The Secret Knowledge of Water : Discovering the Essence of the American Desert

This my fourth book by Craig Childs. I have loved the writing in all. Childs has intimate knowledge and a deep personal connection with his subjects. Add to this his passion and writing skills and his books are beautiful and engaging narratives of whichever subject he discusses. His writing is filled with the experience of a lifetime of wandering around the desert. His eyes see things and his writing tells us things we could not likely discover on our own. He goes to places we will never reach because they're just too hard to get to and brings back stories of those places we cannot see.Throughout his writing he holds unerringly to his moral compass. His travels mirror the naturalist mantra to "take only pictures, leave only footprints". He is a careful and respectful traveler who leaves the world as he found it. He raises many ethical questions related to this way of traveling and brings the reader into his personal conversations about what it means to intrude on these special places. He questions what it means to be a traveler in history as well as nature. The questions are very compelling and in my own case surprised me with my own answers.I have two critiques about this and his other books. The first and a minor one is the artwork used to illustrate them doesn't measure up to the quality of the writing. They give a sense that they were done by a friend to whom he couldn't say no. They don't add to or support the story and are somewhat amateurish. In books where location plays such an important part, having understandable and clear maps or other illustrations is important.My other criticism is harder to qualify. The author was born and raised in the desert and knows it well. As his writing implies, he spends much time alone exploring the Southwest. While this relationship to the desert has given him unique insights, it also has given him a sense of personal ownership that isn't his. From time to time, Childs lets slip a kind of proprietary attitude in which he speaks derisively of tourists and "hiking clubs" he comes across in his travels. He generally describes their presence as an intrusion into his desert.Living in MN "lake country" I am very familiar with this kind of attitude. Many MN lakes are surrounded by private homes and the owners have an attitude the lakes are "theirs". This can vary from just an attitude to actively discouraging access to public access sites. The lakes in MN are public as are the deserts in the Southwest. In the case of the desert, much of the author's stomping ground is Federal land, access to which is the public's right as much as his.There is also a sense that Childs' questions the moral purity of those visiting desert places. While he inhabits these places in a deep and real way, he seems to dismiss those that just come to look. The experiences of both visitors are real, just different but for me the underlying attitude I felt from Childs spoiled the stories a little. Make no mistake, Childs has seen the worst of human behavior in the desert; the damage of pothunters being a glaring example. But Childs' desert, like so many other places attracts different people for different reasons.The Secret Knowledge of Water follows Childs' path as he looks for, and finds water in unexpected places. Like his other writings, it celebrates the journey and it's worth taking.

Great read so well written very informative and adventurous. If you live in southwest US it's a must read

Craig childs knows the desert really, really well..he explores every bit of it and writes so well ! The book came promptly in perfect condition.

I have read three of Craig Childs books so far: The Way Out, Atlas of a Lost World, and this one. I found this one the most intriguing with the least excess verbiage. A tale of how water occurs and is found in the deserts of the Southwest, it describes Childs' searches for water holes, as well as his experiences during floods in the Grand Canyon. The descriptions are great, and there's not quite the tendency to break out of descriptions into deep philosophical distractions as I found in Atlas. Childs is at risk for starting to sound like John McPhee; not that McPhee is a bad author, but sometimes it gets a little too "gee whiz". I'd rate The Way Out as the second best of these three books. All are well worth reading, but if you like nature writing without too much pontificating, I'd try this one first. The Way Out does have a lot of diversions about Childs' nutty father and his burned-out cop pal, but the trip itself sounds awesome.

This is a wonderful book. Not only does it provide a lot of interesting information about water in desert environments but the writing is almost poetic. Beautifully written. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one.

For two years in 1976 & 1977, I rode horseback from San Diego to Maine, zig-zagging over 7,000 miles while living outside for two years. I called this adventure a "Ride For Nature." I have also travelled into Africa's Sahara, Australia's Outback, and Israel's Negev Desert. As well, I am the author of "The Holy Order of Water."To me, the best quote in Child's book is on page 55, "...that species in water holes, the ones that can't get up and fly away, do not move around very often. They become genetically isolated over thousands, and then millions, of years. In 1992, after nearly all of the temproary vernal pools of California were destroyed by human development, researchers went out to catalog those still intact. Of the sixty-seven species of crustaceans found in the remaining pools, thirty had never been documented anywhere on the planet. People had to suddenly set about inventing names. A quarter of these newly found species were each found in its own pool among the fifty-eight pools studied, meaning there is not much motion between one pool and the next. What was lost in the hundreds of destroyed pools is unknown."Besides the above, I can fully appreciate Childs' writing about modes of desert walking; thinking, and dressing. In the desert, any expenditure of energy or exposure results in the loss of water and one's ability to surive. Therefore, one becomes more conscious and thoughtful of body movement and clothing, as well as toward the sun, night, and the surrounding environment.Perhaps it is this heightened state of desert consciousness that has helped give birth to so many enlightened prophets.I highly recommend this book to anyone thinking of hiking in the desert, as well as to those who wish to understand the importance of deserts in the adventure of life on Earth.

Interesting book, written by a person who is obviously immersed in and smitten with the desert southwest. Author Craig Childs writes about his exploration and study of water in the extremes of Arizona and surrounding areas. He writes very lyrically, but at times I wasn't sure where we were going. A bit wordy at times. Ultimately though, I learned a lot about this beautiful, rugged, and harsh country. If you're interested in the environment of the southwest and the Grand Canyon area in particular, this book would be a good one to add to your reading list.

I found his love of solitude and the desert itself to be absolutely absorbing. The sense of deep peace permeated every page of the book and left me feeling somehow changed after reading it.I absolutely adored the book, and enjoyed his book "Uncommon Encounters in the Wild" even more.

Craig Childs is an extraordinary writer who makes you feel and see right along with him. He shares his immense "secret knowledge of water" and you will learn about things you never knew existed. I would also recommend his "Animal Dialogues" book.

The book starts off well describing the availability of water in deserts. As it progresses it gets more and more mystical and existential. The last few chapters were a real challenge - should I persist or give it up. I persisted but in retrospect I should have given it up!