cover image Rivers Running Free: Stories of Adventurous Women

Rivers Running Free: Stories of Adventurous Women

. Bergamot Books, $12.5 (287pp) ISBN 978-0-943127-00-2

This collection of women's memoirs of canoeing experiences comes as a welcome alternative to the many outdoors books that seem geared to men. Despite the differences in time and settingfrom 1905 to the 1980s, from Mexico to the Hudson Baymany of the contributions share a common theme: that of women shedding societal roles and surviving by their wits and strength. Many of the accounts are compelling, but some are couched in New Age jargon that blunts their impact (""I feel my center reach out to meet/tap/mingle with/give-to that water energy''). The editorializing could be more literate, and the book's chummy tone seems more appropriate to a community newsletter. Still, this collection is sure to give much-needed inspiration to readers who have felt that the wilderness couldn't be enjoyed by the ``weaker'' sex. (December)