Rivers of Power: How a Natural Force Raised Kingdoms, Destroyed Civilizations, and Shapes Our World
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- Author：Laurence C. Smith
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Summary
'As fascinating as it is beautifully written' JARED DIAMOND， Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns， Germs and Steel
Rivers， more than any road， technology or political event， have shaped the course of civilization。
Rivers have opened frontiers， defined borders， supported trade， generated energy and fed billions。 Most of our greatest cities stand on river banks or deltas， and our quest for mastery has spurred staggering advances in engineering， science and law。 Rivers and their topographic divides have shaped the territories of nations and the migration of peoples， and yet - as their resources become ever more precious - can foster cooperation even among enemy states。 And though they become increasingly domesticated， they remain a formidable global force: these vast arterial powers promote life but are capable of destroying everything in their path。
From ancient Egypt to our growing contemporary metropolises， Rivers of Power reveals why rivers matter so profoundly to human civilization， and how they continue to be indispensable to our societies and wellbeing。
'Takes readers on a tour of the world's great rivers - past， present and future。 The result is fascinating， eye-opening， sometimes alarming， and ultimately inspiring' Elizabeth Kolbert， Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction
'A tour de force 。。。 From Herodotus musing on the Nile to the dam makers of modern China， this is their story' Fred Pearce， author of When the Rivers Run Dry
'Instructive and entertaining' The Times
Rivers， more than any road， technology or political event， have shaped the course of civilization。
Rivers have opened frontiers， defined borders， supported trade， generated energy and fed billions。 Most of our greatest cities stand on river banks or deltas， and our quest for mastery has spurred staggering advances in engineering， science and law。 Rivers and their topographic divides have shaped the territories of nations and the migration of peoples， and yet - as their resources become ever more precious - can foster cooperation even among enemy states。 And though they become increasingly domesticated， they remain a formidable global force: these vast arterial powers promote life but are capable of destroying everything in their path。
From ancient Egypt to our growing contemporary metropolises， Rivers of Power reveals why rivers matter so profoundly to human civilization， and how they continue to be indispensable to our societies and wellbeing。
'Takes readers on a tour of the world's great rivers - past， present and future。 The result is fascinating， eye-opening， sometimes alarming， and ultimately inspiring' Elizabeth Kolbert， Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction
'A tour de force 。。。 From Herodotus musing on the Nile to the dam makers of modern China， this is their story' Fred Pearce， author of When the Rivers Run Dry
'Instructive and entertaining' The Times
Reviews
Stephen Yoder
，
As I dove into this book （slowly， obviously） my mind kept reaching back to nearly countless days spent playing various computer games that simulate economics， exploration， & the growth of civilization: M。U。L。E。， Seven Cities of Gold， Colonization， SimCity， Civilization I-VI， et cetera。 It is almost always advantageous to start your settlement on the banks of a river。 If you control a river then you can more easily dictate what happens in its watershed。 Trade in primitive times （and later） is eas As I dove into this book （slowly， obviously） my mind kept reaching back to nearly countless days spent playing various computer games that simulate economics， exploration， & the growth of civilization: M。U。L。E。， Seven Cities of Gold， Colonization， SimCity， Civilization I-VI， et cetera。 It is almost always advantageous to start your settlement on the banks of a river。 If you control a river then you can more easily dictate what happens in its watershed。 Trade in primitive times （and later） is easiest along rivers。 And on and on。 Dr Smith does not disappoint here。 I enjoyed his retelling of various historical stories with an eye toward rivers。 I had no earthly idea that one of the precipitating events that pushed the Chinese populace away from the Nationalists in the 1940s was the decision to open up a dam and flood the countryside。 Reading about how rivers yearn to transport their sediment most efficiently downstream was an eye-opener。 How many more dam projects will need to fail before regions understand this？ I write this review， of course， in a city founded upon a river。 I live where the majority of humans do -- along a river， and near the coast。 This was fascinating。 I'd recommend it。I rec'd an ARC in exchange for the possibility that I might write a review。 It took me a while。 。。。more
Ian Lea
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Excellent， wide ranging and fascinating。 Who owns the water？ No simple answers。
Melissa
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In my quest to better understand my spirituality I've been seeking scientific and historic writings on rivers。 This book was perfect！ Written by a hydrologist and river scientist， it covered ancient and modern history， physics， modern research， environmental impacts， and city planning。 I learned a ton about how rivers function and the best part was that by the second half of the book he couldn't stop himself from writing about the opinions， wants， and needs of rivers。 Animism much？ Good book。 In my quest to better understand my spirituality I've been seeking scientific and historic writings on rivers。 This book was perfect！ Written by a hydrologist and river scientist， it covered ancient and modern history， physics， modern research， environmental impacts， and city planning。 I learned a ton about how rivers function and the best part was that by the second half of the book he couldn't stop himself from writing about the opinions， wants， and needs of rivers。 Animism much？ Good book。 。。。more
