Distractions

September’s book recommendations are an eclectic collection of philosophical musings, natural history, outdoor industry trivia and thrilling tales of Boundary Waters Canoe Area adventure. All are worthy additions to your reading list. Feel free to send your book recommendations for future issues.

Rope
How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilizations

Tim Queeney

A unique and compelling adventure through the history of rope and its impact on civilization. Queeney takes readers on a journey through the history of rope and its intricate role in the story of civilization. Time traveling, he describes the building of the pyramids, the Roman Coliseum, Hagia Sofia, Notre Dame, the Sultan Hasan Mosque, the Brooklyn Bridge, and countless other constructions that would not have been possible without rope. Rope is history, adventure, and the story of one of the world’s most common tools that has made it possible for humans to advance throughout the centuries.

The Serviceberry
Abundance and Reciprocity
in the Natural World

Robin Wall Kimmerer

As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. Can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”

Air-Borne
The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe

Carl Zimmer

Every day, we draw in two thousand gallons of air—and thousands of living things. From the ground to the stratosphere, the air teems with invisible life. Air-Borne leaves readers looking at the world with new eyes—as a place where the oceans and forests loft trillions of cells into the air, where microbes eat clouds, and where life soars thousands of miles on the wind. The book surprises us on every page as it reveals the hidden world of the air.

The Outdoor Archive

Chase Anderson & Clint Pumphrey

A collection of one hundred years of outdoors magazine and catalog design, featuring seventy iconic brands, from Salomon to The North Face. For decades, outdoor brands have put daring and aspirational images on the covers of their magazines and catalogs, pushing the limits of photography and graphic design. This fascinating collection of outdoors covers, drawn from the Outdoor Recreation Archive at Utah State University and spanning one hundred years, features seventy iconic brands including Columbia, The North Face, and Snow Peak.

Interspersed throughout are pieces written by guest contributors. Specially commissioned, these personal reflections, by more than twenty industry leaders, designers, creatives, and sportspeople, focus on a specific image and explore what it means to them.

LAST ENTRY POINT

Joe Friedrichs

Paddlers and hikers planning an excursion into the Boundary Waters

The Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park typically evoke images of sunny days, pleasant breezes, and starry nights. Though every guidebook advises being prepared, most adventurers escaping to these remote areas assume that all will be well.

In Last Entry Point, journalist Joe Friedrichs gathers true stories, interviewing people who confronted danger and walked away, as well as those whose loved ones died in the midst of the wilderness.

These narratives of tragedies and hazards may seem calculated to warn BWCA enthusiasts away from one of the world’s most beautiful and awe-inspiring regions: in fact, they encourage paddlers and hikers to be prepared for all contingencies so that, ideally, they return with their own tales that are memorable for only the best of reasons.

The Great River
The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River

Bryce Upholt

A sweeping history of the Mississippi River—and the centuries of human meddling that have transformed both it and America. The Mississippi River lies at the heart of America, an undeniable life force that is intertwined with the nation’s culture and history. Its watershed spans almost half the country. Boyce Upholt tells the epic story of this wild and unruly river, as well as the centuries of efforts to tame it. The Great River delivers an account of what happens when we try to fight against nature instead of acknowledging and embracing its power—a lesson that is all too relevant in our rapidly changing world.