Book Club

May 25, 2026

Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

Join fellow Lake Champlain TU members for our next book club meetup on May 25 at Corner Stone Bookshop in Plattsburgh, NY.

This month we’re reading Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane, a profound work of travel writing, reporting, and natural history that explores an ancient and urgent idea: that rivers are living beings worthy of recognition in both imagination and law.

Macfarlane takes readers on journeys along three rivers in widely distant parts of the world—a cloud forest in Ecuador, a strangled and polluted river in Chennai, India, and an undammed river in northeastern Canada—meeting the people who are fighting to protect them along the way. Woven throughout is an exploration of the Rights of Nature movement, which advocates for granting legal rights to rivers and other natural entities.

A New York Times bestseller, the book was named one of TIME’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2025 and recognized as a best book of the year by outlets including The New Yorker, The Economist, and The Guardian.

The Corner Stone Bookshop is stocking copies of the book, so swing by and grab one there. You may also be able to rent it from your local library, or find it online at sites like:

We hope to see you there!

Event Details

When: May 25, 2026, from 6–7pm ET
Location: The Corner Stone Bookshop, 110 Margaret St., Plattsburgh, NY 12901

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