Riet
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Dit boek beschrijft de invloed van rivieren op onze beschavingen， het ontstaan van grote steden ， onze geschiedenis en de （wereld）economie。 En dat op een zeer leesbare manier。 Bij vlagen is het boek zelfs spannend te noemen。 Ik heb het meest geleerd van de hoofdstukken， die de invloed van dammen， groot en klein， op de rivieren en hun directe omgeving uitleggen。 Vooral de consequenties van b。v。 de "three gorges dam" in China en de GERD （Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam） in de Blauwe Nijl。 Dat laat Dit boek beschrijft de invloed van rivieren op onze beschavingen， het ontstaan van grote steden ， onze geschiedenis en de （wereld）economie。 En dat op een zeer leesbare manier。 Bij vlagen is het boek zelfs spannend te noemen。 Ik heb het meest geleerd van de hoofdstukken， die de invloed van dammen， groot en klein， op de rivieren en hun directe omgeving uitleggen。 Vooral de consequenties van b。v。 de "three gorges dam" in China en de GERD （Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam） in de Blauwe Nijl。 Dat laatste gebeurt nu， maar wij in het Westen hebben in het verleden natuurlijk ook enorme fouten gemaakt。 Vooral met de waterhuishouding in b。v。 Californie， maar ook in Europa。 Smith geeft een groot aantal voorbeelden van pogingen om dit weer te herstellen。 Niet eenvoudig。 Ik vind hem aan het eind van het boek wat overoptimistisch met vooral alle enorme constructieprojecten aan de verschillende waterfronts van meerdere grote steden。 Maar wie weet heeft hij gewoon gelijk。 。。。more
Danielle
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Very interesting。 I did learn a lot about world history that I didn't know before （mostly just due to gaps in the US education system）。 It's a good global view on major events in human history that unfolded around rivers。 Not an overly amazing book， but I would still recommend it if you're interested in earth science and world history！ Very interesting。 I did learn a lot about world history that I didn't know before （mostly just due to gaps in the US education system）。 It's a good global view on major events in human history that unfolded around rivers。 Not an overly amazing book， but I would still recommend it if you're interested in earth science and world history！ 。。。more
The Inquisitive Biologist
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Meandering widely， Rivers of Power is a captivating piece of environmental history that stands out for its excellent writing。 See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist。com/2020。。。 Meandering widely， Rivers of Power is a captivating piece of environmental history that stands out for its excellent writing。 See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist。com/2020。。。 。。。more
Karen
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Very interesting book centered on the topic of rivers。 Each chapter deals with a different aspect: rivers as centers of civilization， rivers as political boundaries， importance in war， floods， dams， bridges and canals， environmental issues， study and mitigation， and river / riverfront renewal。The book was very readable and interesting。 It's such a huge topic that he doesn't try to say everything， but just gives enough information to teach about each of the topics。 Interesting stories。 The autho Very interesting book centered on the topic of rivers。 Each chapter deals with a different aspect: rivers as centers of civilization， rivers as political boundaries， importance in war， floods， dams， bridges and canals， environmental issues， study and mitigation， and river / riverfront renewal。The book was very readable and interesting。 It's such a huge topic that he doesn't try to say everything， but just gives enough information to teach about each of the topics。 Interesting stories。 The author is an environmental scientist， so he gets more detailed in the later chapters and talks about some of his reasearch。 。。。more
Chris Aylott
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More of a grab bag of facts and stories about rivers than a sustained argument， but the facts are interesting。 Smith explores the role of rivers in history and civilization， the effects of hydrology on the landscape and human society， and their proper care and feeding in an industrial age。 Smith’s descriptions of the current grand engineering projects in progress around rivers are fascinating， but after reading about the various unintended consequences of past river projects， also frightening。 I More of a grab bag of facts and stories about rivers than a sustained argument， but the facts are interesting。 Smith explores the role of rivers in history and civilization， the effects of hydrology on the landscape and human society， and their proper care and feeding in an industrial age。 Smith’s descriptions of the current grand engineering projects in progress around rivers are fascinating， but after reading about the various unintended consequences of past river projects， also frightening。 It’s pretty clear we don’t actually know what the hell we’re doing when we meddle with titanic natural forces， so good luck us。 。。。more
Bill McKinlay
