Sundown Legends: A Journey Into the American Southwest

Michael Checchio is one of the nation's best writers about nature. This volumn is, in fact, a concise and beautiful evocation of the Southwest, full of paradox. In a passage about the San Juan River in New Mexico, for instance, Checchio describes how a well-intentioned environmental approach -- catch-and-release -- can produce bizarre results: huge, docile trout that give up virtually without a fight. That might be a metaphor for what is happening to much of the Southwest. And yet, Checchio evokes the beauty and timelessness of the place. This is a wonderful book.