Read These 7 Books to Connect with Water on a Deeper Level
There’s no denying that our team is a passionate group of water nerds. Over the years we have collected a roster of books that help us connect to water, whether we are landlocked and dreaming of open water or craving a good read that motivates us in our mission of swimmable, drinkable, fishable water for all. Writing and art provide a powerful connection that teleports us to the water and ignites a passion for protecting our precious resource. The books below helped us connect to Canada’s beautiful water bodies and appreciate just how precious they are, we hope they do the same for you.
1. Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King
In this novel, Thomas King ambitiously tells the story of the world’s creation based on various indigenous oral and written legends. King creates quirky characters and a sophisticated narrative that layer wit, adventure, and vivid landscapes. The novel negotiates ancient indigenous traditions with the modern world, as well as themes of racial injustice, oppression, and violence. Thanks to King’s lively storytelling you are sure to connect with the history of our land and waters in a new way.
2. Water Without Borders? edited by Emma S. Norman, Alice Cohen, and Karen Bakker
Can you imagine the possibility of water without borders in North America? This environmental-science book focuses on a variety of issues surrounding water in Canada and the United States and how the two countries can “rise to the challenge” of co-managing our shared water and create policies that align with science, human health, and ecosystem health concerns. This read will give you a deeper understanding of how shared water has been negotiated in the past, and how editors Norman, Cohen, and Bakker envision a transformation over the next 100 years towards proactive and cooperative governance of our most precious resource.
3. The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant
This biography takes place on Haida Gwaii, a large island west of mainland British Columbia and home to the Haida Nation for over 13,000 years. It follows the legend of Kiidk'yaas, a 200-year-old gold-needled Sitka spruce that grew on the banks of the Yakoun River, and the environmentalist who chopped it down. The book outlines the fascinating history of B.C. logging in the 1900s, the mystery of the tree’s felling, and adventure through B.C. wilderness and waters. We should warn you, once you start this book it’s hard to put down.
Image: Golden Spruce, Rene Pike, BC Forest Service
4. Boiling Point by Maude Barlow
In Boiling Point, Maude Barlow brings expertise on Canada’s water history, our false sense of water security, and how outdated policies and laws need to change. Barlow, a Canadian activist and author, has been heavily involved and passionate about sharing her knowledge of the world’s water crisis for over 20 years. She has seen first-hand how toxic waters, dried up water bodies, and mass pollution has affected people around the world. Through her writing and advocacy, Barlow encourages us to wake up, see the reality of the world as it is, and act now.
5. undercurrent by Rita Wong
This compilation of poems by author and activist, Rita Wong, connects stories of oceans, the Fraser River headwaters, and “the fluids of the womb” to one powerful message from Lee Maracle, “The water belongs to itself.” Wong’s well-crafted words allow us to experience our toxic relationship with water through art and storytelling.
6. Water by Edward Burtynsky
Over 5 years, Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky brought took hundreds of photographs around the world and compiled them into this stunning large-scale book. This series focuses on “where water comes from, how we use it, distribute and waste it.” We see images from Ontario’s Georgian Bay, Alberta’s Oil Sands, and B.C.’s Mount Edziza Provincial Park from Burtynsky’s unique eye and perspective. Through his lens, Burtynsky reveals some of the most fascinating ways we interact with and manipulate water. The images and stories are mesmerizing—something that must be seen to be understood.
Image: Georgian Bay #2, Edward Burtynsky
7. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Robin Wall Kimmerer ties together her experiences as a botanist, ecologist, mother, and woman of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in a series of short essays that expresses the importance of combining together indigenous and scientific knowledge. Dr. Kimmerer presents this book as a way to “heal our relationship with the world” by weaving together three strands of “indigenous ways of knowing, scientific knowledge, and the story of an Anishinabekwe scientist trying to bring them together in service to what matters most.”
