First published 2024
The Colorado River faces a crisis that threatens forty million Americans who depend on it for drinking water. This comprehensive examination combines acclaimed photographer Pete McBridge's two decades of documentation with essays exploring climate change and overuse. McBridge, recognized by National Geographic as a "freshwater hero" for his global water coverage, turns his lens toward his home region's most vital waterway. His photographs capture the river from its source to the sea, revealing both the stark realities of America's Western water crisis and the remarkable beauty of this life-giving resource. The book demonstrates how the Colorado River serves as a warning sign for broader environmental challenges while supporting nearly one-fifth of the country's GDP. Through visual storytelling and written analysis, readers witness the tension between the river's natural resilience and the mounting pressures of overuse in an era of climate change.
Genres: adventure, environment, non-fiction, 21st-century, photography, climate-change
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: visual-storytelling
Setting: Colorado River
Period: 21st-century
224 pages · Hardcover · Rizzoli