Secret Knowledge of Water : Discovering the Essence of the American Desert by Craig Childs ISBN: 0-316-61069-0 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (12 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: watch out for the floods
Comment: Secret Knowledge is an extremely descriptive first-person account of a traveler's journey though the desert in search of water and its associated experiences. Childs describes his locales with a variety of methods: use of metaphor, scientifically and spritually. He intertwines information from a number of scientific areas, including, biology, geology, anthropology, archaeology and of course hydrology. The only negative thing I could say was my desire to learn about more desert areas--his book limits the reader to the Grand Canyon and some areas of Arizona. Also, the book read so quickly--it ended and I wanted more. I guess I'll have to check out some of his other books.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Fascinating Read!
Comment: I've lived in the desert, I've hiked in the desert, I've camped in the desert and I've cursed the desert but nothing I have read before made me understand and love the desert like The Secret Knowledge of Water does.
Until I read Craig Childs' essay, I never gave much thought to water in the desert except that without it you die. Childs paints a vivid picture of the juxtaposition of desert and water in all of its manifestations. I can still picture the pools of water in the tinajas of the barren, sun-baked Cabeza Prieta and the thunderstorm-fed floods on the Arizona Strip. I can feel the terror he must have felt squatting on a ledge in a feeder canyon of the Grand Canyon as flood waters rose and swirled around him and his relief as they receded, leaving behind tons of debris. I can also feel his awe at the power and majesty of nature at the same time. I can feel his exhilaration as he bathes in a deep, cool waterpocket after a long day's hike. And I can sense his deep respect for the original peoples of the desert and how they have adapted to its caprice.
It is obvious from his style that Childs has an abiding love for the desert. If you know and love the desert, you will find The Secret Knowledge of Water a fascinating read and come away with new respect for the desert and for the waters which both nurture and shape it.
Rating: 5
Summary: Vicarious desert travel
Comment: For desert hikers, the only substitute for "being there" is to be there through someone else's eyes. Childs has opted for a life that few can or will choose...although many of us may wish we had. His experiences are uncommon enough that a simple telling would be sufficient to keep the reader engaged. I could actually feel fear myself during his description of entry into a canyon-side spring against the flow...40 stories up. This book will keep me going a while longer while I wait to get back to this landscape again.
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Title: Soul of Nowhere by Craig Childs ISBN: 0316735884 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 14 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Crossing Paths: Uncommon Encounters With Animals in the Wild by Craig Leland Childs, Sivi Ruder, Craig Childs ISBN: 1570611017 Publisher: Sasquatch Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 1997 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Desert Cries: A Season of Flash Floods in a Dry Land by Craig Leland Childs, Craig Childs ISBN: 1893860647 Publisher: Arizona Highways Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Stone Desert: A Naturalist's Exploration of Canyonlands National Park by Craig Leland Childs, Craig Childs ISBN: 1565794737 Publisher: Westcliffe Publishers Pub. Date: 01 December, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Last Cheater's Waltz: Beauty and Violence in the Desert Southwest by Ellen Meloy ISBN: 0816521530 Publisher: University of Arizona Press Pub. Date: 01 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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