Riverman: An American Odyssey“This quietly profound book belongs on the shelf next to Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild.” —The New York Times The riveting true story of Dick Conant, an American folk hero who, over the course of more than twenty years, canoed solo thousands of miles of American rivers—and then disappeared near the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This book “contains everything: adventure, mystery, travelogue, and unforgettable characters” (David Grann, best-selling author of Killers of the Flower Moon). For decades, Dick Conant paddled the rivers of America, covering the Mississippi, Yellowstone, Ohio, Hudson, as well as innumerable smaller tributaries. These solo excursions were epic feats of planning, perseverance, and physical courage. At the same time, Conant collected people wherever he went, creating a vast network of friends and acquaintances who would forever remember this brilliant and charming man even after a single meeting. Ben McGrath, a staff writer at The New Yorker, was one of those people. In 2014 he met Conant by chance just north of New York City as Conant paddled down the Hudson, headed for Florida. McGrath wrote a widely read article about their encounter, and when Conant's canoe washed up a few months later, without any sign of his body, McGrath set out to find the people whose lives Conant had touched--to capture a remarkable life lived far outside the staid confines of modern existence. Riverman is a moving portrait of a complex and fascinating man who was as troubled as he was charismatic, who struggled with mental illness and self-doubt, and was ultimately unable to fashion a stable life for himself; who traveled alone and yet thrived on connection and brought countless people together in his wake. It is also a portrait of an America we rarely see: a nation of unconventional characters, small river towns, and long-forgotten waterways. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
adventure Albemarle Sound amid arrived asked Bag Balm bank Beardsley began beneath Bernard Moitessier Big Flatty boat Bozeman brother called camp canal canoe canoeist Caruthersville Chesapeake Chesapeake Bay Columbus Conant wrote couple Delaney Delaware Delaware City Dick Conant Dicky Dicky's drinking explained eyes feel feet felt fish Forrest Gump Glen Cove going Greer Harvey Point head Hudson hundred Island John Beardsley kayak kind Larsen later living looked mentioned miles mind Mississippi Missouri Montana morning named nearly never night noticed overalls paddle Peachtree City Piermont recalled reminded river Rockland County seemed Shrum side Simmesport sleeping sound stopped story Swamp Tabasco talking there's thing thought told took town Tracy tree trimaran trip truck turned Tusken voyage wanted waves weeks woman woods Yeah York