Is a River Alive?

From celebrated bestselling author Robert Macfarlane comes a brilliant, perspective-shifting masterpiece that answers a resounding "yes" to the question of its title: Is a River Alive?

About the Book: At the heart of this transformative book is a powerful, urgent idea: rivers are not mere resources or matter for human exploitation, but living beings who deserve to be recognized as such in both our imaginations and the law.

Taking readers on an exhilarating, global journey, Robert Macfarlane explores the past, present, and future of river-rights campaigns across three continents. The book flows first to the threatened cloud-forests and rivers of northern Ecuador endangered by gold mining; then to the wounded waters, creeks, and lagoons of southern India in a desperate battle for survival; and finally to north-eastern Quebec, where the spectacular wild Magpie River is being defended from destructive damming. At once Macfarlane’s most personal and most political work to date, Is a River Alive? opens our hearts, sparks vital debates, and reveals a profound truth: our fate flows with the fate of rivers, and always has.

Key Features & Benefits:

• Award-Winning Critical Acclaimed: An instant Sunday Times Number One Bestseller and a Book of the Year selection by major publications including The Economist, Time, and Spectator.

• Prestigious Shortlists: Shortlisted for top honors including the Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing, Indie Book Awards, and Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year.

• Transformative Concept: Explores the cutting-edge global movement to grant legal rights and personhood to rivers and natural ecosystems.

• Global Journey: Blends travel writing, nature writing, and environmental journalism across Ecuador, India, and Canada.

• The Perfect Gift: An essential, beautifully written read for environmentalists, nature lovers, and fans of profound contemporary non-fiction.