Michael P. Ghiglieri

Having just visited the Grand Canyon, I was very interested in reading this book, which I took out of the library when I got home. I witnessed in person the foolhardy actions of tourists going way too close to the edge while taking pictures or just tempting fate perhaps to peek over the edge to see the massive drop off. It is truly frightening to see how easy it would be to fall over the edge, and many people have done just that, whether by accident or on purpose. The book chronicles every known death in the Grand Canyon in grisly detail, divided into chapters for the various causes of such deaths. I found it to be a fascinating and absorbing account, but the book is very long (500+ pages), and some of the sections would have benefited by some editing.… (more)

Tragically sad and sometimes infuriating, I still maintain that this book is definitely worth a read, especially for anyone interested in the National Parks System. After all, those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Hopefully there will be less horrific incidents at Yosemite in the future (not likely though, given the amount of tragic falls and missing persons in the 16 years since this book was published in 2007.)

A note of caution to squeamish readers (which I myself usually would ascribe myself as): there are some gory descriptions of the unfortunate victims in this book. Be warned (and maybe don't eat whilst reading.)… (more)