From the Bottom Up: One Man's Crusade to Clean America's Rivers (Hardcover)

by Chad Pregracke (Author), Jeff Barrow (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Pregracke grew up on the shores of the Mississippi; as a young adult, working on the river, he was shocked by the amount of garbage littering the water. Deciding to clean up the river--at least the portion of it he called home--he approached corporate sponsors and quickly became something of a folk hero, the leader of a band of environmentally conscious volunteers who sailed the Mississippi, pulling old tires, appliances, pieces of furniture, even automobiles, out of the river. This simply written book chronicles the birth and growth of Pregracke's nonprofit organization, Living Lands & Waters, and introduces us to some of the spirited volunteers who have helped make his dream a reality. Pregracke has made plenty of headlines over the years (early stories on several networks gave his cause a big financial boost), and readers familiar only with the news stories will welcome this opportunity to see the men and women who have dedicated themselves to the seemingly impossible: cleaning up the third-longest river in the world. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Inspirational reading..." —Booklist

"Take a look at what this brash Midwestern environmentalist writes...Pregracke has become the Al Gore of the nation’s river systems." —The Washington Post

"...an engrossing read that would well supplement any environmental history or wetland ecology course’s reading list." —Library Journal --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (April 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426201001
• ISBN-13: 978-1426201004
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #480,364 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #18 in	Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Biology > Freshwater Biology
  #30 in	Books > Nonfiction > Urban Planning & Development > Environmental Planning
  #42 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Civil > Environmental > Planning & Management

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! , June 14, 2007

By	S. Willcox (Quad Cities, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I could not be more engaged in the book than I am - it is so thrilling and to read about the experiences they have had it makes you wish that you could have been there! It is just excellent! I love it - and I'm so excited when I carry the book somewhere and people ask me what I'm reading because I can't wait to tell people some of the CRAZY things that have happened to Chad and his crew.

ANYONE could read this book and thoroughly enjoy it - I even share parts of the book with my 6 year old son who can't wait to get back out the XStream Clean up this year!

It's amazing how he can take something seemingly so mundane as picking up garbage - write a book about it - and it is just an amazing adventure!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, very entertaining story about one man's idea and his ability to get thousands to help., May 1, 2007

By	Chris Ruder "Chris Ruder" (Chicago, IL.) - See all my reviews

It's hard to write an accurate description of this book, let alone Chad Pregracke's accomplishments. Do you measure it in the number (545) of refrigerators he's pulled from rivers? Do you measure it in the number (15,991) of tires his group has pulled up? Or possibly by the number (1) of horse's heads he's pulled from the river? Combine these stats with tons of press coverage alongside a trip to the White House to receive an award alongside Rudy Giuliani and Bill and Melinda Gates and you've got a very good story.

Over the past 10 years Chad has assembled a group of volunteers, sponsors, and genuinely interesting people to help him accomplish a daunting goal of cleaning up America's rivers. This has extended into an audacious goal of planting a million trees and educating thousands of students on his "floating classroom."

This book will give you an inspiring, very entertaining snapshot of how it was done and even gives you a quick blueprint of how to do something in your own area. Read it for an inspiring portrait of a true original who started with a small idea and turned it into a national movement.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We need more people like this! , August 23, 2007

By	S. Hoffman (Lopez Island, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's a great book that details how one person saw a need for change no matter what it took. Chad perservered (and continues to) and has created this movement that draws in sponsors, staff and volunteers who are happy and willing to help with enthusiasim. It's very well written and makes for a good read. Thanks Chad and Jeff - keep up the good work!