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“The Rockies are therefore very young and should never be thought of as ancient. They are still in the process of building and eroding, and no one today can calculate what they will look like ten million years from now. They have the extravagant beauty of youth, the allure of adolescence, and they are mountains to be loved.”
― James A. Michener, Centennial
Centennial
James A. Michener
James A. Michener’s commemorates the Bicentennial in 1976. This novel tells the thrilling story of the people of Colorado thriving and surviving in the American West. Centennial brilliantly illustrates the dramatic conflicts that plague the western personalities being hunters, natives, gold seekers, trappers, and homesteaders.
The Emerald Mile
Kevin Fedarko
The Emerald Mile describes the history of the rafting industry in Colorado. It goes into detail about the economics of the damns strewn across the west, generating wealth from the magnificent Colorado River. This best-selling non-fiction story re-creates the flood-swollen Grand Canyon in astounding detail. At its core, this book paints a picture of the eternal struggle between man and nature.
Jurassic Park
Michael Crichton
Many people know the fast-paced motion picture, but the novel takes this story to new heights. If you haven't experienced Jurassic Park, we highly recommend reading this story before you watch it on the big screen! Though this epic sci-fi thriller is not set in Colorado, Michael Creighton was a professor at the University of Denver and we feel it is only right to honor his contributions to our great state.
Powder Days
Heather Hansman
X-ski patroller at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Heather Hansman delves into the myth of the ski bum. She deconstructs the mythical persona of what it means to live in a mountain town. This adventuresome story tells the history of how ski culture has grown to be a multi-billion dollar industry. Hansman draws shocking parallels to the history of America itself and how ski towns might just be the canary in the coal mine for the effects of climate change acorss the country.