An American River: From Paradise to Superfund, Afloat on New Jersey's Passaic

by Mary Bruno

We were afraid of its impenetrable darkness. Afraid of its industrial smell. We were afraid of the things that lived beneath its surface and the things that had died there. We were afraid of spotting a hand or a head bobbing in the rafts of garbage that floated by. We were afraid of submerged intake valves that sucked water into the factories along the banks. We were afraid of the river’s filth. It wasn’t the kind of filth that came from playing with your friends. It was grownup filth. The kind that scared the blue out of water and coated the riverbank with oily black goo. It was the kind of filth you could taste, the kind that could make you sick, maybe even kill you. We were afraid of getting splashed with river water or of touching river rocks. We were afraid of falling in or—God forbid—going under. We were afraid of the river’s anger at being so befouled, and afraid, most of all, of the revenge we felt certain the river would exact. New Jersey’s Passaic River rises in a pristine wetland and ends in a federal Superfund site. In An American River , author and New Jersey native Mary Bruno kayaks its length in an effort to discover what happened to her hometown river. The Passaic’s wildly convoluted course invites detours into the river’s flood-prone natural history, New Jersey’s unique geology, the corrupt practices of the Newark chemical plant that produced Agent Orange and poisoned the river with dioxin, and into the lives of an unforgettable cast of characters who have lived and worked along the Passaic and who are trying, even now, to save it. Part natural history, part personal history, part rollicking adventure, the book is a narrative meditation on the wonder of nature, the enduring ties of family, and the power of water and loss. “My great grandmother liked to say, ‘Don’t shit in the nest,’” writes Bruno. “The Passaic River is an object lesson in what can happen when we ignore that simple, salty advice.” " An American River is an intricate and satisfying braid of memoir, history, science, nature writing, and acute social observation. This is an invigorating and hopeful book, and its sense of wonder is infectious. It's not, I think, too great a stretch to say that it holds its own on the shelf alongside Walden , Silent Spring and A Sand County Almanac ." Jonathan Raban Author of Driving An American Journey

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2012

Reviews

[Jessica Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Bruno effortlessly weaves together a host of serious topics. There's a lot going on--pollutants, kayaking, industrial history, court battles, and environmental law--somehow all tied into one very coherent storyline and moral message.

If you want to see a picture of New Jersey in all its beauty and filth, this is the book. Although focused largely on the Passaic river and its development, Bruno's novel also contains a score of childhood memories that bring humanity into the river. It's not just the Passaic as a scientific force to be studied, but a river as a living force. How does the Passaic shape and change a people? How is the Passaic a part of a culture? How can it be saved from degradation?

I'm not sure how I would categorize An American River. The back cover lists it as "environment" and "memoir." My local bookstore filed it under travel writing. My friend called it a narrative, as if that somehow differentiates it from a piece of serious environmental writing. I suppose An American River is all of these things. If nothing else, it is beautiful, well-done, and entirely compelling.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not easy to categorize this book, but I loved it. Part memoir, part history, science, nature writing. Being a native New Jerseyan, it was fun to read about places familiar to me, yet from a different perspective. I have a new appreciation for the much maligned Passaic river! I hope we can continue to improve things so the river gets the respect it deserves!

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I have lived my whole life in Jersey, and many of those years were spent living or working near to the Passaic River. Growing up we never gave the river much thought, other than making sure we didn't touch it.
The author takes us on a kayak tour of the entire river, parts of which I never knew. There is so much interesting Jersey history on this tour, and I followed along using Google maps.
Its hard to believe that we could allow corporations to literally kill miles of such a beautiful natural resource. It is mostly a Jersey-centric book, but for anyone who grew up in North or Central Jersey near the Passaic it's a great read.

[eesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

“Still waters, by and large, do not last. But rivers—rivers flow forever.”

now i didn’t HAVE to read this book to grade my students’ essays (in fact everyone, even the dean! told me that i should just skim it) but for the suffering i went through last year, i thought i would STOP 🙅🏽‍♀️🙅🏽‍♀️🙅🏽‍♀️ the cycle of violence and be the bestest TA i could be, which involves reading their three hundred page assigned summer book. pursuing altruism is such an exhausting experience LMAO.

anyway when i was a chapter in, my only thought was MAN! this woman can WRITE! and that thought remained throughout the entire read. this was really engaging and the paperback had a hefty weight in my hands as i made my way though highlighting so many lines that i enjoyed. and truly i highlighted SOOO many lines like my god! this woman can write!!! i have read an overload of hard scientific articles these past few months, this past year even, that it feels so beautiful to be surprised with this after expecting more of a scientific heavy read. the literary devices, the figurative language, the descriptions? ohh so good. the second person pov switch to open chap 8???? okay. i did NOT know bruno’s game like that!!!! i’m honestly jealous that my required summer reading for seminar was nowhere near this fun (obligatory mention that my summer reading pick WAS good. and i got to talk to the author about his work too but that was still homework to me, THIS? this is like enjoyable! i never highlighted shit in my copy of nature’s best hope!)

now, as a non new jersey native, figuring out where the hell we were talking about was a constant battle (shoutout to that map in the beginning she was carrying my understanding on her BACK) but it didn’t necessarily take away from the enjoyment. this read is part memoir, part historical account, and part scientific writing, and while it may sound like a mess, the straddling of various topics actually strengthens the novel and engages the reader more. the third chapter on dioxin genuinely had me 😨😨😨. in bringing her experiences in, centering the novel on her tumultuous journey of reacquainting herself with the passaic of her childhood and in turn dissecting the highs and lows of her life, mary bruno ensures that this book feels less academic and more personal—emphasizing a call to action more effective than your typical environmental read.

chapters 3 and 8, to me were the STRONGEST parts of this book in regards scientific discussion, historical account, and personal memoir (they’re also some of the longest!) but overall, it’s really such a good read. i will say this book would have benefitted from some pictures which sounds ridiculous and anti intellectual but some of the imagery in this novel painted such a beautiful scene, some of these descriptions are so visceral and SINCE they’re talking about real life events, i feel like a visual representation of some of the events she’s talking about would have been AMAZINGG. pictures of the river interspersed alongside her journey would have killed! but i have the documentary for that so it’s fine i guess ive heard it’s just as beautiful as these descriptions..

thankfully i’m not the one who had to write an essay based on a prompt for this novel (i did my time!) so i have no further thoughts…besides the prevailing how the fuck am i going to grade twenty something essays about this book..well! that’s a problem for later.

“If I listen carefully I can almost hear the river breathing. It is alive. Still. Always.”

“Behold the mighty Passaic, I thought as I clicked the shutter. Remember it.”

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lifelong resident of North Jersey, the Passaic River has been all around me my whole life. I was so encouraged and intrigued by Mary Bruno’s journey down the length of this river, I went to MPAC to see the video and then bought the book. The video was excellent to watch but the book brings you along. There is so much information about the history of New Jersey and the river and their relationship. I hope it can be saved and also hope to be some part of that. Thank you Mary.

[Jean Dory · Rating 5 out of 5]

We saw the movie prompted by this book two weekends ago, and were overwhelmed by it's beauty and its many messages, so I HAD to borrow the book. Mary Bruno writes beautifully. Her love of rivers and heartache at the contaminated state of the Passaic is real and palpable. Her descriptions are superb. As someone who lives a block from the Passaic, I found both the movie and the book to be just amazingly informative.

[Benswing Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating journey down the Passaic River by kayak that delves into the science and history the northern NJ. A must-read for anyone wanting to understand our current debacle with attempting to clean up the most toxic mess on the planet.

[Peggy Melvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating history through personal stories and actual observations...fun learning..

[Princesssunrays · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good, a little long and boring, very factual

[Stephen Noble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living adjacent to the Passaic in the Great Swamp and working at the REI store in East Hanover I wondered about paddling to work one day soon after moving to Basking Ridge from California. Then I heard about this book and organized a group from my store to do this and we all had an amazing time. I finally got around to reading this book and loved the details of the paddling in an urban area with details of the history in these Passaic river communities. Mary needs to come to REI and grow more river awareness in NJ

[Babette Galinak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I was born and raised in Rutherford, I knew very little about the Passaic River which flowed past my home town. I spent much of my adult life on the other side of NJ near the Delaware River but was drawn to this book to shed light on the river I grew up near. This book provided interesting historical information as well as facts about the conditions of the river as of the publication date.