Is a River Alive?

From the best-selling author of Underland and "the great nature writer...of this generation" ( Wall Street Journal ), a revelatory book that transforms how we imagine rivers-and life itself. "As beautiful as the rivers and the hope he’s describing." —Valorie Castellanos Clark, Los Angeles Times A New York Times Bestseller Winner of the 2026 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award Winner of the 2026 Nautilus Book Award Shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize Special Jury Citation for the Banff Mountain Books Prize Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker , Economist , Guardian , Minneapolis Star-Tribune , Kirkus Reviews , and Publishers Weekly • A Time Must-Read Book • One of NPR’s "Books We Love" • A Washington Post Notable Work of Nonfiction