Some books teach you new things and give you new eyes through which to see. Others are rather more entertaining, pulling you through the range of human emotions. Is a River Alive? manages to do both. I went into this book expecting to learn about water. I did that. I also ended it…crying? Success.
Robert Macfarlane takes the reader on a journey through many perspectives on the question set out in the title, using a different river for each lens. Perhaps in school you learned that water is not a living thing. Neither is dirt, or air. But Macfarlane challenges this notion — is a river truly just water? Modern approaches, with our dams and aqueducts, inherently see rivers as only water supply. But rivers are not merely organic tupperware, and they support many types of life. They may even help you find your way in yours.
Book: Is a River Alive?
Author: Robert Macfarlane
Genre: Nature / Environment
Where we read this: On the couch, at the airport, on the desert road, by the pool
For your consideration: Themes and questions
- What in the natural world do we consider to be alive? What would happen if we expanded our views of aliveness?
- Why do we often reduce bodies of water to supply, and what are the consequences of this?
- How might we reconsider our relationship with the natural world?
- What is the difference in posture between stewardship, kinship, and subjugation of land?
- Can our experiences with the natural world be a conduit for a connection to something greater?
Read this if you...
- like crying in dark movie theaters when the main character finds themselves.
- want to blow up dams.
- are the friend that spends the whole hike explaining each layer of the ecosystem.
