Reading Journal 2023: Life On The Mississippi: An Epic American Adventure

Reading Journal 2023: Life On The Mississippi: An Epic American Adventure
Author: Rinker Buck

“American children have been raised for more than two hundred years on the cherished rubrics of the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal” and the inalienable right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But the founders who gave civilization these words… also lusted for the West.”

This is the story of Rinker Buck’s seemingly crazy endeavor to follow in the footsteps of the flatboaters of the past by building a boat and traveling the Mississippi down to the New Orleans. In the early chapters he sets the stage for the above quote to represent the thrust of the lessons he would come to glean from his journey. Caught inbetween the ideological push of the east and the capitalist expansion of the west is a buried but significant and altogether defining portion of America’s history, and even its present: the river. In many ways it is the river that holds in its grasp the potential promise of a country unencumbered by either of those two polarities, even as it becomes clouded by the push and pull of the sheer force of power inherent in the two sides.

What is interesting about these lessons is that it unintentionally manifests itself in the crew that Buck assembles. A mix of conservative and liberal voices and personalities that render his navigating of the waters and its history a refreshing appeal for balance and genuine inquiry. It helps the lessons and observations to feel less targeted than it is honest about what the river celebrates and also helps to hide.

I have read quite a few books on the rivers history, long fascinated by its story. 8 or so years ago I did a trip that followed the river road from its humble beginnings in northern Minnesota to Memphis. One day I hope to finish it by making it to New Orleans. So I was really excited to read of Buck’s experience and gain his perspective on a path I had likewise traveled in interest of gaining an intimate awareness of its history, albeit by road rather than boat. It’s worth pointing out a small criticism here towards that end: he spends most of his time on the Ohio, not the Mississippi. For as much as I really enjoyed the story of the Ohio, I was slightly let down by how little attention the Mississippi was actually given. Once I realized the focus was on traversing in the footsteps of the economic trade route, which remains active and thriving on the riverbeds to this day even if the river has now largely been tamed and reshaped into a man-made structure, then I was able to settle in for the ride with greater ease.

What sets this one apart is the experiment of the endeavor. The book essentially follows his journey from the seedbed of an idea to researching how to do it (safely and successfully) to embarking on the journey, the book ultimately being his reflections on that experience. Intermixed with that is the byproduct of the research he did on the history of the river itself. If you like adventure, I imagine the thrill of figuring out how to build a boat and how to navigate the river safely and actually executing that in reality will make this book worthwhile. If you like history there is also plenty of that.

Or, if you are like me, you’ll appreciate both aspects along with a third; the philosophical wonderings that emerge along the ride, perfectly suited for capturing both the romanticism of the river and its wildness.

I do think the book is important as well. It makes some interesting lived and read observations about America present and America past, relating specifically to the question of its story or its defining narrative. For me it was fascinating, and even validating, to read about the uniqueness the river holds in this story. It helps to reformulated the typical ways in which left and right are both held hostage to the “land”. In the river we find both a deeply rooted connection to the wider world as well as the trappings of that east-west divide imprisoned in its banks. Knowing how to tell both of those stories together is a part of the art of Buck’s honest search for the truth of the rivers “mythology”.