A photographic journey to one of the strangest places in america. Bombay beach, devastated by two hurricanes that raised the level of the salton sea during the 1970s, has become a popular, if unlikely. Some of the hotels, houses, signs and other things in this book no longer exist. Salt to the sea, which includes meticulously detailed authors notes, maps, and research and sources, is an ideal blend of historical facts, riveting drama, compelling characters, and suspense. Jan 05, 2016 a new york times notable book of 2011 a wall street journal best childrens book of 2011 a publishers weekly best book of 2011 the itunes 2011 rewind best teen novel a school library journal best book of 2011 a booklist best book of 2011 a kirkus best book of 2011 2012 indies choice young adult book of the year a carnegie medal finalist a. Salton sea by george mccormick author visit amazons george mccormick page. The artist and the book were both featured on kpbs to commemorate the seas centennial. Rise of the salton sea is a biography of numerous personal journals combined into a single narrative.
Salton sea birds california department of fish and wildlife. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our favorite reads in more than a dozen categories. The sea is huge, so there is plenty of habitat, and a variety of habitat, too. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. These are stories of the american west, a 21st century west whe. The water flowing into the salton sea will be cut dramatically at the end of this year, causing the lake to shrink faster than ever and sending more dust blowing through lowincome, largely latino. The once glamorous salton sea is now rife with toxic dust and. The feature film debut of producer and tv director d.
The most diverse and probably the most significant populations of bird life in the continental united states are hosted, rivaled only by big bend national park in texas. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the salton sink in the colorado desert of imperial and riverside counties in southern california. The salton sea, californias largest inland lake, supports a spectacular bird population that is among the most concentrated and most diverse in. The book is exhaustively researched and written by donna kennedy, helens daughter, and donnas husband, william linehan. On his journey, he befriends slacker jimmy the finn, becomes involved in rescuing his neighbor colette from her own demons, and gets entangled in a web of deceit full of unexpected twists and turns. Historic evidence and geologic studies have shown that the colorado river has. Elizabeth wein, new york times bestselling author of printz award honor book code name verity. Breaking point is a 60 minute documentary about the impending disaster at the salton sea in southern california. Caruso, this pulpy noir mystery is a dark tale of redemption set among southern california crystal methamphetamine tweakers. With jamie anne allman, diarra kilpatrick, john davis walker. After a tragic incident, a man drifts into a world populated by thugs and speed junkies.
Folly and intervention in the southern california landscape, 19052005 hardcover. Salton sea is the largest lake in the state of california. The salton sea 2002 after the murder of his beloved wife, a man val kilmer in search of redemption is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. In salt to the sea the hard truths of her herculean research are tempered with effortless, intimate storytelling, as her warm and human characters breathe new life into one of the worlds most terrible and neglected tragedies. The salton sea has since gone through a restoration process. A personal journey through the literature of the salton sea. A new york times notable book a wall street journal best childrens book a publishers weekly, school library journal, booklist, and kirkus best book itunes 2011 rewind best teen novel a carnegie medal and william c. Managers and stakeholders are seeking solutions to the decline of the sea and have turned to the scientific community for answers. Its a unique area that flooded in the early 1900s and became the sea actually californias largest lake. Salton sea california all you need to know before you go. They described this region as scorching and sterile a. Vollmann, in imperial, an epic dissection of the region, lands early on the word ghastly and sticks with it. Sepetys knows her subject well and is able to clearly voice each of the teens fleeing the fall of germany.
Salt to the sea by ruta sepetys although a young adult novel, this tale of the end of world war ii and the refugee ship wilhelm gustloff will also appeal to all who like historical fiction. It is however, the largest lake in california and one of the lowest points in the entire united states second only to badwater basin. It usually covers a surface area of 974 square kilometres although it varies a lot, making it the largest lake in california. A driver hits someone on a remote desert road animal or human, but more importantly did she kill it. Locals gather at the ski inn, one of the last taverns left in bombay beach. She weaves the fragments, tatters, and shards that she found into a salty tale that makes one nostalgic for the seas future, something that seems always around the bend.
Caruso from a screenplay by tony gayton who also wrote the recent murder by numbers, blatantly recycles moods and images from other recent films and compacts them into a formula of its own. The salton sea by clay lipsky is the photographic survey of a man made utopia gone awry. There used to be a large number of people who would recreate on the sea. The salton sea is one of the worlds largest inland seas, once 45 miles long and 25 miles wide. Today, the sea is 227 feet below sea level, covers approximately 376 square. Birds of the salton sea by michael patten, guy mccaskie.
