Book cover of Is a River Alive?

Book description

From celebrated writer Robert Macfarlane comes this brilliant, perspective-shifting new book - which answers a resounding yes to the question of its title.

At its heart is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings - who should be recognized as such…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked Is a River Alive? as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Is a River Alive presents a journey through three extraordinary rivers, located in wilderness Ecuador, wilderness Quebec, and urban India. Macfarlane explores how important these rivers are in the lives of people and ecosystems. He writes stunning portraits of the rivers users and protectors. He magnificently depicts the remarkable ecological "lives" of the rivers; their moods and seasons, their narratives and histories. In so doing, he raises questions about what it means to be sentient and why a redefinition of natural rights is essential for ecological survival, political activism, and environmental learning. MacFarlane is an evocative writer, filled with compassion,…

Poetic, thought-provoking writing about a really important subject.

A title that appears to be such a simple question, most people would have an immediate sense of what their answer would be. But this book teases out so many subtle ideas of what constitute 'aliveness', and why that matters when lives, cultures, and the future of the planet is at stake. Another dive into a river of language, story, experience, and expanding perception.

If you love Is a River Alive?...

Book cover of What Walks This Way: Discovering the Wildlife Around Us Through Their Tracks and Signs

What Walks This Way by Sharman Apt Russell,

Nature writer Sharman Apt Russell tells stories of her experiences tracking wildlife—mostly mammals, from mountain lions to pocket mice—near her home in New Mexico, with lessons that hold true across North America. She guides readers through the basics of identifying tracks and signs, revealing a landscape filled with the marks…

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