Rio L. A.: Tales from the Los Angeles River [Hardcover]

Patt Morrison (Author), Mark Lamonica (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

In "Rio L.A: Tales from the Los Angeles River," the Los Angeles River is presented in its diverse context, a waterway as unique as the city through which it meanders. According to Los Angeles Magazine (August 2001) "Morrison, Lamonica and Angel City Press should be commended for this love letter to one of Los Angeles's most ill-used natural treasures." The subject of tremendous controversy, the L.A River is quickly becoming a revered geographical icon that for too long was left neglected and unappreciated. Today it exposes an urban psychology unimaginable in the 21st Century; a river where nature, commerce, concrete and the trails of humanity fight for space, and even for existence. In a city whose history has been explored time and again, little is known of this majestic river. In "Rio L.A." Morrison and Lamonica present the culture that evolves around this virtual oasis in a land of super highways and celluloid dreams, while tracing its history and giving the Ri! ver its voice. Rio L.A magnificently captures both the reality and the spirit of the Los Angeles River, a concrete masterpiece of clandestine beauty that stretches from the mountains of the Santa Susannas to the mouth of Long Beach Harbor. Accompanying the full-color photographs is a powerful commentary on the history, evolution, mythology and culture of the L.A River: the very source of life to the City of Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"(Morrison and Lamonica) should be commended for this love letter to one of Los Angeles's most ill-used natural treasures." -- Los Angeles magazine, August, 2001.

"(The authors) champion the waterway as the artery that could unify the city and pump fresh life into urban L.A." -- New Times, September 13-19, 2001.

"A wonderfully witty and affectionate celebration of that Mother of the Waters: the Rio Porciuncula." -- Mike Davis, Author of City of Quartz and Ecology of Fear

"Nobody knows Los Angeles without knowing its river - this wonderful book goes straight to the spirit of the place." -- Joan Didion, Author of Political Fictions, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, The White Album, Salvadore and Play It As It Lays: A Novel

"Patt Morrison writes so well she proves there is water in the L.A. River 425 days a year. " -- Ray Bradbury, Author of Fahrenheit 451

From the Author

The Los Angeles River. Yes, Los Angeles, Yes, America, there is a Los Angeles River. And it is grand. It is long. It is powerful. And it is here...Rio L.A.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Angel City Pr; 1st edition (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883318246
• ISBN-13: 978-1883318246
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,002,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The L.A. River Needs All the Help It Can Get, March 28, 2005

By 

Bugs "Patrick" (Los Angeles, Ca.) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Rio L. A.: Tales from the Los Angeles River (Hardcover)

This book is done in a table top format and should be within reach at all times- at least for all Angelinos and natural flowing river advocates. It is not a scholarly treatment and not meant to be, rather, it is an anecdotal effort to bring awareness of the *existence* of the river and bring people up to speed via a quick overview of the history and current affairs of the river. This is accomplished with good text and photos by Patt Morrison (Los Angeles Times columnist, extraordinaire) and Mark Lamonica (a great photographer).

It is ironic that the first Europeans settled and founded Los Angeles *because* of the river, never mind the Indians that were here first and had revered the river for centuries for it's life providing qualities, yet in so many years and due to huge population growth, demands for ever increasing water volume caused people to start looking elsewhere, ie., wells, lake diversions, catch-basins, etc. The river became a nuisance from it's pesky habit of changing it's course through periodic floods and then ran dry for much of the year. Eventually, the river was channeled and turned into a huge concrete drainage ditch- not a pretty site. Access to the river was fenced-off, so it pretty much became ignored. Well, not quite.

Very dedicated people (including Patt Morrison) have been drawing attention to the river and calling for it's revitalization as a river complete with native flora/fauna. "Friends of the L.A. River" is one such group and there are many more. There are significant stretches of the river that have been rehabilitated to a more natural and original condition and many would love to see this happen over the entire 51 mile run it makes from the headwaters in the San Fernando Valley all the way to Long Beach where it meets the Pacific Ocean- and this is doable! The river just needs more attention drawn to it and that is the essence of this book.

If anyone wants a more scientific (hydrology, meterology, etc.), scholarly and historically fact filled book about the river, check out what most people refer to as the definitive science and history of the river: "The Los Angeles River: It's Life, Death, and Possible Rebirth" by Blake Gumprecht (Patt Morrison references it in her book). In combination, these 2 books give a compelling voice of hope to the continuing revitalization and respect for Rio L.A.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!!, April 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Rio L. A.: Tales from the Los Angeles River (Hardcover)

That other review must be from a disgruntled author. Patt Morrison's book is filled with historical information about the Los Angeles River, plus wonderful anecdotes and a very readable style--I bought it because I saw it on the LA Times BESTSELLER list for six weeks and decided to see what I was missing. The people who put it on the list by buying it know what's great--I love this book. A book doesn't have to be long like Gumprecht's to be fulfilling. Plus this book has compelling photographs that tell their own incredible story. Hooray for Patt Morrison and Mark Lamonica!

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh Me A River, August 11, 2001

By 

"leaubrau" (New York NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rio L. A.: Tales from the Los Angeles River (Hardcover)

This is a great read. Are you frustrated by most Americanss lack of interest in our own "place" history? Then this is a must. Ms. Morrison, celebrated as one of the smartest and wittiest writers to come out of LA in a long time, takes a subject which to most of us appears, ironically, "absent" --- i.e: the LA River is, with few exceptions, DRY! -- and turns it into a re-discovery of the wild origins of this baffling city. There is legend, lore, intrigue (ruthless water grabbers right out of the movie "Chinatown") weird history, and many surprises. Imagine writing team Art Buchwald & Norman McLean pitching an environmental caper movie to studio mogul Molly Ivins, who recommends a polish by Scott Simon.