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boggle's review
4.0
I was looking for a straight history book, which this is not, per se. However, it is very entertaining. Each page consists of a short paragraph written from the perspective of the river, followed by a footnote explaining the historical context for it. It's a very interesting concept and seems like something that would be interesting for creative nonfiction writing students to read.
barefootsong's review
2.0
An "autobiography" of the Schuylkill River told in a series of short vignettes, with footnotes on most of them to add some (slight) context and a bibliography to find more traditional histories of the region. My main problem was with the "voice" of the river—it seemed way more opionionated than I expect a river to be.... I get the river being upset by human actions and the ecological damages they cause, but I just don't think a river would care about individual humans very much (let alone think that George Washington was the best: "I'm telling you: There was none greater."). Also, a lot of the vignettes were too vague or opaque for me to figure out quite what they were getting at. If you're a local or have a connection to the Philadelphia region, you might find it interesting, but I think it lacks broader appeal.
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