Caruso and starring val kilmer and vincent donofrio. Overall, i really enjoyed salt to the sea it is a powerful and wellwritten story about a wwii tragedy that doesnt receive a ton of attention. An account of harrimans fight with the colorado river george kennan full view 1917 the salton sea. Masterfully craftedthe wall street journalfor readers of between shades of gray and all the light we cannot see, ruta sepetys returns to wwii in this epic novel that shines a light on one of the wars most devastatingyet unknowntragedies. The sea, which is called the salton sea, is fifteen times bigger than the island of manhattan and no deeper in most places than a swimming pool.
In this concise, compelling account of a fallen paradise, stringfellow describes the salton sea as a study of contrasts, a compendium of the. State of the salton sea a science and monitoring meeting of scientists for the salton sea. The book, folly and intervention in the southern california landscape, 19052005, was first published in 2005 by the center for american places. Birds of the salton sea by michael patten, guy mccaskie, philip unitt. Mar 09, 2017 the salton sea was born in the early 1900s after a canal burst sent water from the colorado flooding into the valley over a period of two years.
The salton sea was so named in 1905, but its history begins in the salton basin of ancient times a time removed some 10,000 years. The salton sea is a 2002 american neonoir crime thriller film directed by d. The salton sea was a result of a failure of a project that tried to irrigate desert lands by redirecting water from the colorado river. At 227 feet below sea level, its also one of the lowest spots on the planet. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images, giving readers a unique opportunity to reconnect to. Among them are joana, emilia, and florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the wilhelm gustloff. Imperial irrigation district, 1960 1962 printing ocolc10335842. Wikipedia the salton sea was created on accident, when when failed irrigation canals. Harold bell wrights 1911 novel, the winning of barbara worth, fictionalizes the 20th century birth of the salton sea. It chronicles the events and lives of people that live in the coming decades. Over 400 species have been documented at the salton sea. The salton sea a study of the geography the geology the floristics and the ecology of a desert basin by dt macdougal 1914 the imperial valley and the salton sink by harry thomas cory with introductory monograph by william phipps blake 1915.
The last chapter ends with the salton sea s hay day. Find the salton sea by peter tellone at blurb books. Also the reader should be aware that at least one half of the book deals not with the salton sea but with the surrounding areas. By 1906 it was a fully fledged lake, and surveyors noted that several species of waterfowl and pelicans were nesting in the area. The salton sea seems to be californias dirty little secret but with the help of kim stringfellows excellent book and growing interest from environmentalists and. Overview the salton sea was an accident of man created when heavy rainfall caused the rio colorado to swell and breach an imperial valley dike in 1905. While playing the trumpet in a burning room, the protagonists voice is heard in narration. Aug 20, 2012 the salton sea is probably best known for its high salinity levels. Page three years later, goldseekers from the east began to take this route to the pacific coast, and bayard taylor, in his eldorado, has given their impressions of the salton sink in the following words. Sep 29, 2016 the salton sea had been slowly shrinking since the 1950s, but hurricanes in 1976 and 1977 further devastated the area. This is not a fixed location but it is where most of the story, before the sinking of the ship, takes place. The salton trough is considered to be the northern extension of the gulf of california. With val kilmer, vincent donofrio, adam goldberg, luis guzman. Geologic studies show that the colorado river spilled into the salton basin many times over the millennia, creating intermittent lakes.
New york times bestseller and winner of the carnegie medal. The salton sea is one weird place books tod goldberg alta. Folly and intervention in the southern california landscape, 19052005 by kim stringfellow, i. A 158 page photo book that covers the salton sea in southern california.
In 1905, these human engineering errors allowed saline water to be carried from a flooded colorado river into the salton sink area, thus creating the presentday salton sea. The meeting has been expanded to include an authors talk and reception for the salton sea stories exhibit, so bill and i will talk about the history and our experiences of the sea and our cooperative writing of the book. This website contains a timeline of their existence. Over the years, ive heard of the salton sea, but didnt know much about it. The story of the salton sea, san marcos, california. If youre historical fiction fan who is looking for something a little different, i recommend reading this one. World war ii is drawing to a close in east prussia and thousands of refugees are on a. Helen burns was an indefatigable promoter of the salton sea, even if it often seemed that the sea was waging war against her. An account of harrimans fight with the colorado river.
Bayard godsave george mccormicks writing as clear and direct as a fastmoving river, but the lives of his characters never run straight. Today, the sea is 227 feet below sea level, covers approximately 376 square miles, and is californias largest lake. The salton sea, california postcard history series by. The salton sea seems to be californias dirty little secret but with the help of kim stringfellows excellent book and growing interest from environmentalists and others this fascinating water and desert area is slowly getting the corrective attention it deserves.
