Dry River

Poet and writer Alison Deming once noted, In the desert, one finds the way by tracing the aftermath of water . . . Here, Ken Lamberton finds his way through a lifetime of exploring southern Arizonas Santa Cruz River. This riverdry, still, and silent one moment, a thundering torrent of mud the nextserves as a reflection of the desert around it: a hint of water on parched sand, a path to redemption across a thirsty landscape. With his latest book, Lamberton takes us on a trek across the land of three nationsthe United States, Mexico, and the Tohono Oodham Nationas he hikes the rivers path from its source and introduces us to people who draw identity from the riverdedicated professionals, hardworking locals, and the authors own family. These people each have their own stories of the river and its effect on their lives, and their narratives add immeasurable richness and depth to Lambertons own astute observations and picturesque descriptions. Unlike books that detail only the Santa Cruzs decline, Dry River offers a more balanced, at times even optimistic, view of the river that ignites hope for reclamation and offers a call to action rather than indulging in despair and resignation. At once a fascinating cultural history lesson and an important reminder that learning from the past can help us fix what we have damaged, Dry River is both a story about the amazing complexity of this troubled desert waterway and a celebration of one mans lifelong journey with the people and places touched by it.