‘River Of The West’ A Biography Of One Of World’s Great Waterways

It’s been glorified in story and song, but the Columbia River remains oblivious to the people who celebrate it.

The opposite could never be said. In just the last year, a number of books have been written in appreciation of the second-largest river system in North America.

The latest is titled “River of the West: Stories From the Columbia” (HarperCollins West, 304 pages, $22). In it, author Robert Clark compiles facts and figures, fantasies and fallacies of the body of water that native tribes call Nch’i-Wana.

Clark, who will be in Spokane on Monday to read from the book at 7:30 p.m. at Auntie’s Bookstore, is the author of the award-winning “James Beard: A Biography.” He brings a writerly tone to the river project.

In chapters that address each of the different aspects of both the river and the life on and around it, Clark works in prose that, at best, is poetic and, at worst, is a tad ostentatious.

Even so, his effort is an admirable one. Painstakingly researched, “River of the West” gives a picture of the Columbia as it developed from a series of killer floods some 12,000 year ago to the controlled waterway of today. Along the way, he writes about salmon, native tribes, white immigrants, coyote and his legendary stories, dams, missionaries and holy men, wars, troubadours and the occasional personality.

Some of the familiar names Clark drops at length are Woody Guthrie, David SoHappy, David Thompson and Narcissa Whitman.

But the emphasis is on the river itself, which Clark continually refers to almost as if it were proof of the existence of God. As he writes of the Klickitats who still live at water’s edge, “And the water binds them to God as the river binds water to earth - water running west, bound with orange and yellow light.”

Make a reservation

Fresh off the publication of his first novel, “Reservation Blues” (Atlantic Monthly Press, 306 pages, $21), Sherman Alexie is set for a Spokane return.

Now living in Seattle, Wellpinitnative Alexie will read from his novel to the accompaniment of musician Jim Boyd at 7:30 p.m. May 18 at Auntie’s Bookstore.

The initial reviews for “Reservation Blues” are impressive. Publisher’s Weekly calls it “a superb first novel, a lyric comic tale with magical realist overtones.” Kirkus Reviews calls it a “fresh, vibrant modern fairy tale.”

Even People magazine reviewed it. Saying that “Alexie explores the place where dreams and down-anddirty reality collide,” People describes “Reservations Blues” as “a poignant and poetic first novel.”

Touring the town

Anyone who has spent any real time in Spokane, which we’ll define as being able to remember when it was actually possible to run Bloomsday for time, recognizes that the city is changing.

And if you define change as having more to offer, then you’ll have to admit that the city is, in most respects, changing for the better.

Just a quick look at a newly published book, “Spokane: The Complete Guide to the Hub of the Inland Northwest” (Johnson Associates International, 256 pages, $14.95 paperback) will show you how much Spokane has to offer.

On page 68, for example, author M.E. Buckham describes the Thai Cafe (410 W. Sprague) as “the oldest Thai restaurant in Spokane.” Some of us remember when the Thai Cafe opened, and now there are more than half a dozen Thai/ Laotian/Vietnamese restaurants within a 15-minute drive of downtown.

But Buckham’s book is far more than just a guide to eateries. The Spokane native, using the photographs of Spokane residents Patrice Tobler and Ron Swords, runs down the city’s lodging, entertainment, shopping centers, various sights and the ways of getting around.

“This book is designed for both visitors and longtime residents,” Buckham writes, “for those seeing the sights for the first time, or for those wanting to discover some of the many wonderful changes blossoming in this City by the Falls.”

The reader board

Chuck Hogan, author of “The Standoff” (Doubleday, $23.50, 306 pages), will read from his novel at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington.

Jasen Emmons, author of “Cowboy Angst” (Soho Press, 264 pages, $21), will read from his novel at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Auntie’s Bookstore.