BOOKS THAT EMPOWER – 2024
LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINTS
By Conor Knighton
Each year, SouthCol Advisors chooses a book that it believes is both inspirational and empowering; a book that broadens perspectives and challenges its reader to expand their understanding of what’s possible.
This year, SouthCol is excited to announce Conor Knighton’s Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia to Zion Journey Through Every National Park as its “Books That Empower” selection for 2024.
“This year especially, it feels important to celebrate the restorative beauty of our National Parks,” explained SouthCol founder James Lumberg. “With Conor Knighton as our guide, we meet the pupfish who inexplicably survive in a puddle in Death Valley and marvel at the brilliant stars in the Great Basin.”
Every year, SouthCol distributes copies of its “Books That Empower” selection to a local community organization.
2024 – Leave Only Footprints, by Conor Knighton
2023 – Once Upon a Town, by Bob Greene
2022 – Endurance, by Alfred Lansing
2021 – Call Us What We Carry, by Amanda Gorman
2020 – March, by John Lewis
If you have a book you would like to suggest, we would love to hear from you!
Leave Only Footprints
CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Conor Knighton provides a behind-the-scenery look at his year traveling to each of America’s National Parks, discovering some of the most beautiful places and most interesting people our country has to offer.
Whether he’s waking up early to witness the first rays of sun appear atop Cadillac Mountain in Maine or staying up late to stargaze along a lonely highway in Nevada, Knighton weaves together the type of stories you’re not likely to find in any guidebook.
On his journey, Knighton identifies the threads that tie these wildly different places together—and that tie us to nature—and reveals how his trip ended up changing his views on everything from God and love to politics and technology.
Filled with fascinating tidbits about our parks’ past and reflections on their fragile future, this book is a celebration of the natural wonders that we all share.
Conor Knighton
Conor Knighton is an Emmy Award-winning correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning. A New York Times bestseller, Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park, was his debut nonfiction book.
Knighton is also the creator and producer of “On the Trail,” a series of stories on the national parks. An avid traveler, he has produced pieces from India, Nicaragua, The United Arab Emirates, Czech Republic, Iceland, and Austria.