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A very informative， readable history of the role rivers played and continue to play in the evolution of civilization。 Very well written and researched。 As a Canadian I kept hoping to read about the St Lawrence and The Niagara Rivers but Smith must be saving those for another book。
Melissa
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Excellent book that was well researched and well written。 Should be required reading for all high school science classes as well as college basic education requirements。
Meredith
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At times， this book was a bit too "U。S。A world-view" focused （especially the section regarding the Vietnam War） but overall I learned a ton and I think it ignited a love of geography that I didn't know I had。 Or， not until I read this book did I realize the interdisciplinary potential of geography （history！ science！ economics！ socio-cultural movements！ anthropology！） and I am super excited about pursuing that further。 Recommend！ And really cool to real while camping or exploring the great outdoo At times， this book was a bit too "U。S。A world-view" focused （especially the section regarding the Vietnam War） but overall I learned a ton and I think it ignited a love of geography that I didn't know I had。 Or， not until I read this book did I realize the interdisciplinary potential of geography （history！ science！ economics！ socio-cultural movements！ anthropology！） and I am super excited about pursuing that further。 Recommend！ And really cool to real while camping or exploring the great outdoors。 I was reading this while traveling in Northern Canada and it gave me a lot of context as well as insight into topics I may have written off as boring if I hadn't。 。。。more
Shelley Schanfield
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A brief history of world civilizations through the perspective of great rivers。 Unusual and enlightening。 Water is essential to life on earth; flowing water can build and destroy human societies。 Our recent history is full of examples where controlling water has had unintended disastrous consequences; new ways of dealing with rivers （tearing down dams or rebuilding abandoned industrial riverfront， for example） have had some initial marvelous results。 Who knows where it will all lead？Reading this A brief history of world civilizations through the perspective of great rivers。 Unusual and enlightening。 Water is essential to life on earth; flowing water can build and destroy human societies。 Our recent history is full of examples where controlling water has had unintended disastrous consequences; new ways of dealing with rivers （tearing down dams or rebuilding abandoned industrial riverfront， for example） have had some initial marvelous results。 Who knows where it will all lead？Reading this sent me back to John McPhee's The Control of Nature with its description of the Army Corps of Engineers' attempts to control the mighty Mississippi。 Highly recommend this book as well。 。。。more
Vidura Barrios
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I enjoyed this book very much and made me appreciate rivers even more。 I love it when a science and history book is a page turner。
Erica Robbin
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Loved the opening。 This book was super insightful and covered a wide variety of influences and the impact that rivers have on the world。 There was so much I learned from this book and I liked the amount on detail overall。I would like to thank Penguin Press UK for providing me with an advance reader copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program。This book was very well-researched which I really appreciated。There were times I thought the organization was not as strong as it c Loved the opening。 This book was super insightful and covered a wide variety of influences and the impact that rivers have on the world。 There was so much I learned from this book and I liked the amount on detail overall。I would like to thank Penguin Press UK for providing me with an advance reader copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program。This book was very well-researched which I really appreciated。There were times I thought the organization was not as strong as it could have been。 But I could see the challenge in deciding how chapters/concepts would be organized。 Choosing from chronological， geographical region， topical， etc… There was much overlap to work through， also my feelings about the order may be in part because of the ARC I received。Sometimes the writing took on a journalistic approach， sometimes a personal opinion piece， other times some facts and connections read sort of like an 8th grade book report。 The facts and personal experiences themselves were certainly compelling， but the writing kind of droned on sometimes。 Like the writing got away。 Away on some bunny trails。 Facts were interesting but a tad misplaced on occasion as it went into the depths of history/current events that were somewhat related but contained unnecessary supporting information/random associations that I was less inclined to care about for what I really wanted to read about in this book as far as the continuation of the topics go。However I most definitely discovered some fascinating information about rivers and I think anyone would enjoy learning about these rivers of power and how they have shaped and continue to shape our lives。Blog post 。。。more
Brian Clegg
