Customer Reviews

Breaking Into the Current: Boatwomen of the Grand Canyon

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

A friend told me about this book several years ago when I was raft guiding on the Colorado River a little north of the Grand Canyon. I bought the book, and absolutely loved it. As one of the rare breed of female white water rafting guides, it was amazing to read about other women who shared my passion for the river and for the wild places around us. Breaking into the Current is NOT a male-bashing book; it filled with stories that are waiting to be told--stories by and about interesting women who went into a career that few women would consider entering. I loved reading the stories about Lava Falls, the making of Crystal Rapid, and all the others. Each time I return to the book it makes me ache to be on the river yet again.

Louise Teal was seduced by the grandeur of the canyon when she
was a teen in the 60's. "The canyon was beautiful and intense--a
completely fulfilling place to be." Years later after she married and
moved to Seattle, she yearned to return to life on the river. In
Breaking Into the Current she profiles eleven other women from
varied backgrounds who cast aside civilization to raft rapids
and learn the secrets of the Grand Canyon. Georgie White opened
the way for female river guides in the 50's, but there was still plenty
of resistance from a male dominated society to the having women
guides at the helm well into the 80's. This book is a must read for
teens looking for empowered women role models. All of the women
profiled are brave, self-reliant and intent on self-actualization. I was
happy to learn about each and every one of these inspiring ladies.

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

As other reviewers have noted, this book tells the compelling stories of women raft guides who broke gender barriers to what was a male-dominated sanctuary as recently as 15 or 20 years ago. Each of the chapters is devoted to describing the experience of one of these guides except for introductory and ending chapters and one chapter that recounts particularly difficult conditions that river guides faced in 1983, when an unexpected release from Glen Cayon Dam created powerful water flows that presented new challenges for river runners.

The love of the river felt by all of the guides shines through their narratives. Customers of commercial raft trips will be amazed at the women's positive attitudes and boundless courage in spite of low pay, long hours, hard work, and even hostility from male some co-workers and occasional customers.

In addition, the author brings the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River to life. Those who have run the river will feel themselves again riding the waves or drifting through calm stretches surrounded by ancient rocks. And anyone anticipating a river trip will get as good an introduction to the exprience as a written narrative can provide.

Teal is a gifted writer, whose every word drives her narrative forward. It is especially notable that her publisher is the University of Arizona Press, well known for the high quality of its books. Everyone who loves the Grand Canyon should read Teal's work. So should anyone interested in exploring this natural wonder. Conditions for women boaters have changed since the book was first published, but the stories still speak strongly to current readers.

I have often thought about taking a trip down the Grand Canyon. Now, not only do I want to take "a trip" I want to work on that trip. I think about going down to Lee's and asking if I can help. The book is an inspiration and a neccesity for any woman who loves adventures and challenges!

These boatwomen are indeed remarkable, and superb ambassadors of the Grand Canyon Colorado River corridor. Sure, I'm biased: my first commercial river trip featured two of the profiled women plus another guide noted in the Acknowledgments. All were consummate storytellers, and gender was never an issue. Ms. Teal has an unfortunate habit of occasionally padding her descriptions with platitudes, but these lapses do not significantly diminish the value of this book.

A friend who is a river guide gave me this book. I never really understood the fasination with rafting until I read this. The writing leaves a little to be desired, but the subject matter and the information is very moving.