Tales from the River

The beauty and extraordinary natural nuances of our rivers are wonderfully captured in this book. If we are to preserve and nurture this essential but threatened resource, then our motivation must come from the heart. The richly varied yet delightful chapters in this book are from the heart. The result is a powerful, emotional exhortation to preserve and regenerate this vital nourishing life-source. —Charles Massy, Call of the Reed-Warbler: A New Agriculture - A New Earth

Rivers are story bearers.  In this volume, memories and murmurs, tragedies and travels, elegies and epics are borne to us on currents of masterful language.  Reading Tales from the River was like sailing the world anew on a vessel built of sheer joy. —Alyson Hagy, Ghosts of Wyoming and Scribe

Fresh water rivers–elixir of life and our planets very arteries are sadly in dire straits. In “Tales of the River”, 21 essayists evoke the beauty, peace and joy afforded by healthy flowing waters, but as well, demonstrate our global collective need to restore and protect these life-givers. — Micheline Jenner, The Secret Life of Whales

This wonderful collection reminds us that rivers are far more than just sources of water: they nourish people's fields and souls, they flow through our cities and our cultures. Protecting and restoring the world's rivers requires us to value them for all their benefits: this book evokes these benefits and provides a powerful call for a re-evaluation of why rivers matter. — Stuart Orr, Leader Freshwater Practice, WWF

This beautiful celebration of the life giving power and seasonal pulse of rivers worldwide is timely and important. Rivers are threatened almost everywhere, and their life among the most imperilled of any habitat on Earth. These lyrical vignettes remind us to better appreciate rivers or risk losing much that we would sorely miss. —Callum Roberts, Ocean of Life: How our Seas are Changing. Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of York, UK.

This book gathers together stories of people around the world taking the pulse of the planet by enjoying, cherishing and defending waterways. Some explore rivers that still flow far from humanity's touch; others discover the resilience of the natural world by paddling on stressed urban waterways--but every story reminds us that we need to love our rivers again. It's a joyous read that will inspire you to plan your own riparian journey. —Rick Hodges, To Follow Elephants