The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 9 August 2005
by William Least Heat-Moon
Author William Least Heat-Moon gained notoriety with Blue Highways, which told the story of a lone journey looping thousands of miles across America. Years later, he set out again on another journey, prompted by or causing another failed marriage. This time, Heat-Moon buys a small boat he names Nikawa (River-Horse) and sets out from New York harbor to sail up the Hudson and across America, all the way to the mouth of the Columbia river. In a sense, he is sailing his own Northwest passage, following some of the explorers who set out to do the same centuries ago. Now, he and his partners see America by boat, a view of the landscape not often seen by road-trippers. On the way, he reflects on history, nature, the changing rivers and attitudes toward their environment. He follows rivers much changed by engineering and river traffic, but finds a surprising number of old landmarks still standing amid dams and reservoirs and industrialization. The book isn't a how-to, but this way of travel could be a pleasure, staying in hotels and taverns along the rivers, and enjoying the pace of river travel. Each chapter retells a single day in the four-month journey. The overall pace of the trip can get a little tedious, as it did for the author, so reading this 500-page book little bits at a time might be the best way to approach it. In the end, Heat-Moon makes the journey of over five thousand miles, with just two significant chunks over land, at Lake Erie and over the Continental Divide. The book is an engaging, if quiet, read. It can evoke the urge to set out on similar long thoughtful journeys.
Also by William Least Heat-Moon: [Blue Highways]