Book Review

House of Rain (2007)

EW's GRADE
A-

Details Release Date: Feb 22, 2007; Writer: Craig Childs; Genres: History, Nonfiction; Publisher: Little Brown & Company

In House of Rain, author Craig Childs seeks the answer to the question, what happened to the Anasazi? The Native American tribe — often compared to the Mayans — built a thriving civilization based in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon, but around A.D. 1300 they abruptly vanished. Were they wiped out by disease? Natural disaster? Childs searched for his answers on foot, following the many Anasazi paths spiraling out of the canyon. As he followed a trail of pottery shards, visiting remote sites, he began to theorize where the Anasazi went. Childs' blend of anthropology, geography, and archaeology may not satisfy all critics, but his beautifully written travelogue provides a highly original answer to the Anasazi riddle. A-

Originally posted Feb 16, 2007 Published in issue #922 Feb 23, 2007 Order article reprints

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