Customer Reviews

My River Chronicles: Rediscovering the Work that Built America; A Personal and Historical Journey

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My River Chronicles is a beautifully written love letter to the Hudson River and good honest work, the kind we (largely) have forgotten how to do in America. A unique protagonist and uniquely sensitive observer, Jessica DuLong shares her journey from dotcom office worker to fireboat engineer - an unlikely and compelling career path driven by nothing more than a willingness to follow her heart towards meaningful work. In an era when her fellow Gen-Xers don't know how to make anything that doesn't require a laptop, DuLong dives head first into a kind of work that is hands-on, physical and anything but virtual. Along the way, she discovers the history of American industry and forges a deeper connection with her own family. This memoir is a meaty, satisfying read, and in light of the recent economic crisis, a powerful reminder of the kind of labor and laborers - men, and now, women - who built this country by hand.

Part memoir, part history, part call to action, My River Chronicles introduces you to life aboard a working boat on the Hudson River. With smart, honest prose, DuLong soon has you hooked and converted--much like she was on the first wintry day she spent aboard the fireboat John J. Harvey--filling you with respect for the river and passion for the need to keep alive the trades and industries that built our country. Truly an excellent book!

At its core, this is a book about our potential to be our best selves. When life handed her a pink slip, Jessica DuLong changed her life. Her book teaches us that if you're willing to think big and get dirty, great things are possible.

I just finished reading MY RIVER CHRONICLES by Jessica DuLong. It is simply the best nonfiction book I've read in a very long time. The author had me hooked with her prologue, in which she describes the heroic death of John J. Harvey, the fireboat pilot for whom the historic boat DuLong serves on is named. But after that, the author brilliantly intertwines her own story of discovering a love for manual labor with four centuries of Hudson River history. There are sad parts of the story -- the John J. Harvey evacuated many stranded survivors from lower Manhattan on 9/11 -- and joyous ones, like DuLong's developing crush on a tugboat, which she learns to pilot. MY RIVER CHRONICLES is a passionate and inspiring read, told in a unique voice that makes you feel you're along for the ride.

This is an excellant book. I have a bit of familiarity with the cast of characters in this book, especially Tim Ivory. I've been on the Harvey, met the crew, experienced the engine room in action, smelled the smells and been doused by Captain Bob. Coming from that perspective I feel that Jessica really hits the target in her heartfelt descriptions of the crew and their adventures. I've been privy to a few of the stories (told after the fact) and quite delighted to learn the details of some of the greater "yarns" (the Gowanis trip from Northfolk).

I also have a deep appreciation for Jessica's love of craftsmanship found in the old machines and the old ways. Being a craftsman myself (Luthier), I find time and time again that nothing beats the quality of the old machines and have lamented the fact that few people of my generation (boomers) work with their hands and damn near none of my kids' generation work with theirs. I am proud to have met these folks and am deeply honored that they continue to educate the public that craftsmanship, working with your brains AND your hands, hard work, and a job well done are virtues, not vices.

Jessica DuLong believes in hands-on work, and she infuses her book with language and thinking that reflect that. From her experiences within the working fireboat John Harvey, up and down the river from Manhattan the day after on 9/11 to cement plants near Albany, we learn what is happening at water level. To those experiences she adds inspired pieces of the river's history, and a profound sense of how our Romantic, Modern, or Post-Industrial mindsets effect the decisions we make about the land and water. If you are a Hudson River lover, you have to read this book!

Fire and tug boats and a woman's discovery of manual labor and love for making these boats run. Tells story of restoration of an historic NYC fireboat and how it was used in the 9-11-2001 WTC fire to pump water along with other fire boats. Narrative includes historic look at and celebration of preservation and loss of other manual and manufacturing jobs. A good easy read with lots of historic background.

Considering our coastlines, major lakes and rivers, there are surprisingly few
really well written and engaging books on falling in love with boats, the water, and maritime history.

This is such a book. Just a great read on an engaging subject.

HOWEVER, this book cries out for MAPS! Maybe if it sells well enough, the next edition can be revised to add maps. Particularly for those of us living far away on the West Coast, good maps would be a great help.

This is an unusual book. It's a combination of the personal story of Jessica DuLong, who went from a dot-com desk worker to one of the few women boat engineers in New York Harbor, and a history of 400 years of the Hudson River, from the time Henry Hudson first traveled up it in 1609 to the modern day.

Interweaving her personal narrative with the broader historical themes is a tough task. But she mostly pulls it off, introducing the reader to layers of history as she discovers them when she comes out from belowdecks and begins to pilot her own tugboat.

The most affecting chapter of the book, and for me the hardest to read, was the Fireboat John J. Harvey's heroic role in the aftermath of the 9/11 attack. An entirely volunteer crew worked for 72 hours straight on their 70-year-old fireboat to pump water from the Hudson onto the pit, at the request of the FDNY. The episode earned the Harvey (and the author) a Congressional commendation, historic status, a children's book, and more. It's a story you couldn't possibly have made up, and yet it's completely true.

All in all, this book is well worth a read. And my bet is you'll go back to it and re-read, once you know the whole story, to rediscover the important history of the Hudson with Jessica as she learns about it too.

"My River Chronicles: Rediscovering America on the Hudson" is a fantastic combination of the author's personal history on the Hudson and the history if the Hudson itself. Dulong's account of her relationships with boats and the people who love them is honest, touching and piquant. Dulong also explores America's drift from hands on work and the impact this has on us as indivduals and as a nation. This book will appeal to anyone who enjoys a well written story and more so to those who are interested in the Hudson and its history, accidental feminism or the value of hard work.My River Chronicles: Rediscovering America on the Hudson