In the summer of 1938, botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter set off down the Colorado River, accompanied by an ambitious expedition leader and three amateur boatmen. With its churning rapids, sheer cliffs and boat-shattering boulders, the Colorado River was famed as the most dangerous river in the world. But for Clover and Jotter, it held a tantalising appeal: no one had surveyed the Grand Canyon's plants, and they were determined to be the first.

Through the vibrant letters and diaries of the two women, science journalist Melissa L. Sevigny traces their forty-three-day journey, during which they ran rapids, chased a runaway boat and turned their harshest critic into an ally. Their story is a spell-binding adventure of two women who risked their lives to make an unprecedented botanical survey of a little-known corner of the American West at a time when human influences had begun to change it forever.

About the Author
Melissa L. Sevigny is a science journalist at KNAU (Arizona Public Radio). She has worked in water policy, sustainable agriculture, and space exploration, and is the author of Under Desert Skies and Mythical River. She lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Reviews
""It's not just the story but the way it's told that matters here. Unlike those old-time newspaper reporters, Sevigny does not look at her subjects and see women out of place. She sees women doing their job and doing it well. She muses with pleasure about that change in perspective, while acknowledging (correctly) that women still face serious gender barriers in the modern profession of science."" -- The New York Times Book Review


Awards
Winner of National Outdoor Book Award 2023. Long-listed for Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association Reading the West Book Award 2024 and ALA Carnegie Medal 2024.



Book Information
ISBN 9780393868234
Author Melissa L. Sevigny
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 493g
Dimensions(mm) 239mm * 160mm * 28mm