The Emerald Mile
 

I just finished reading The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko about the fastest boat ride ever through the Grand Canyon. The book is terrific! It covers much more than the wild ride of three veteran river guides in their dory in 1983. To build up to the account of their race against the clock, the book goes into early exploration of the region, dam construction in the West, the processes that shaped the geomorphology of the canyon, conservation history, the crisis faced by the Glen Canyon Dam following record-setting runoff from snowmelt in 1983, the boatmen and women of the canyon, and much more. It is very well written, and I highly recommend it.

My brother sent me that book a couple years ago and insisted I read it. I agree with everything JP said, I give it 2 thumbs up.