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I've never been entirely convinced that geography is really a science， but if there was a book that was likely to do so， it's Rivers of Power。 What's more， Laurence Smith manages to bring alive the importance of rivers to the Earth， but more particularly to humanity， with some excellent storytelling。The book starts with a nilometer， an ancient structure for measuring the height of the Nile - and the role the Nile has played in Egyptian culture。 From here we open out to a whole host of rivers aro I've never been entirely convinced that geography is really a science， but if there was a book that was likely to do so， it's Rivers of Power。 What's more， Laurence Smith manages to bring alive the importance of rivers to the Earth， but more particularly to humanity， with some excellent storytelling。The book starts with a nilometer， an ancient structure for measuring the height of the Nile - and the role the Nile has played in Egyptian culture。 From here we open out to a whole host of rivers around the world。 Rather than focus chapter by chapter on particular locales， Smith leaps from place to place， covering the roles of rivers in， say， wars or trade or climate change。 In doing so， he manages to communicate his enthusiasm and a feeling of engagement that makes the book both approachable and enjoyable。 There's always something new and different turning up - no one， surely， would expect， for example， a chapter to begin with a discussion of the superhero movie Black Panther， using the fictional nation of Wakanda as a lead into a section on Ethiopia。I was concerned that there wouldn't be much science in the book， but in practice there is a fair amount， both in the description of the geological mechanisms and in the scientific approach used in the investigations of rivers in the associated stories。 I do think the blurb goes too far in saying 'our quest for mastery [of rivers] has spurred staggering advances in engineering， science and law' - I take the point about engineering and to some extent law， but I can't think of a single fundamental scientific discovery that is related to our quest for mastery of rivers。Because rivers are so personal， I was slightly disappointed there wasn't much mention of the UK， but this is a book that's very much about the world view。 So we see a lot from the big rivers of the world and rather less from the smaller， more intimate rivers that have still had big parts to play in local lives。 Even so， the book rarely disappoints。I can't say this book has totally converted me to the cause of geography - but as a one-off， it's certainly a recommended read。 。。。more
Sev1
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good book
Ietrio
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A minor governmental bureaucrat with a kink for mysticism has discovered the "true" gods and is spreading his own gospel。 A minor governmental bureaucrat with a kink for mysticism has discovered the "true" gods and is spreading his own gospel。 。。。more
Will Byrnes
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There is a vast arterial power humming all around us， hiding in plain sight。 It has shaped our civilization more than any road， technology， or political leader。 It has opened frontiers， founded cities， settled borders， and fed billions。 It promotes life， forges peace， grants power， and capriciously destroys everything in its path。 Increasingly domesticated， even manacled， it is an ancient power that rules us still。 ---------------------------------------- …not only are we humans an urban sp There is a vast arterial power humming all around us， hiding in plain sight。 It has shaped our civilization more than any road， technology， or political leader。 It has opened frontiers， founded cities， settled borders， and fed billions。 It promotes life， forges peace， grants power， and capriciously destroys everything in its path。 Increasingly domesticated， even manacled， it is an ancient power that rules us still。 ---------------------------------------- …not only are we humans an urban species， we are also a river species。 Indeed nearly two thirds （63 percent） of the total world population lives within 20 kilometers of a large river Some 84 percent of the world’s large cities…are located along a large river。 For the world’s megacities the number rises to 93 percent。 We are river people， most of us anyway， although we may or may not be aware of it。 The places where we live， work， and play tend to center around our streaming waterways。 Even settlements at the coast of seas and oceans tend to be located where rivers empty into the larger bodies of water。 As significant as light， land， breathable air， and tolerable temperature ranges， rivers have powered the development of homo sapiens from hunter-gatherer to space traveler。 As with most things that underlay， and power our lives， I expect that most of us do not give our rivers much thought。Laurence Smith - （looking suspiciously like the character Bernard Lowe of Westworld – we presume Smith is human） - image from Institute at Brown for Environment & Society I grew up， as most of you probably did， near a river。 At the breakfast table in our third-floor apartment in the Bronx， the morning light was so bright， so glaring that we had to pull down the shade in our single kitchen window。 The golden beams came at us from the west， reflected off the windows of George Washington High School in Manhattan， across the Harlem River， which was about four blocks to the west。 I never thought much about the river， although it was so close by。 Unlike the morning glare， it was not directly visible from any of our windows， and was not in clear sight from most of the places I frequented。In Rivers of Power， which could as easily have been titled The Power of Rivers， geographer Laurence Smith offers a drop of geological history on how they came to be， but focuses mostly on how rivers and humans have worked together throughout our shared time on Earth。 