cover image Mississippi Solo

Mississippi Solo

Eddy L. Harris. Lyons Press, $17.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-1-55821-001-1

Growing up in St. Louis, Harris felt drawn to the Mississippi River and wanted to be part of it. At the age of 30 he decided it was time to challenge the riverand himselfby canoeing its length, Lake Itaska to New Orleans. With very little preparation or conditioning, he set out in the fall in a borrowed canoe. In addition to expected hazards of weather, traffic and navigation, the voyage held another one: Harris, who is black, encountered gun-toting rednecks downstream (he carried a revolver). But most people were friendly and encouraging; Harris learned how to handle the canoe in the wake of tugs and successfully tested himself to the limits of physical and mental endurance. Readers who enjoyed Jonathan Raban's Old Glory will want to read this exuberant account of a geographically similiar solo voyage. Harris is a talented writer; may he continue his adventures. (October)