The Great River

The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi

By: Boyce Upholt

Narrated by: Gabriel Vaughan

A sweeping history of the Mississippi River—and the centuries of human meddling that have transformed both it and America.

Over thousands of years, the Mississippi watershed was home to millions of Indigenous people who regarded "the great river" with awe and respect, adorning its banks with astonishing spiritual earthworks. But European settlers and American pioneers had a different vision: the river was a foe to conquer. In this landmark work of natural history, Boyce Upholt tells the epic story of human attempts to own and contain the Mississippi River, from Thomas Jefferson's expansionist land hunger through today's era of environmental concern. He reveals how an ambitious and sometimes contentious program of engineering-government-built levees, jetties, dikes, and dams-has not only damaged once-vibrant ecosystems, but may not work much longer, and explores how scientists are scrambling to restore what's been lost.

Rich and powerful, The Great River delivers a startling account of what happens when we try to fight against nature instead of acknowledging and embracing its power.

©2024 Boyce Upholt (P)2024 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Entire geological, anthropological, social, political, technological, economic history of America.

Brilliant gripping book. Every topic deserves a book of its own. Fast and deep and fascinating and troubling. A book worthy of its subject.

Well Told Story of A Great American River

This is a well told story, full of interesting details about human interaction and attempts to control the river. History, engineering, politics and ecology all interwoven. The performance was excellent. Fun read.

Ecology Component

This book follows the historical geology of the mighty Mississippi, adding human anecdotes throughout to create a captivating narrative. I’m a nature geek, curriculum developer, ecology instructor. This work is well researched albeit slanted toward my personal beliefs. Maybe that’s why I liked it?

The Mississippi River - it's past and future

Upholt's book delves into the recent history amd possible future of the Mississuppi River. Well-written and well-researched, the book grapples with the fact that there are no easy answers.

a great summation of the Great River

this is the most complete story of the Great River that I've read and I've tried to read all that I could get. The author does an excellent job of exploring so many aspects without dwelling on things like the Vicksburg battle or some of the other things that are covered in so many other books. this is not about. Mark Twain and it's not about the discovery of the river. it covers the river from beginning to end in a highly intelligent and informative way.

Nice Store with Rich Facts

Enjoyed listening to the book as had good information and seems balanced to reasonable people. Would love to have a pdf attachment for pictures, drawings, maps to help better understand some of the technical aspects spoken about.

Dry narration hard to enjoy

I had and still have high hope for what I can lean from this book. However, I’m struggling to listen because of the dry, unaffected tone of the narration. I mean no disrespect to the person who worked on the reading, but it’s not engaging for my listening preferences. A more soothing tone would be beneficial.