His analysis cites the challenges rivers present to their neighbors， but mostly the benefits they offer， which he divides into five general categories， Access， Natural Capital， Territory， Well-Being， and Means of Projecting Power。 He then looks at major rivers of the world through this quintuple lens to broaden and deepen our appreciation for this very necessary， but sometimes unseen partner。 The Sherman Creek Generating Station on the Harlem River， the Hudson River visible at top – image from Hidden Waters blogThe river was bordered on the Bronx side by Penn Central tracks， accessible through holes nicely cut in chain-link fences。 It was a good place to tape coins to tracks allowing rolling stock the chance to flatten and stretch them to the delight of wastrel urchins。 The most frequent floating stock I recall passing by just beyond the tracks consisted of barges loaded with coal for a local powerplant。A Nilometer on Rhoda Island， Cairo – image from WikipediaIt will come as no great surprise that the first great societies in human history arose around rivers。 You will know about early Mesopotamia on the Tigris and Euphrates， and Egypt on the Nile。 But you may not know about another that far pre-dated both， the Harappan civilization of the Indus and Ghaggar Hakra river valleys。 It is one of the great joys of this book that it brings to light such nuggets of information that were completely new， well， to me， anyway。 I had never before heard， for example， of a nilometer （see image above）， a significant tool used by Egyptian leaders。 It allowed those in charge to see the clarity of the water and depth of the river at a given moment and thus be prepared for excessive or insufficient annual flooding of the Nile River Valley， with huge implications for the harvest to come。 Guns along the Hudson - Saratoga Battlefield - my shotLaurence looks at how civilizations grew up along rivers。 There are obvious advantages， from fresh water for drinking and cleaning to irrigation， from transportation to military defense。 While rivers provided water for community needs， and as technology progressed， could be used to power waterwheels and cool manufactories， they were also a tool that could be used by those upriver for political and/or military advantage。 A nation， or community located upriver could divert so much of the river’s water that a downstream community could find its crucial resource seriously diminished or totally gone， and， in addition， the disadvantage of being downstream from polluters。 Rivers allow for the emplacement of forts and armaments that could protect a community from a naval invasion， and offer highways on which raiders could attack poorly defended communities （think Vikings）。The Ganges - image from Encyclopedia Britannica - © Jedraszak/iStock。comBut there are many other ways that rivers impact our lives， and have done so for as long as there have been people living in communities。 They have served as a focal point for religious practices。 The Ganges is used as a site into which Hindus deliver the cremated remains of their dead。 The river Jordan was a memorable site in Christian lore as the place where Jesus was baptized， and today rivers are still often used in baptismal rites。 And let us not forget underground waterways in myth， like the Rivers Styx， Acheron， and Lethe。River as judge-and-jury has a place in history too， not necessarily a good place。 In the Hammurabi Code， for instance， a charge of sorcery was adjudicated by tossing the accused （one wonders if a local rat-bastard accused some poor schmo of turning him into a newt） into the Euphrates。 If the newly dunked swims to shore， not guilty。 If the accused drowns， oh， well。 （that turning people into a newt thing would have really come in handy）。 I expect there are probably books to be written （undoubtedly some already have been） about rivers， real and imagined， in religion， literature， and mythology。 Smith touches on this in this book， but it is not a major focus。 I had a small unfortunate intersection with the Harlem as a young man。 A friend and I were at the water’s edge， very close to the Washington Heights Bridge。 I was there helping him clean his car， at some point in the late 60s， on a summer afternoon。 I availed of a very lengthy bit of rope that some daring soul had tethered to the underside of the bridge。 There was a knot at the bottom， but I did not have the firmest grip on the rope with my hands or on the knot with any other body parts， and my arm strength not being what I might have hoped， I soon found myself swinging out over the Harlem River， for a brief bit of fun， then desperately plunging toward the water as my grip gave way。 I can’t say it was awful， no body parts or other unspeakables floated past， but it was not considered an ideal bathing venue， so I swam back to shore， soaked， somewhat gritty， and mortified。 Smith offers a considerable survey of what is happening in the great rivers of the world today， physically and politically。 The great dam building that is going on echoes the burst of dam building that took place in the early-mid twentieth century in the West。 When the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam （GERD）， across the Blue Nile， is completed in 2022， it will be the largest hydroelectric plant in Africa。 The Three Gorges Dam in China， across the Yangtze， will have a generating capacity of 22，500 megawatts when it is finally finished。 It has also required the displacement of over a million people and has caused significant ecological damage。 Many older dams in the west are being taken down， with an eye to reviving stifled ecological systems。 The Three Gorges Dam - as of 2009 – image from WikipediaNot very far west the Hudson offered a much grander vista， and probably cleaner swimming， although it would take some years before environmentalists， led by Pete Seeger， forced a river cleanup。 