A review by readerm05
The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko

4.0

What I thought was going to be a "cool adventure story" was so much more! Yes, Fedarko tells the story of the fastest ride down the Grand Canyon (it held from 1983-2016). But he tells a much broader story than that: the history of the development of the Canyon as a destination, the history of river rafting (and the building of dories), the history of the conservation movement and how it butt heads with the development of some incredible dams, the history of the dam-building movement in the U.S. Fedarko weaves all of these stories together and allows them to build on top of each other so that the reader truly understands the 1983 record-breaking journey down the Colorado River. Such an informative and fun read! Plus, it definitely makes me want to explore all parts of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River and makes me deeply grateful for our natural wonders.