The Road of Souls: Reflections on the Mississippi

by Nick Lichter

Experience the Mississippi, The Road of Souls. Over 70 place names of the river are identified and set in historical context by The Road of Souls. Many of the names are Native American. The book explains who the historical characters were and what roles they played on the river. These people and their roles form the dramatic backdrop of the book, a composite of Mississippi history and of present day Americana. The Road of Souls, Reflections on the Mississippi chooses from this rich palette of past and present to create a timeless panorama, a spiritual map of the river. Spend a summer on the river. In May 1991 Nick Lichter canoed the Mississippi from Lake Itasca to New Orleans. Along the way he stopped in local libraries to research river history. The oldest and most interesting history involved Native Americans. The Road of Souls is more than a journey, it is a trip back to the time when America was new. When Lichter steps into the canoe the reader is offered witness to the Minnesota Conflicts of 1862, then downstream and back in time to Black Hawk’s War, and even further south and further back to the time of De Soto. But The Road of Souls is also romance. Seeking peace, the river’s peace, the author finds himself, finds relationship, and ultimately finds love. By late August the reader approaches New Orleans as a seasoned and sunburned companion, an adventurer with deeper knowledge and broader understanding of the river and of America. By book’s end the reader too has traveled on The Road of Souls. Not just another guy on a raft. Nick Lichter is a professional businessman of 30 years. His historical and cultural analysis of the river, past and present, is crisp and analytical. But he writes with the insight of a mystic and his heart is without doubt that of a poet. The book Road of Souls, like the river, works hard without losing either its beauty or its romantic appeal. A rough guide, not a tour book. The Road of Souls is 140 pages, contains a detailed index of place names and people. It has extensive endnotes documenting the historical research. There are maps for each chapter that are simple, but effective.

150 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

Reviews

[Ryan Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indescribable. Moving. Painful.
Perfect.
I’m so glad I picked this one up at a local thrift shop. In a day and age where self pubbed books are still pariahs, this one is special.

Take a journey along memory and water.