The view from the train on the Hudson Line， of what is now Metro North， is ta-die-faw。 The Palisades formation on the western side of the Hudson was and remains magnificent， particularly celestial in its autumnal finery。 The view is even better at the more leisurely pace afforded by the Day Line cruise from the western piers of midtown Manhattan up-river to places like Bear Mountain Park and West Point。 This was a most welcome respite for someone who had experienced worlds that were not entirely composed of brick and concrete only on day trips in summer camp。 There has been considerable change in the use of river-front land in cities across the world。 Rotting piers of earlier mercantile and industrial ages have given way to increasing development of waterside property for high-priced residences， office towers， and commercial spaces， AND for public use。 Smith points out the history of law that preserves riverine access for all。 It has certainly been far from universally applied。 But today， most major world cities have been working to make their rivers accessible to the general public。 As people become more urbanized， the need， and yes， it is a need for most， for exposure to the outdoors， for a connection to nature， can be satisfied at least somewhat by walks along or other activities in riverfront parks。There came a time when my ancient car still ran， when I could still drive to work in Queens late at night， and drive （if you can call the stop-and-go nightmare of NYC rush hour traffic driving） home to Brooklyn in the morning。 But on Sunday mornings， after my overnight shift， I went elsewhere。 Eventually I would diversity， but for a while I would tote my digital SLR to Brooklyn Bridge Park， and environs， to shoot urban landscapes， as the more remote ones were no longer within my means。 The need to shoot was powerful， but equally as strong was the comfort to be had in being in a place where the East River was coursing under a series of bridges， on it’s way to meeting up with the outflow of the Hudson en route to the Atlantic。 It was an idyllic time of day to be there， early morning， as the sun rose， or soon after。 Floods of tourists have yet to arrive。 A trickle of joggers trot past。 Winter is best for relative solitude there。 I told my son once that seeing the beauty of such places， whether urban or wilderness， filled me with a kind of transcendental joy that seemed to my atheistic self something like religion。 “Why something like？” he asked。 Why indeed。 While most of my BB Park shots were taken early in the morning， I did manage an evening outing there once or twice。Smith concludes by looking ahead at what amazing new tech promises for the future， and for what global warming portends for rivers。 Advances in coming technology， particularly small hydro power installations， amelioratives like a project planned for New Orleans， Los Angeles working on finding new sources of fresh water， new satellite swarms that allow incredibly greater monitoring of earthly waterflows and conditions。I cannot say that I have any real gripes about the book。 It is well-written and informative， presenting a wealth of information about the history of humanity’s relationship with rivers， and explaining how rivers have helped found and shape civilizations。 It will definitely remind you of Jared Diamond’s work。 Not a gripe， but I do enjoy a bit of levity in non-fiction。 I guess it serves a similar purpose to comic relief in dramas。 No danger of running into that here。 Still， Rivers of Power will get your gray cells flashing， and maybe push you to think a bit about the river that is nearest you now or the river you recall from when you were growing up。 Instead of memory lane， it might be more like memory creek。 There is a vast arterial power humming all around us， hiding in plain sight。 It has shaped our civilization more than any road， technology， or political leader。 It has opened frontiers， founded cities， settled borders， and fed billions。 It promotes life， forges peace， grants power， and capriciously destroys everything in its path。 Increasingly domesticated， even manacled， it is an ancient power that rules us still。 Review posted – March 20， 2020Publication date – April 21， 2020==========In the summer of 2019 GR reduced the allowable review size by 25%， from 20，000 to 15，000 characters。 In order to accommodate the text beyond that I have moved it to the comments section directly below。 。。。more
Jeffrey Keeten
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”A world without rivers would be unrecognizable to us。 Our continents would be rugged， high， cold， and small。 Our settlement pattern would have evolved in very different ways， with scattered farms and villages clinging to oases and coastlines。 Wars would have proceeded differently， and the borders of nations would be unfamiliar。 Our most famous cities would not exist。 The global movements of people and trade that so define us today might never have happened。”I grew up in North Central Kansas nea ”A world without rivers would be unrecognizable to us。 Our continents would be rugged， high， cold， and small。 Our settlement pattern would have evolved in very different ways， with scattered farms and villages clinging to oases and coastlines。 Wars would have proceeded differently， and the borders of nations would be unfamiliar。 Our most famous cities would not exist。 The global movements of people and trade that so define us today might never have happened。”I grew up in North Central Kansas near the banks of a river; well， it was a creek， to be more precise。 My ancestor who settled in Phillips County back in the 1880s could see the flowing water from his front porch。 