Goodbye to a River
Book description
In the 1950s, a series of dams was proposed along the Brazos River in north-central Texas. For John Graves, this project meant that if the stream’s regimen was thus changed, the beautiful and sometimes brutal surrounding countryside would also change, as would the lives of the people whose rugged ancestors…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Goodbye to a River as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
It is an unforgettable journey of a man (with a dog) paddling down a wild river (the Brazos) about to be flattened into a lake by a dam. The voice is weary and troubled at times but leavened with a curiosity about the natural world and the people he meets. Was he ever bored on the three-week journey?
“You’re no more bored with the sameness of your days and your diet and your task than a chickadee is bored, the passenger on the sunny bow, or a catfish; each day has its fullness, bracketed by sleep.”
From Rick's list on river travel for your next journey.
I heard about this book on the car radio. The speaker said John Graves was Texas’ best living writer. He was certainly Texas’ best living travel writer. Graves takes us on a canoe trip down the Brazos River in late fall through an area soon to be dammed and obliterated by the Army Corp of Engineers. Graves grew up on that river and loves it. He knows its history and details elements of that history with scenes from pioneer days, the Comanche wars, feuds, hermits, and encounters with modern citizens as Graves and his little dog, a dachshund, wind their…
From Steven's list on travel that enrich landscape with history.
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