Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Seven Rivers:
Some are more annoying than others.
Quick synopsis:
A look at seven rivers (Nile, Danube, Niger, Mississippi, Ganges, Yangtze and the Thames) and their impact on human history.
Fact for Non-History People:
The largest/longest river in the world is the Nile, but the Amazon is the largest by volume.
Fact for History Nerds:
The Missouri River is the longest in the U.S.
My Take on Seven Rivers:
Rivers play a huge part in our lives. For instance, crossing the stupid Potomac River usually means I am going to be stuck in traffic as I am probably going somewhere I don’t even feel like going.
Ok, weird start to this review, but Seven Rivers by Vanessa Taylor is really good! Unlike the Potomac. Stupid river. Or at least the stupid bridge over the river. I digress.
Taylor looks at seven rivers around the world and traces their origins as well as how they affected the world all around them. The seven are the Nile, Danube, Niger, Mississippi, Ganges, Yangtze and the Thames. Wait, no Amazon? I thought the same thing. However, I believe Taylor is British and home field advantage goes to the Thames. When you are an author, no one can stop you.
Taylor does a smart thing by varying how she approaches each river. Sometimes she might focus on a cholera outbreak for the Thames, but the Mississippi focused a lot on the Tennessee Valley Authority. These variations mean each section feels fresh. I will say that this is probably not a book for a history newbie. The history is deep (pun intended as always!), and I think might not have enough narrative flow (boom, another one!) to keep a casual reader fully engaged. That said, I had a great time with it, and history nerds will find a lot to love.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by Pegasus Books.)
Verdict:
Very interesting. Buy it here!
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