Finding one’s way in the depths of the Grand Canyon, teaching kids how to identify birds, working with researchers as they unlock the secrets of plants. These topics and many more are among the winners of the 2024 National Outdoor Book Awards.
A total of fifteen books were chosen as winners in this year’s program which is now in its twenty-eighth year. Sponsors of the program include the National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation, Idaho State University and the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education.
Awards are presented in ten categories ranging from outdoor literature to children’s books. This was an intensely competitive year, and in several of the categories, the judges assigned two winners.
Below are some winners’ highlights. (For brevity, subtitles have been left out. Full titles can be found in the summary at the end.)
Outdoor Literature Category
The winner of the Outdoor Literature category is “A Walk in the Park” by Kevin Fedarko. Fedarko and a good friend attempt to hike the length of the Grand Canyon while staying under the rim. They quickly learn, however, that it’s no walk in the park. Less than a week after getting started, they hobble out of the canyon, barely surviving the ordeal. They try again and after a few more missteps, they start making progress. More than a story of a hike, Fedarko paints a powerful portrait of the canyon: the river that carved it, its geology, and the cultural and human history imprinted on it.
Receiving the silver medal in the Outdoor Literature category is “Sailing Alone” by Richard J. King. Included in the book are stories of some of the most famous solo ocean journeys. What King does to heighten interest is to gradually recount the experiences of his own solo passage across the Atlantic. By blending these two aspects of the story—historic and personal—he creates an indelible portrait of what it is like when sailing solo across the vast wilderness of the sea.
Journeys Category
Two books were chosen as winners in the Journeys category. The first is “Where the Falcon Flies” by Adam Shoalts. Shoalts undertakes a canoe journey which begins near his home in Lake Erie and ends 2,000 miles to the north in the Arctic. All of his wilderness experiences come to play in this journey as he paddles through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River and finally through northern wilderness.
The other winner is “Arctic Traverse,” a story by Michael Engelhard of hiking and paddling 1,000 miles across the Brooks Range of Alaska. Engelhard is a splendid writer and captures the beauty of the Arctic and his day-to-day experiences with penetrating and moving prose.
History/Biography Category
The History Biography category has two winners. One is “Survival is Not Assured,” a biography about the climber Jim Donini. Written by Geoff Powter, it recounts Donini’s impressive climbs in Patagonia, Alaska, Pakistan and elsewhere, but what makes Powter’s narrative shine is that we come to know this complex man, and the peaks and valleys of his life, apart from his time in the climbing world.
“Alpine Rising” by Bernadette McDonald is the other winner in the History/Biography category. In this historical work on the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, McDonald turns her attention to the Sherpas of Nepal, the Baltis of northern Pakistan and other local climbers. Based on interviews and solid research, McDonald ably tells their side of the story, covering key personages and notable ascents from the early 1900s to the present.
Natural History Literature Category
This is another two-winner category and includes “The Light Eaters” by Zoë Schlanger. Schlanger brings us up to date on past and current research on plant behavior and intelligence. She travels far and wide, introducing us to researchers and their work. Those she visits are serious researchers, doing serious scientific work. What she discovers, and shares with us in the book, is nothing short of astonishing.
Also receiving top honors is “With Every Great Breath” by Rick Bass. This is a collection of essays by Bass covering a wide variety of natural history topics ranging from whales to larch trees to an environmental disaster close to his home. If you’ve never read anything by Bass, this is an excellent place to start.
Classic Award
“Minus 148” was chosen as the winner of the Classic Award. Written by Art Davidson and first published in 1969, it tells the story of eight men attempting the first winter ascent of Denali. Three members of the team managed to reach the summit but were engulfed in a ferocious storm at 18,000 feet. The winds exceeded 150 miles per hour and the temperature dropped to 50 below. Faced with an unimaginable wind chill of 148 degrees below zero, they found themselves trapped.
Children’s Category
The winner of the Children’s Category is “Kids Field Guide to Birds” by Daisy Yuhas. This new identification book is a great starter book for young naturalists in the 8 to 12 year old range. A bit larger than a typical adult guide, it provides ample room on the pages for identification hints, illustrations, and fun facts. Moreover, it doesn’t overwhelm by taking on too many birds.
Receiving the silver medal in the Children’s Category is “Let’s Learn to Fish” by Dan Armitage. Armitage runs the popular Kids Fishing Fun programs at outdoor equipment shows and stores across the United States and knows what works with kids. Chock-full of illustrations, the book covers all aspects of fishing, perfect for eager youngsters who can’t wait to get started.
Complete reviews of these and the other 2024 winners may be found at the National Outdoor Book Awards website at: www.noba-web.org.
Here is a complete list of winners.
Outdoor Literature. Winner. “A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon.” By Kevin Fedarko. Scribner, New York. ISBN 9781501183058.
Outdoor Literature. Silver Medalist. “Sailing Alone: A Surprising History of Isolation and Survival at Sea.” By Richard J. King. Viking, New York. ISBN 9780593656044.
Journeys. Winner. “Where the Falcon Flies: A 3,400 Kilometre Odyssey from my Doorstep to the Arctic.” By Adam Shoalts. Allen Lane/Penguin Canada, Toronto. ISBN 9780735241015.
Journeys. Winner. “Arctic Traverse: A Thousand-Mile Summer of Trekking the Brooks Range.” By Michael Engelhard. Mountaineers Books. Seattle. ISBN 9781680516784.
History/Biography. Winner. “Survival is Not Assured: The Life of Climber Jim Donini.” By Geoff Powter. Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN 9781680515374.
History/Biography. Winner. “Alpine Rising: Sherpas, Baltis, and the Triumph of Local Climbers in the Greater Ranges.” By Bernadette McDonald. Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN 9781680515787.
Natural History Literature. Winner. “The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth.” By Zoë Schlanger. HarperCollins Publisher, New York. ISBN 9870063073852.
Natural History Literature. Winner. “With Every Great Breath: New and Selected Essays 1995-2023.” By Rick Bass. Counterpoint, Berkeley, CA. ISBN 9781640096301.
Design and Artistic Merit. Winner. “The Colorado River: Chasing Water.” By Pete McBride. Rizzoli, New York. ISBN 9780847899746.
Classic. Winner. “Minus 148: First Winter Ascent of Mount McKinley.” By Art Davidson. Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN 9781594857553.
Nature and the Environment. Winner. “The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession.” By Amy Stewart. Random House, New York. ISBN 9780593446850.
Children’s Category. Winner. “Kids Field Guide to Birds.” By Daisy Yuhas. Cool Springs Press, Beverly, MA. ISBN 9780760385616.
Children’s Category. Silver Medalist. “Let’s Learn to Fish, Everything You Need to Know to Start Freshwater Fishing.” By Dan Armitage. Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA. ISBN 9781635865820.
Nature Guides. Winner. “Connecticut River: From New Hampshire to Long Island Sound.” By Patrick J. Lynch. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT. ISBN 9780300264203.
Outdoor Adventure Guides. Winner. “The Avalanche Factor: Understanding and Avoiding Avalanches.” By Joe Stock. Stock Alpine LLC, Anchorage, AK. ISBN 9798218142254
Outdoor Adventure Guides. Winner. “A Climber’s Guide to the Teton Range.” By Renny Jackson and Leigh N Ortenburger. Photographs by Greg Winston. Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN 9781680511970.
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