Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River [Hardcover]

Beth Kephart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2007

From acclaimed writer Beth Kephart, author of A Slant of Sun, comes a short, imaginative telling of the life of the Schuylkill River, which has served as the source of Philadelphia's water, power, industry, and beauty for the city's entire life.  Before that, it fed the indigenous people who preceded William Penn, and has since time immemorial shape our region.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Beth Kephart's Flow is just a sumptuous book-haunting, poetic, lit up with gems of beauty and history. We engorge ourselves on materialism. The legacy of our generation will be our consumerism. But Flow and its exquisite evocation of the Schuylkill River reminds us that nature still trumps everything. Which makes the book all the more beautiful and all the more rare." -- Buzz Bissinger, author of A Prayer for the City and Friday Night Lights

About the Author

Beth Kephart is the award-winning author of five memoirs, including Still Love in Strange Places and the March 2005 Book Sense pick Ghosts in the Garden. She has been nominated for a National Book Award, has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pew Fellowships in the Arts, and has won the national Speakeasy Poetry Prize. She has written for The New York Times, Washington Post Book World, Chicago Tribune, Salon.com, Philadelphia magazine, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among other publications, and her essays are frequently anthologized.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press; First Edition edition (May 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592136362
• ISBN-13: 978-1592136360
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,466,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Following the publication of five memoirs and FLOW, the autobiography of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River, I've had the great pleasure of turning my attention to young adult fiction. UNDERCOVER and HOUSE OF DANCE were both named a best of the year by Kirkus and Bank Street. NOTHING BUT GHOSTS, A HEART IS NOT A SIZE, and DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS were critically acclaimed. In October YOU ARE MY ONLY will be released by Egmont USA. Next summer, Philomel will release SMALL DAMAGES. I am at work on a prequel to DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS, a novel for adults, and a memoir about teaching. Please visit my blog: http://beth-kephart.blogspot.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soul of the Schuylkill, June 27, 2007

By 

RiverWriter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River (Hardcover)

I'm lucky enough to spend a lot of time on rivers--fishing, hiking, watching the currents. But I've never read a more original or interesting portrait of any place (water or land) than FLOW. The short sections (written from the point of view of the Schuylkill)are so detailed they function like stories or lyric essays. This is a book that made me really *feel* the Schuylkill, and I also got to bask in the history of the region, which just made reading the book that much more enjoyable. I think Beth Kephart may have invented her own genre here: the river autobiography. FLOW is a book that will influence outdoor/nature writers for a long time to come.

5.0 out of 5 stars lovely portrait of a river, August 18, 2011

By 

Poetry lover (Saratoga, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River (Hardcover)

this book is not what I expected and I am glad because it is more than I expected. having been born in schuylkill township but living most of my life in the west I was intrigued when I read of this book. I thought it would be a straight forward history but it is
a lovely lyrical poem with so many dimensions including history and nature. a wonderful reading experience. if the author reads this thank you!

5.0 out of 5 stars Kudos, Beth Kephart !, October 6, 2008

By 

Fan of Schuylkill River painter Carl P. Weber (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River (Hardcover)

Flow left me in awe. The Schuylkill River can not only be visualized, it can be touched and smelled and tasted and heard. The river's emotions are raw, gut-wrenching. The river forces one to look at events from a different perspective. The river is all-consuming, sweeping one away in its embrace. Once drawn in, it is nearly impossible to shut the book and walk away.

It is difficult to remember any other book this finely written, this intelligent, this unique. Not only do I recommend this book to Amazon purchasers, I myself will purchase several more copies for Christmas, birthday and holiday gifts for family and friends. Don't miss this one! Add it to your shelf!