Every Day The River Changes
  • Published: 17 January 2023
  • ISBN: 9781646221615
  • Imprint: Catapult
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 224
  • RRP: $32.99
Categories:

Every Day The River Changes

Four Weeks Down the Magdalena

Formats & editions
EBook
16 Nov 2021
Paperback
17 Jan 2023
Hardback
15 Feb 2022
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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.
 
"Richly observed." —Liesl Schillinger, The New York Times Book Review

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.
 
"Richly observed." —Liesl Schillinger, The New York Times Book Review

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.
  • Published: 17 January 2023
  • ISBN: 9781646221615
  • Imprint: Catapult
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 224
  • RRP: $32.99
Categories:

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Praise for Every Day The River Changes

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
 
“A thoughtful book that impresses with its sweeping history, evocative descriptions, and fascinating stories of people living along the river . . . An engaging travelogue for the 21st century and a reminder that the best travel isn’t necessarily an epic adventure but a chance to hang out, getting to know new people—and yourself in the process.” —Erin Berger, Outside

“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)
 
“The book is more than a notable achievement in travel literature and more than a clarifying window into a misunderstood culture; it is a book of conscience and open-heartedness . . . It is a privilege to savor, if vicariously, this harvest of a promising writer’s vivid journeys.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

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