The family who built the house I grew up in camped by the creek while they cut chalk rock stones out of the ground to form the walls of their new home。 A huge storm further upstream sent a wall of debris gnarled water coming at them with no warning。 Several members of the family were swept downstream and drowned。 Rivers are deadly， beautiful creatures。I remember another time when I watched the creek jump its banks and swamp the rich bottomland where we grow alfalfa。 To even calculate how deep the water must be to fill in all that lowland and climb the hill to lap at the doorstep of our neighbor was mind boggling。 And then， one morning it started to recede， and just as quickly as it came， it flowed away leaving debris of dead trees and animals strewn across our land。Whenever I look at this creek on a map， it is a squiggly line， following some nonsensical path across the terrain that makes the river much longer than the miles it stretches。 So when Little， Brown approached me about reading Rivers of Power by Laurence C。 Smith， my first thought was not of the power of a river， but the power of a dappling creek that provided me with much pleasure and more than a few moments of fear。 I didn’t really know what to expect from this book， but soon discovered that Smith was leading me on a journey， not only up and down rivers， but also throughout history。 He takes us to see a pair of Middle Bronze Age bridges in Greece that are over 3000 years old and still in use， to witness the power of the Nile that built one of the most amazing civilizations the world has ever seen， to experience the gut wrenching 1889 Johnstown flood in Pennsylvania that forever changed our laws on litigation， and flashed us backwards and forwards in time to the numerous river triggering points in history that turned out to be critical decisive moments。 There have been more than one Rubicon moment in history， more than one crossing of the Delaware， and too many moments like the commandeering of the Meuse River， heralding the invasion of France by the German Army in 1940。 The history of rivers is the history of the world。Smith talks about the influence of dams as mankind attempts to harness the awesome power of rivers to create power。 As America is slowly dismantling their smaller dams （yeah， let the rivers go！）， Third World countries are beginning to build large dams to exert some control over their rivers。 The most interesting case is the one being built in Ethiopia that， once finished， will require a long time for the massive reservoir to fill。 Meanwhile， the Blue Nile will not be flowing at all up to Egypt。 This will have devastating impacts on the economy of Egypt。 The Egyptians managed to strangle any assistance for the dam from world banks。 In response， the Ethiopian government went out to the people to ask for donations for building the dam， and it has been wildly successful。 That part of this story is the feel good part of the tale。 The problem is， because there is no insisted oversight from a financial institute worried about protecting their investment， there have been questions about the structural integrity of the dam。 Is it being built safely and with the best engineering science available？ The government insists that the dam will be used to improve the lives of all Ethiopian， but there are doubts this will be the case。 The enticements from neighboring countries to buy that power will be difficult for a cash strapped and often corrupt government to refuse。 There are also worries that， as we close in on the date of the dam’s completion， the Egyptians will do more than just yell and threaten。 I’ve never really heard the term water tower except in reference to the steel towers that are in most cities across America with the name of the place emblazoned proudly on the round side of the water containment reservoir。 ”Water tower， meaning a mountain range， typically surrounded by dry lowlands， that captures and funnels a very large amount of runoff into a major downstream river” helps to put the seizing of Tibet by China into better perspective for me。 ”The grandest water tower of all is the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan Range， which form the headwaters of the mighty Indes， Ganges， Brahmaputra， Irrawaddy， Salween， Mekong， Yangtze， and Yellow Rivers， upon which nearly half of all living people depend。” China understands the importance of water， not only now but forever， as overpopulation continues to strain the ability of rivers and reservoirs to sustain the people of this planet。 Smith talks about pollution and informs me that I’ve been drinking （yuck） microbeads。 They are tiny， solid， plastic beads in rinse-off skin care products used to exfoliate the skin that are so small that they pass through our water filtration systems。 Fortunately， they were banned in 2017 by the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015， unless， of course， someone has rolled back that ban as they have with many other major EPA accomplishments by the Obama Administration。 Smith also gives Richard Nixon （I know， don’t fall out of your chair） credit for being progressive on environmental standards。 Nixon created the EPA， and someday the EPA will be returned to being a nonpolitical， save humankind organization， as it was intended。 There is much to learn and much to think about while reading Smith’s book。 You will certainly have a greater appreciation for rivers and their impact on history。 They are so much a part of our lives that they have almost become invisible， but they continue to shape our lives。 ”There is a vast， arterial power humming all around us， hiding in plain sight。 It has shaped our civilization more than any road technology， or political leader。 It has opened frontiers， founded cities， settled borders， and fed billions。 It promotes life， forges peace， grants power， and capriciously destroys everything in its path。 Increasingly domesticated， even manacled， it is an ancient power that rules us still。”I want to thank Little， Brown for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review。 If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews， visit http://www。jeffreykeeten。comI also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www。facebook。com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account https://www。instagram。com/jeffreykeeten/ 。。。more