In into the wild, jon krakauer calls the salton sea an otherworldly setting where snowbirds and drifters and sundry vagabonds congregate. New from arcadia publishings postcard history series is the salton sea. Introductionthe salton sea sea is an ecosystem facing large systemic changes in the near future. This is the salton sea an inland manmade saltlake, located in southern california. He is a young boy who really doesnt care about anyone but himself. In some places, you cant see the opposite shore because of the earths curvature. The tributary to the salton sea continued fill the fledgling lake, eroding the banks of other nearby lakes, and soon sucking them away, quickly filling the new lake with the liquidy remains. The salton sea was an accident of man created when heavy rainfall caused the rio colorado to swell and breach an imperial valley dike in. The images were taken over a 5 year period of time from 2005 2010. Like the inland sea that gives this collection its name, whose algae blooms cumulous, bloody forms just under the surface, there is beauty in their ruin. In vintage photographs and postcards, local author karl anderson shares the history of the area. A timeline of redacted events that were not previously known about is also included.
The book, which is drawn from an original installation, is laid out like a handbook to the sights, sounds, and smells of the salton sea over time, chronicling the series of disjointed visions and somewhat haphazard events that produced the strange, ruinous presentday sea. The books publication was in part funded by a loan from the graham foundation for advanced studies in the fine arts. The salton sea had grown larger than lake tahoe to its current size of about 15 miles wide and 35 miles long. Morris finalist a new york times and international bestseller few books are beautifully written, fewer. Kim stringfellows odyssey into the salton sea excavates cultural relics and treasures that surprise and astound. The emigrants by the gila route gave a terrible account of the crossing of the great desert lying west of the colorado. The sad story of the salton sea mnn mother nature network. At a time when the salton sea is due for restoration, this historical account is just as important today as it was 100 years ago. The salton sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the san andreas fault, predominantly in the u. We encourage you to learn more about the salton sea. Southern californias salton sea often thought of as a wastelandis home to a small community.
Looking from space, while both manmade structures and accidents are visible from the sky, they symbolize the mistakes and vulnerabilities of human intelligence. The presentday salton sea is a body of water that currently occupies the salton basin, but it is certainly not the first to do so. Salton sea 2002 imdbsalton sea 2002 box office mojosalton sea 2002 movie onlinesalton sea 2002 full d. The salton sea is one weird place books tod goldberg. A small movie from 2002 that got far less attention than it deserved, the salton sea, starring val kilmer, vincent donofrio, and peter sarsgaard, is a moody, gritty. Well, as my mom would say when at a loss for words, its interesting.
Similar to when you watch titanic for the first time, you know the ship is doomed but not exactly how the fictional characters will fare within that. A compact book that briefly covers a century of history of the salton sea, containing minimal textual content which is augmented significantly by many plates, spotlighting byproducts of the many failed commercial developments around the shore. The salton sea has been termed a crown jewel of avian biodiversity by dr. Another one should have followed showing what the area looks like today and the popular resorts and attractions then and now. Born out of a flood in the 20s, the salton sea enjoyed a brief period of success as a resort destination in the 50s. In 1945, world war ii is drawing to a close in east prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, almost all of them with something to hide. Popular salton sea books meet your next favorite book. Returning to the successful formula of her highly lauded debut, between shades of gray 2011, sepetys combines research described in extensive backmatter with wellcrafted fiction to bring to life another littleknown story. The salton sea is a lowlife black comedy drawing inspiration from memento, pulp fiction and those trendy british thrillers about drug lads. Popular salton sea books showing 17 of 7 greetings from the salton sea. This study guide consists of approximately 43 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of salt to the sea. Jul, 2011 the salton sea is an accidental sea, a large body of salty water that ranks as the largest body of water in california that was created in 1905 when the colorado river overran its headgates and.
Slab city is a popular nofee recreational vehicle squat destination located at the outskirts of niland, population 1,006. At first, it was unclear that this lake was a nuisance. A major contribution to our knowledge about the birds of western north america, it will also be an important tool in the struggle to save this highly endangered area. Conservation groups sought aid from the government. The salton sea by karl anderson arcadia publishing books. This book is the first thoroughly detailed book to describe the birds of salton sea, more than 450 species and subspecies in all. The area colloquially known as the slabs was named after the remaining concrete foundations found at the abandoned camp dunlap, a world war ii marine desert training base that occupied 640 acres near the san andreas fault found along eastern side of. Val kilmer stars as danny parker, a former trumpet player who has become a tattooed speed freak living in a. Salt to the sea, by ruta sepetys the new york times.
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