Written with verve and a profound understanding of the contradictions of American democracy. . . . Readers might curl up with [Fryar’s] book in the comfort of home or, after visiting the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, take it with them on a stroll along [the Potomac]. . . . A lovely ode to an oft-neglected river.
Potomac Fever
Reflections on the Nation’s River
As she walks the length of the Potomac River, clambering up its banks and sounding its depths, Charlotte Taylor Fryar examines the geography and ecology of Washington, D.C. with all manner of flora and fauna as her witness. The ecological traces of human inhabitancy provide her with imaginative access into America’s past, for her true subject is the origin of our splintered nation and racially divided capital.
From the gentrified neighborhood of Shaw to George Washington’s slave labor camp at Mount Vernon, Potomac Fever maps the troubled histories of the United States by leading us along the less-trafficked trails and side streets of our capital city, steeped in the legacy of white supremacy and colonialism. In the end, Fryar offers hope for how “we might grow a society guided by the ethics and values of the places we live.”
A compelling synthesis of historical, environmental, and personal narrative, Potomac Fever exposes the roots of our national myths, awash in the waters of America’s renowned river.
Reading Group Choices “Editors’ Picks” selection
Shelf Unbound “Recommended Reading” selection
Kirkus Reviews “Exploring Water Worlds Booklist” selection
Arlington Magazine/Arlington Public Library “Best New Book Releases” selection
Ebook
- ISBN
- 9781954276352
Paperback
- ISBN
- 9781954276345
Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, recommends ten books that capture the true spirit of Washington, D.C. at Literary Hub.
Read an excerpt from Potomac Fever in Shelf Unbound.
Events
Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, and Alex Green, author of A Perfect Turmoil, in EveryLibrary Live! series (virtual)
EveryLibrary welcomes Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, and Alex Green, author of A Perfect Turmoil, for a special National Library Week conversation exploring the hidden forces that have shaped America’s past and present.
Free; RSVP requested
Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, at Snug Books (book talk)
Snug Books welcomes Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, for a special two part event including a book talk and conversation on Friday evening and a nature walk in Herring Run Park on Saturday afternoon.
Free; RSVP requested
Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, at Snug Books (nature walk)
Snug Books welcomes Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, for a nature walk from Snug Books to Herring Run Park.
Free; RSVP requested
Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, at Center for the Study of the American South
The Center for the Study of the American South at UNC-Chapel Hill welcomes Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, for a book talk and conversation.
Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, at New Dominion Bookshop
New Dominion Bookshop welcomes Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, for a book talk and conversation.
Fox Haven Farm hosts Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, for a nature walk along the Brunswick Towpath
Fox Haven Farm welcomes Charlotte Taylor Fryar, author of Potomac Fever, for a historical land walk and book talk along the Brunswick Towpath.
Charlotte Taylor Fryar is a writer, historian, educator, and herbalist. She holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lives in Glen Echo, Maryland, less than seven hundred feet from the banks of the Potomac River. Potomac Fever: Reflections on the Nation’s River is her first book.
visit author page »Praise for Potomac Fever
Fryar seamlessly weaves a fascinating history of racial, class, and gendered divisions that exist in and outside of Washington, D.C.’s quintessential worlds of interrelated nature and American (in)humanity.
— Marcie Cohen Ferris, coeditor of Southern Cultures journal and author of The Edible South
Provocative. . . . Starting with a love of the river and the plants around it, the evocative descriptions are joined by political and social histories that define who lives where and the impacts of pollution and climate change. An important read about a place that defines us all.
— Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books (Davidson, NC)