Rossdavidh
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I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。This is the sort of book which opens with a map of the world， with none of the national borders drawn in， but a great deal more of the rivers than one normally sees。 This kind of map causes the continents to look more like living tissue， with blood vessels reaching to every part of them。 It is a view of something familiar， made unfamiliar again by a river-centric perspective。 This， is more or less the strategy of the book generally I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。This is the sort of book which opens with a map of the world， with none of the national borders drawn in， but a great deal more of the rivers than one normally sees。 This kind of map causes the continents to look more like living tissue， with blood vessels reaching to every part of them。 It is a view of something familiar， made unfamiliar again by a river-centric perspective。 This， is more or less the strategy of the book generally。Perhaps inevitably， very near the beginning of the book we meet with ancient Egypt。 Even more than Mesopotamia， ancient China， or the Cahokian civilization in North America， ancient Egypt was defined by its relationship with its primary river， the Nile。 The ability to predict the seasonal floods of the Nile river was the basis for the authority and power of the priesthood and pharaohs， and they devoted considerable resources to keeping records of the height of the annual floods and how this related to crop yields。From there， we go through essentially all of human history， a familiar enough story in some ways， but with a different focus， which leads to some discoveries if you are not encyclopedic in your historical knowledge。 How it is， for example， that I made it through several high school and college courses in U。S。 History without hearing about the flooding of the Mississippi River in the 20's， which led to Herbert Hoover becoming a nationally known figure （and thus soon after President）， and also to the Republican Party losing the African American voter's loyalty （so far never regained）？ It was similar in several ways to the flooding of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina， where the poorest （often black） residents were the most likely to be displaced。 Because of the agricultural system， which relied on black sharecroppers， the displaced were not bused to other cities away from the flooding， but rather kept on site， nearby， under armed guard lest they leave， and perhaps never return。 It was a final outrage in an outrageous system， and it led to a determined migration northward in the years that followed。It is a common theme in this book that a river's periodic spasms， either flooding or avulsing， is a stress test for the society that lives near it， revealing its character （or lack of same）。 The constructing of dams， canals， irrigation systems， etc。 requires an ability to cooperate， and all of these systems （as well as the society that built them） are tested when the waters rise。 We hear examples from nearly every continent and millennium of human history。 Plus， I got to learn the word "avulsing"， which is when a river decides to change course semi-permanently。Rivers are also a matter for great politics， either as borders between nations or the subject of disputes。 Greater populations tend to grow up near the mouth of rivers， but this puts them necessarily at the mercy of smaller nations upstream， often in different nations， and we look at how this plays out in Asia， Africa， and North America。Dam-building is also a matter of controversy。 Power generation， flood control， impact on salmon runs which people depend on， etc。 etc。 It was interesting to read that the total number of dams in the developed world is going down now， as old dams that have reached the end of their life get demolished instead of rebuilt， while in the Third World they are still being built。 We have， supposedly， learned some things about dam-building to help get the benefits while mitigating the impact， but the author takes an evenhanded approach to the question of whether that is enough to justify， say， the Three Gorges Dam project in China （currently the world's largest power station）。If I have any criticism of the book， it is about the last section， which relates to 21st century projects to revitalize riverfronts in major cities of the advanced economies。 It is too chock full of stats and Proper Nouns For Development Projects。 Perhaps the very newness of this trend prevents any general patterns from being discerned？ How do these projects typically go？ Do they accomplish what they set out to？ Without any general pattern or plot， that chapter is more or less just a listing of project names， with a few paragraphs on each one that read more like a promotional brochure than a book。But， this is a small part of the book， and at the very end， so it is not a deal-breaker。 If you have an interest in human history， this is a good way of reading about it in a way which adds a new perspective on some old （in some cases， very old） stories。 。。。more
Ryan Boissonneault
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