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Wicked River: The Mississippi When It Last Ran Wild Audiobook
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(3.09) - 303 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Acclaimed journalist and author Lee Sandlin delivers a riveting glimpse of a dangerous and colorful place in America's historical landscape-the Mississippi River of the 19th century. Long before it was dredged into a shipping channel or romanticized into myth, the untamed Mississippi-the lifeblood of communities that rose and fell along its banks-spawned a motley array of pirates and dignitaries, visionaries and thieves.
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"I had a lot of fun reading this book! I'd say that the style got a little muddy, sometimes, and I wondered why Sandlin chose to focus on some of the stories he focused on...but, all-in-all, I loved reading about the river I grew up with - The Mighty Mississipp!"
— John (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A gripping book that plunges you into a rich dark stretch of visceral history. I read it in two sittings and got up shaken.”
— Garrison Keillor -
“Gripping stuff…Appreciators of what Greil Marcus calls the Old, Weird America will savor Wicked River. Its many ghastly scenes, vividly rendered by Mr. Sandlin, started showing up in my dreams…I was surprised, upon finishing Wicked River, to read that this confident and swift-moving book is the author's first. It makes one eager for the next.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“In this lush, exuberant, action-packed and history-drenched book, Sandlin has brought the river back home again…A vivid torrent of facts and passions, in an inspired agitation of water and words…Wicked River is the best kind of history book. It is organized around people and their fates, not wars and dates and treaty signings. It artfully separates reality from fables, but it recognizes that fables have a story to tell, too, that our tall tales and our songs and our exaggerations and our mythologies can be as revelatory as topographical maps and temperature charts.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Marvelously captured…A superb book debut…Sandlin writes of a recurring sense of looming catastrophe that gripped many residents…Fascinating.”
— Chicago Sun-Times -
“Entertaining…Chicago essayist and journalist Lee Sandlin tells tales about the Mississippi in the days when the river and the people who floated on it or lived along it were wild and untamed in the extreme…Sandlin has done an impressive amount of research. For all that, his prose manages to avoid the snags and shoals of academic English… A lot of fun to read."
— St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Wicked River Listener Reviews
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Matthew M. , 12/8/2024
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" A history you didn't know. "
— Brian, 2/5/2014 -
" Good. Sometimes very interesting, sometimes a bit meandering and unfocused. "
— Jorge, 1/26/2014 -
" These are a series of interesting essays about the Mississippi. It doesn't quite hold together as a book--there is no narrative drive. I thought that if it was a travel book that used the history to talk about a trip down the modern Mississippi it might be more successful. Still, some of these essays are really interesting and fun to read. Sandlin has a knack for finding great quotes and examples that are as entertaining as they are explanatory. "
— Ethan, 1/23/2014 -
" Possibly the most fascinating -- even gripping -- history book I've ever read, easily as difficult to put down as a good piece of fiction. Definitely made me think. An excellent piece of Americana; cannot recommend it enough. "
— Sarah, 1/19/2014 -
" Well written. The author even made the effort to try to get the science correct having a reference on River Mechanics "
— Charlie, 1/18/2014 -
" Seemed to get lost in the story telling. Sometimes I wondered if this was supposed to be a history of the river. "
— Drew, 1/13/2014 -
" One of the best I've ever read about the Mississippi, Covers the period from 1811 through 1865. Excellent, fast read. "
— John, 1/11/2014 -
" I wanted this book to be more about the river and a little more authoritative in tone. Though I enjoyed the sketches of life along the river, some of the topics and chapters were as convoluted and murky as the Mississippi itself. "
— Jen, 12/20/2013 -
" Attention Historal Novel writer: Best research book of the Mississippi River fron early 1800's through the Civil War around. "
— ElsieMarie, 12/12/2013 -
" Wonderful anthology of the people of the Mississippi Valley especially the lower Mississippi. My only complaint were a few facts I knew to be wrong lead my to wonder what other minor errors there were. Overall this was minor. I really enjoyed it. "
— Katelyn, 11/26/2013
About Lee Sandlin
Lee Sandlin is a regular
contributor to the Chicago Reader.
His essay “Losing the War” was included in the anthology The New Kings of Nonfiction. He lives in Chicago.