Every Day the River Changes: Four Weeks Down the Magdalena
Jordan Salama
(Author)
Description
An exhilarating travelogue for a new generation about a journey along Colombia's Magdalena River, exploring life by the banks of a majestic river now at risk, and how a country recovers from conflict. An American writer of Argentine, Syrian, and Iraqi Jewish descent, Jordan Salama tells the story of the Río Magdalena, nearly one thousand miles long, the heart of Colombia. This is Gabriel García Márquez's territory--rumor has it Macondo was partly inspired by the port town of Mompox--as much as that of the Middle Eastern immigrants who run fabric stores by its banks. Following the river from its source high in the Andes to its mouth on the Caribbean coast, journeying by boat, bus, and improvised motobalinera, Salama writes against stereotype and toward the rich lives of those he meets. Among them are a canoe builder, biologists who study invasive hippopotamuses, a Queens transplant managing a failing hotel, a jeweler practicing the art of silver filigree, and a traveling librarian whose donkeys, Alfa and Beto, haul books to rural children. Joy, mourning, and humor come together in this astonishing debut, about a country too often seen as only a site of war, and a tale of lively adventure following a legendary river.Product Details
Price
$26.00
$24.18
Publisher
Catapult
Publish Date
November 16, 2021
Pages
224
Dimensions
5.59 X 8.35 X 0.94 inches | 0.83 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781646220441
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Jordan Salama's work has appeared in outlets including The New York Times, National Geographic, and Scientific American. A 2019 graduate of Princeton University, he lives in New York.
Reviews
"This is a born journalist.--John McPhee, Princeton University News Jordan Salama writes with an attentiveness, and a sense of adventure, that many of us might envy; this engaging, intrepid debut promises many more wonders to come. Already he's shown himself to be a writer with a rare (and inspiring) commitment to giving us the world." --Pico Iyer, author of Autumn Light A mesmerizing travelogue . . . Both complex and achingly beautiful, this outstanding account brims with humanity. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) Tagging along with Jordan Salama as he makes his way along Colombia's storied Magdalena River is a reminder that the best travel writing not only makes you want to visit a place, but feel as if you've been there already. Salama is a vivid writer and an intrepid explorer. Guided by the keepers of the Magdalena's history and lore, the Colombia he reveals is an epiphany. --Sue Halpern, author of Summer Hours at the Robbers Library If you're into armchair travel, Every Day the River Changes will have you gripping your chair arms with excitement and suspense. In his brave journeys through central Colombia, following the fabled Magdalena River from its source to its mouth, Jordan Salama discovered Marquezian wonders, and scary but awesome portents of the planet's future." --Ian Frazier, author of Cranial Fracking "I read this brisk and beautifully wrought travelogue, a deeply personal meditation on the Magdalena River and its cultural, political, and geographical sphere, with a tingle of excitement, a sense of waking to a new world. Jordan Salama is a profoundly gifted writer, and this book is a real achievement. I will read everything of his in the coming years." --Jay Parini, author of Borges and Me
