jcpdiesel21 's review for:

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

3.0

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I must give credit where credit is due: Fedarko has clearly done an impressively extensive amount of research and is an excellent writer. Unfortunately, this book is frontloaded with an overwhelming amount of dense background information and history that it was difficult for me, with merely a passing interest in several of the topics covered, to stay engaged and it became a slog to get through the first half; I resorted to skimming since I was determined to finish. Once the book finally starts to focus on the titular speed run and the associated fateful events of 1983 during the final three parts, however, it becomes quite gripping and very exciting to read.