Recommended books...

This summer I've gotten to do a lot of reading. Here are my top 10 non-fiction books that I've read (or am finishing up) this summer (in no particular order):

* Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado
-about the hardships endured by the Uraguayan Rugby team in the Andes in 1972

* Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington
-about 3 young aboriginal girls who walked 1000 miles across the Austrailian desert to return to their families after being taken away from them by British colonists

* There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The Other America by Alex Kotlowitz
-This book tells the story and hardships of a family (specifically two brothers) living in poverty in inner-city Chicago.

* The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen
-Where does your food come from? How is it being treated? What effect do those practices have on our health, environment and world?

* A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
-With much humor, Bryson describes his attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail.

* Safari: the Romance and the Reality by Molly Buchanen
-about the history and changes brought about by safaris in eastern and southern Africa

* Just Like Us by Helen Thorpe
-Through anecdotes of four young women's lives in Denver, Thorpe explains different sides of the politics of immigration in the United States

* Country Driving by Peter Hessler
-Peter Hessler's experiences as he drove across China in 2007

* The Places In Between by Rory Stewart
-In 2002 Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan on foot

* Las Hijas de Juarez by Theresa Rodriguez
-explains the politics and history that have led to the violence against and disappearance of young women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

My ACC summer summed up...

My summer with ACC ended on Thursday, when I returned home to attend the funeral of a high school classmate. Overall it was a good summer, throughout which I learned a lot about conservation work, nature and working with others. During our last week, we got to do several hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park, including Sky Pond and Long’s Peak. Here are a few pictures to sum up the summer: