River: A Hudson Memoir

by Leslie Day, Ed Bacon (foreword)

Leslie Day's life changed forever when, in 1975, she moved to a tiny houseboat on the Hudson River at the 79th Street Boat Basin—a new home umbilically tied to Manhattan's Upper West Side. In her heartfelt memoir, River, Day reveals how she fell in love with, and married, her neighbor, a biology professor at Brooklyn College, became a naturalist, educator, and author, and raised her son on the boat. As Day invites readers into the intimate and connective stories of the singular floating community on the river, the histories and the people of the Hudson flow along with the tides and currents of Day's life.

There are stories of those who polluted the river, and of those who fought for it to be clean and safe. Of how Day became a student and teacher of the river, and the plants and animals she grew to know and love. Challenges and celebrations have their own place, storms, sinkings, fires, and ice fields; weddings, birthdays, holidays, and found families.

A unique look at life on the Hudson and of the Hudson, River is a love letter to New York City, its famous waterway, as well as the environment around us and the people who shape it.

176 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2025

About the author

Inspired by nature and her vibrant city since childhood, Leslie Day, author of the books Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City, Field Guide to the Street Trees of New York City, Field Guide to the Neighborhood Birds of New York City, Honeybee Hotel, and now her fifth book published this year: River – A Hudson Memoir learned about the great biodiversity of the city from living on a houseboat on the Hudson River for almost four decades. As a science teacher, Leslie taught her students about the natural world that surrounds them. Now retired from teaching full time, Leslie teaches botany classes for the New York Botanical Garden and continues to create ways for people of all ages to connect to the natural world.

Reviews

[Christina Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoir, science, and history blend together in this book by Leslie Day who lived in a houseboat for several decades on the Hudson River. Tying the elements together and evident in every chapter is Leslie’s genuine passion and love for the natural world.