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The Gift of Rivers: True Stories of Life on the Water (Travelers' Tales Guides)
Rushing, rolling, flowing — rivers provide the ultimate metaphor for movement. They carve borders, create livelihoods, provoke adventure, and offer healing. From white-knuckle rafting rides to fishing stories to eco-essays, this collection by top authors explores the historical, practical, and spiritual significance of rivers. Contributors to The Gift of Rivers include Isabel Allende, Barry Lopez, Wendell Berry, Jan Morris, William Least Heat-Moon, Richard Bangs, Simon Winchester, and many other distinguished and emerging voices — all celebrating rivers, literally and symbolically. A thoughtful introduction by former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass describes the way in which rivers have fueled the imagination and spawned cultures since the beginning of time.
Paperback
First published April 12, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 21, 2019
You will enjoy this book more if you're into white-water rafting or kayaking. I'm not.
Having said that, the stories that weren't on the above topic were very interesting and enjoyable.
Having said that, the stories that weren't on the above topic were very interesting and enjoyable.
July 29, 2024
Just started it. Loved the introduction.
June 7, 2014
This is a difficult book to categorize!
It is a wonderfully readable collection of essays and excerpts from many different writers. Each one describes something about what the water/river means to him or her, from lazy drifts down a river in the South to wild, white-water rafting expeditions in Chile. For each writer there are differences, but also unifying threads. The spiritual journey down the Ganges, the memories of a boathouse along the Nile where writers stayed, and the encounters with the indigenous tribes along the Amazon (Isabel Allende) are all enlightening in their own way. There are sad stories of rivers about to be dammed for hydroelectric power, flooding the countryside and the fields of farmers who have tilled the lands for generations- while obliterating the cataracts that are so thrilling in a raft. And Jeffrey Taylor's description of his very adventurous trip up the Congo reminded me of Tim Butcher's book, which I loved. Simon
Winchester writes about the Yangtze and William Least Heat Moon about the river towns along the Mississippi.
Throughout the history and pre-history of mankind, almost all the major civilizations grew up along rivers-a source of life for the villages and later cities. The love of flowing water resides in some way in all of us as a result.
Highly recommended.
It is a wonderfully readable collection of essays and excerpts from many different writers. Each one describes something about what the water/river means to him or her, from lazy drifts down a river in the South to wild, white-water rafting expeditions in Chile. For each writer there are differences, but also unifying threads. The spiritual journey down the Ganges, the memories of a boathouse along the Nile where writers stayed, and the encounters with the indigenous tribes along the Amazon (Isabel Allende) are all enlightening in their own way. There are sad stories of rivers about to be dammed for hydroelectric power, flooding the countryside and the fields of farmers who have tilled the lands for generations- while obliterating the cataracts that are so thrilling in a raft. And Jeffrey Taylor's description of his very adventurous trip up the Congo reminded me of Tim Butcher's book, which I loved. Simon
Winchester writes about the Yangtze and William Least Heat Moon about the river towns along the Mississippi.
Throughout the history and pre-history of mankind, almost all the major civilizations grew up along rivers-a source of life for the villages and later cities. The love of flowing water resides in some way in all of us as a result.
Highly recommended.
April 4, 2010
Of all the wonderful anthologies published by Traveler’s Tales, the Gift of Rivers is my favorite. From the Pacuare in Costa Rica to the Tatshenshini in Alaska, I love rivers. Traveling on water is the easiest way to get into pristine, roadless wilderness areas. While floating effortlessly on calm stretches you can see wildlife on the shore without disturbing their environment. Your thoughts glide as easily as your rubber raft wandering softly over a panorama of constantly changing scenery. Being awakened by the thunder of white water ahead keeps the mind and senses alert for adventure to come. Rivers, once the favored mode of transport, harbor tales of ancient spirits. This collection of stories shares with us the richness of rivers. Each of the rivers included have their own “unique balance of menace and charm.” This collection is like a candy store of adventures for this travel writer aching to know the pulse of more of arteries nourishing the Big Blue.
www.lindaballouauthor.com
www.lindaballouauthor.com
November 19, 2013
One of the best books I've read in a while. Having grown up by a river,and living a stones throw away from one now, I shared a common thread with The Gift of Rivers. This book and it's essays of stories does an excellent job of somehow connecting rivers around the world, expanding ones love of rivers, connecting you to the deep spiritual histories of people and rivers from the Congo to the Colorado to the Ganga, via barge,river rafts,kayaks,and drift-boats.
Michael Delp's story, What My Father Told Me, is a short but especially touching tale of a father passing on his reverence and life lessons by using his love of the wildness...."Rivers, he said came directly out of the veins of the gods themselves". After a lifetime of River lessons from his father, the son performs the ultimate beautifully spiritual rite of passage when his father passes away.
The book covers everything from conquering white waters to reverent still waters.
Michael Delp's story, What My Father Told Me, is a short but especially touching tale of a father passing on his reverence and life lessons by using his love of the wildness...."Rivers, he said came directly out of the veins of the gods themselves". After a lifetime of River lessons from his father, the son performs the ultimate beautifully spiritual rite of passage when his father passes away.
The book covers everything from conquering white waters to reverent still waters.
June 23, 2009
Beautiful writing
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews