(TUCSON, Ariz.) – Writer, journalist, editor, photographer, and publisher, Gregory McNamee, will present his award-winning book Gila: The Life and Death of an American River at Kirk-Bear Canyon Library on Wednesday, May 16 at 6 pm.
Six hundred miles long from its source in the mountains of southwestern New Mexico to its confluence with the Colorado River above Yuma, the Gila has been an important avenue for the movement of populations—birds, animals, plants, and peoples—across the desert for millennia. Many cultures have sprung up on its banks, and millions of people depend on the river today—whether they know it or not.
Incorporating Native American stories, pioneer memoirs, the writings of modern naturalists such as Aldo Leopold and Edward Abbey, McNamee presents a richly documented cautionary tale about the Gila's natural and human history. Essentially, this event packs 70 million years of history into an entertaining and informative hour!
Publishers Weekly calls the book "important reading for environmentalists," while Library Journal says McNamee "gives a well-crafted account of the birth, life, and death of one of the Southwest's major rivers."
Gregory McNamee is the author of forty books and of more than five thousand articles and other publications. He is a contributing editor to the Encyclopædia Britannica, a research fellow at the Southwest Center of the University of Arizona, and a lecturer in the Eller School of Management, also at the University of Arizona.
The Gila: River of History with Gregory McNamee begins at 6:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public. The Kirk-Bear Canyon Library is located at 8959 E. Tanque Verde Rd, at the northeast corner of East Tanque Verde Rd. and N Bear Canyon Rd. For more information call 594-5275.
Sponsored by the Arizona Humanities Council, this program is part of the Smithsonian Institute’s “Navigating Waters” series. Visit Water/Ways to learn more about how you can explore, share, and experience Arizona's water stories.
Want to read more about it? Here's a list of recommended reads!
Looking for more books by Gregory McNamee? Check out the list below and be sure to visit our catalog.
