Synopses & Reviews
In the promised land of the Sunbelt, people come by the thousands to escape the crush of Eastern cities and end up duplicating the very world they have fled. Can the land remain unchanged?
In Blue Desert, Bowden presents a view of the Southwest that seeks to measure how rapid growth has taken its toll on the land. Writing with a reporter's objectivity and a desert rat's passion, Bowden takes us into the streets as well as the desert to depict not a fragile environment but the unavoidable reality of abuse, exploitation, and human cruelty. Blue Desert shows us the Sunbelt's darker side as it has developed in recent times where "the land always makes promises of aching beauty and the people always fail the land" and defies us to ignore it. Blue Desert has no boundaries, no terrain, no topographical coordinates; it is a state of mind inescapable to one who sees change and knows that nothing can be done to stop it.
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"An unconventional but enthralling picture of the frenzy of modern life and its victims...a real gem." Kirkus Reviews
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"Bowden is literally a voice crying in the wilderness...it's wonderful to listen to him talk." Phoenix New Times
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"You have this eerie feeling of being present in the Arizona desert...painfully engaging." Los Angeles Times
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"There is much that is solid and thought-provoking in this readable book, and virtually everyone will find something of interest." Science Books & Films
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"The book is surely an experience you should try." New Mexico Historical Review
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"Blue Desert is a rare find." Wilderness
About the Author
Bowden is a journalist whose work appears regularly in Harper's, Esquire, GQ, and other national publications. He is also the author of several previous books of nonfiction.