Wes Ferguson

Review: ‘Rolling on the River’

Check out this review from Southwestern American Literature. In existence since 1971, SWAL is a scholarly journal that publishes literary criticism of works that relate to the greater Southwestern United States.

If you’ve read my book, you know it wasn’t written with scholars in mind. The intended audience of Running the River is friends and family and other people who enjoy a good adventure story, and who would like to know more about a river flowing through their backyard. I never considered authoring a ponderous tome that would significantly advance the research and scholarship of Texas rivers.

As a regular reader of Southwestern American Literature, which has published its share of critical reviews, I thought my approach might not go over too well with the scholarly set. Well, I was wrong! This is one of the best reviews Running the River has received.

The first paragraph:

Running the River comes across as an excellent addition to the emerging literature of bioregionalism. Knowing and loving a place on a native level may be the best way to make the most difference in our emerging ecological crisis, one locality at a time. Traditional river running narratives trend mostly to the experience of the sublime. From the first page, however, Ferguson lets us know that the Sabine will not give you that kind of excursion. Ferguson does not want a safe journey. Indeed, in the book’s opening section, someone shoots at the author and photographer shortly after they get into the water. Growing up on the river, Ferguson knew no one who had ever fully explored the Sabine, in part because of its bad reputation—for drownings, crystal meth production, and its use as a murder repository. In spite of the dangers, he observes one of bioregionalism’s central tenets: “It’s our river, and we should celebrate it. We should know it.”

Click “View Fullscreen” to read the article.

Wes Ferguson

26 responses to “Review: ‘Rolling on the River’”

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