Awe, Inspiration, and Hope
- Susan Norman
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
I belong to two book clubs (Truckee AND South Lake Tahoe) and, on average, read about three books a month. I usually like the club selections and always love talking about them, even if I found the book challenging. My book clubs stimulate conversations unlike those I have in other settings and are an essential part of my social fabric.
But the two books that impacted me the most this year, I read outside of book club. These books uniquely resonated with me in these times of unprecedented assaults on public lands and environmental protections, and my general feeling of helplessness in the face of so many global climate, political, and social crises.
In these times when one cannot be faulted for feeling despair, ‘Stronghold’ by Tucker Malarky and ‘The Water Remembers’ by Amy Bowers Cordalis offer hope and wonder at the power of individuals and communities fueled by a passion to make a difference.
Rather than create my own description of these books, I have quoted the authors’/publishers’ summaries, followed by my take.
Stronghold (2019)
"In the tradition of Mountains Beyond Mountains and The Orchid Thief, Stronghold is Tucker Malarkey's eye-opening account of one of the world's greatest fly fishermen and his crusade to protect the world's last bastion of wild salmon. From a young age, Guido Rahr was a misfit among his family and classmates, preferring to spend his time in the natural world. When the salmon runs of the Pacific Northwest began to decline, Guido was one of the few who understood why.
As dams, industry, and climate change degraded the homes of these magnificent fish, Rahr saw that the salmon of the Pacific Rim were destined to go the way of their Atlantic brethren: near extinction.An improbable and inspiring story, Stronghold takes us on a wild adventure, from Oregon to Alaska to one of the world's last remaining salmon strongholds in the Russian Far East, a landscape of ecological richness and diversity that is rapidly being developed for oil, gas, minerals, and timber. Along the way, Rahr contends with scientists, conservationists, Russian oligarchs, corrupt officials, and unexpected allies in an attempt to secure a stronghold for the endangered salmon, an extraordinary keystone species whose demise would reverberate across the planet.
Tucker Malarkey, who joins Rahr in the Russian wilderness, has written a clarion call for a sustainable future, a remarkable work of natural history, and a riveting account of a species whose future is closely linked to our own."
The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life
(2025)
"For the members of the Yurok Tribe in California, the Klamath River and its salmon are the lifeblood of the people—a vital source of food, income, and cultural identity. When a catastrophic fish kill devastates the river, Amy Bowers Cordalis, a Yurok Tribal member, is propelled into action, reigniting her family’s 170-year battle against the U.S. government.
In a moving and engrossing blend of memoir and history, Cordalis propels readers through generations of her family’s struggle, where she learns that the fight for survival is not only about fishing—it’s about protecting a way of life and the right of a species and river to exist. Her great-uncle’s landmark Supreme Court case reaffirming her Nation’s rights to land, water, fish, and sovereignty, her great-grandmother’s defiant resistance during the Salmon Wars, and her family’s ongoing battles against government overreach shape the deep commitment to justice that drives Cordalis forward
When the source of the fish kill is revealed, Cordalis steps up as General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe to hold powerful corporate interests accountable, and to spearhead the largest river restoration project in history. The Water Remembers is a testament to the enduring power of Indigenous knowledge, family legacy, and the determination to ensure that future generations remember what it means to live in balance with the earth."
My Take
It was a powerful experience to read these two books back-to-back. Although I have a solid professional understanding of stream ecology and fisheries, these books brought the topic to life with richness and vibrancy. Most of the population in the world today has never had the opportunity to experience the magnificence of a truly ecologically healthy river system, even those of us who have spent much of our lives recreating in remote ‘wilderness’ river canyons. But these books create a compelling vicarious experience through their words, one I hope to see myself one day, or at least maybe my son will.
These stories are told through the experiences of modern-day superheroes. Guido Rahr and Amy Bowers Cordalis are environmental change makers and personalities who are the stuff of cinema, only even more captivating, because of their real-life magnetism and authenticity.
‘Stronghold’ is the stronger literary read because of the strength of Tucker Malarkey’s writing skills. Because of her talent and her personal connection to the star of her book, her cousin Guido, ‘Stronghold’ reads like fiction. Guido is a captivatingly quirky hero, the protagonist in numerous thrilling action scenes. Tucker describes the scientific and geopolitical complexity of the topic in an easy-to-understand and fascinating backstory throughout, taking the reader on a journey to remote reaches of the planet that often leaves one breathless.
‘The Water Remembers’ presents the greatest restoration story on earth. The removal of four dams on the Klamath River in 2024 is told through the words of a warrior instrumental in bringing about this monumental achievement, along with generations of her family and tribe. Her personal story is captivatingly woven into this restoration tale, which took decades to accomplish. Because of my professional background in hydropower relicensing and river restoration, I perhaps found it easier to follow the sometimes complex narratives surrounding these topics. The epic path to removing these four dams is historic, groundbreaking, and, I believe, an event destined to be repeated on rivers around the world, because of overwhelming, irrefutable evidence of its success.
This book would have benefited from additional developmental and copyediting, simply because Ms. Cordalis’s creative writing skills are not quite as strong as her other considerable talents. It was a difficult task to describe the scientific, legal, and bureaucratic complexities essential to the story in a way that keeps the pace moving. The writing drags the story in a few places, but the topic and authenticity are strong enough to carry one through.
In my July blog, I wrote about my trip to the Klamath River to witness the impacts of this achievement and participate in tribal celebrations related to the dam removal. I intend to go back next summer to witness the continued astounding pace at which dam removal is restoring water quality and fisheries in the Klamath River.
On this trip, I also met Ms. Cordalis, and during our brief conversation, I remember thinking that she and her book are destined to create far-reaching ripples. ‘The Water Remembers’ was published in October, and Cordalis’ book tour is raising awareness among a wide variety of audiences through her considerable speaking skills and captivating presence. She is a warrior who sings traditional Yurok river songs and speaks about rivers, fisheries, and tribal rights, with equal eloquence.
I hope one day, Ms. Cordalis revisits her manuscript with a developmental/copy editor who retains her voice while enhancing the storytelling craft of this unique, compelling memoir. A memoir that provides a template for environmental and societal change in our relationship with dams worldwide. The read is still great as is, but a little more polish would make it even better.
I have reached out to both authors to gauge their interest in participating in the next Become the River Literary and Advocacy Festival (2026 or 2027). Their representatives both responded positively, but, understandably, will require significant funding to cover speaker fees.
So, one of my goals for the new year is to seek partnerships, grants, and sponsors to bring these and other incredible author environmental advocates to the next Become the River Festival. If anyone has any ideas on this, please feel free to reach out.
For my own writing related to environmental advocacy, I recently did my small part by submitting opinion pieces to my local papers in resistance to the assault on public lands. If you are interested, the following are links to those pieces.
(page 5)
Writing is a powerful force for environmental advocacy, and the work of Malarky and Cordalis is a testament to that. They take us to real worlds, not part of our lived experience, but through reading these stories, they become part of our reality in a different way.
Evoking Awe, fueling Inspiration, and providing Hope, during a time when it is so desperately needed.
Comments