Breaking Into the Current: Boatwomen of the Grand Canyon [Hardcover]

Louise Teal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1994

In 1973, Marilyn Sayre gave up her job as a computer programmer and became the first woman in twenty years to run a commercial boat through the Grand Canyon. Georgie White had been the first, back in the 1950s, but it took time before other women broke into guiding passengers down the Colorado River. This book profiles eleven of the first full-season Grand Canyon boatwomen, weaving together their various experiences in their own words. Breaking Into the Current is a story of romance between women and a place. Each woman tells a part of every Canyon boatwoman's story: when Marilyn Sayre talks about leaving the Canyon, when Ellen Tibbets speaks of crew camaraderie, or when Martha Clark recalls the thrill of white water, each tells how all were involved in the same romance. All the boatwomen have stories to tell of how they first came to the Canyon and why they stayed. Some speak of how they balanced their passion for being in the Canyon against the frustration of working in a traditionally male-oriented occupation, where today women account for about fifteen percent of the Canyon's commercial river guides. As river guides in love with the Canyon and their work, these women have followed their hearts. "I've done a lot," says Becca Lawton, "but there's been nothing like holding those oars in my hands and putting my boat exactly where I wanted it. Nothing."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The companies that run chartered boat trips along the majestic but treacherous 226-mile stretch of the Colorado River from Lee's Ferry to Diamond Creek were bastions of sexism from the early part of the 20th century to the 1970s. They assumed that women were neither strong nor capable enough to pilot a boat full of people through the Grand Canyon. In this volume, Teal, a journalist and boatwoman herself, disproves that theory by cataloging the stories of 11 women who became commercial boat pilots in the 1970s. Many of their stories overlap in the details of how the women learned to row or motor the boats; their perseverance in trying to get hired; and in the passion they voice for the river. ``The water has so much power over the boat and me . . . I feel like the river takes me in its hands,'' says Martha Clark. Yet each boatwoman shares a unique part of her experience. Marilyn Sayre tells how a boyfriend helped her to become a boatwoman; Suzanne Jordan recalls flipping a boat and nearly drowning; and Lorna Corson explains why she returns to the river every year. This is an engaging chronicle of a little-known group of pioneers.

Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"An inspiring and necessary reminder that women are thriving in the world of outdoor adventure." —Sojourner "A thoroughly enjoyable read." —Books of the Southwest "The greatest virtue of the book is Teal's literary gift. . . . A fully rounded view of the adrenaline-fueled life on the big water." —Utah Historical Quarterly "The book transcends gender even as it addresses it and thereby joins the dozen or so books about the Grand Canyon that belong in every river runner's library. . . . Without it, history is incomplete." —Paddler

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 178 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press; First Edition edition (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816514135
• ISBN-13: 978-0816514137
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,181,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book sings., December 13, 2000

By 

Bill Webster (Ukiah, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breaking Into the Current: Boatwomen of the Grand Canyon (Paperback)

A few years back on my first trip through the Grand Canyon I was lucky enough to be in a group that included Louise Teal as one of the guides. I bought this book after the trip and read it on the drive home. I was blown away. Her love of the canyon, the river, the people...it all glows from every page. Rafting the Grand is a life-changing experience; and the elements that make it so are all here--captured and expressed by a woman who has become part of the river and vice versa. She tells the stories of the women who 'broke into the current' with humor, sensitivity, respect and love. On top of all that, she is a very talented writer and this book works purely on that basis. If you've ever run the canyon, buy this book. If you have ever wanted to run it, buy this book. If you've got no interest in the canyon or the Colordo river but enjoy good writing about real stuff, buy this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a totally enjoyable book, August 14, 2000

By 

Alicyn (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Breaking Into the Current: Boatwomen of the Grand Canyon (Paperback)

I recently travelled a rafting trip of the canyon and was totally enthralled by the experience. In many ways it changed my life. Reading this book brings back so many memories of what the trip there is really about. I felt a true connection with the women that travelled it before me. The descriptions are so beautiful. This book crosses genders and is simply about a wonderful place and some extrodinary women that have travelled there.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A boatwoman's perspective, July 17, 2000

By 

Christina King - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breaking Into the Current: Boatwomen of the Grand Canyon (Paperback)

I have been a Grand Boatwoman since the late 1980's. This book captures many of the comments and experiences I encountered on many rivers. Everyone handles them differently but the stories ring true.

What an enjoyable book