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.

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Book cover of Sea Sagas of the North: Travels and Tales at Warming Waters

Sea Sagas of the North by Jules Pretty,

Sea Sagas of the North is about story and transformation.

Story is a simple device common to every human culture. Put simply, the patterns of good story match the shapes of our lives. Story was once tales told at every flickering fireside, the children’s faces upturned and wide-eyed. Now it…

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