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Flagstaff writer Kevin Fedarko's 'A Walk in the Park' wins Carnegie Medal for nonfiction

Kevin Fedarko
KDI PHOTOGRAPHY
Kevin Fedarko

The American Library Association announced Sunday that Flagstaff author Kevin Fedarko won the prestigious Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction for “A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon."

Scribner Book Company

The book is Fedarko's account of his 2016 hike of the Grand Canyon from end to end. The 750-mile trip spans from Lees Ferry to the Grand Wash Cliffs without any established trail.

It pushed Fedarko and his friend, National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, to their limits mentally and physically. But it also showed them the unexplored landscape of one of America’s most-visited national parks, the Native American tribes that call it home and the many threats facing the area.

"Kevin Fedarko’s unforgettable journey through the otherworldly depths of the Grand Canyon shows us the triumphs and pitfalls of exploration and illuminates the many vital lessons we can all learn from our precious natural world," selection committee chair Allison Escoto said.

Fedarko is also the author of the 2014 nonfiction epic "The Emerald Mile," which recounts the fastest boat ride ever through the Grand Canyon atop the Colorado River flood of 1983.

Adam Higginbotham's “Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space” and Emily Nussbaum's “Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV" were the nonfiction runners-up.

Percival Everett's “James” won in the fiction category. It's a reworking of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” told from the perspective of Huck Finn’s enslaved companion, Jim.

Flagstaff author Kevin Fedarko hiked the Grand Canyon from end to end. The punishing 750-mile trek showed him the unexplored landscape of one of America’s most-visited national parks, the Native American tribes that call it home and the many threats facing the area.