Praise for My River Chronicles: Rediscovering the Work that Built America

“[DuLong] delivers an engaging narrative of maritime history and her own hands-on perceptions”

—The New York Times,

“An unexpected portrayal of America in the decline of industry, delivered from the unique vantage point of the Hudson River. . . . an eye-opening picture of what America has been . . . and what it is becoming . . . Powerful.”

—Kirkus, starred review

“She details her often exhilarating experiences in her very fine and gutsy book. Ms. DuLong is a confident and sensual writer, as perceptive about small matters on a boat as was Anthony Bourdain, in Kitchen Confidential, about everyday events in a professional kitchen.”

—The New York Times, ArtsBeat blog

“Smart, captivating prose . . . [Readers] will love this unusual mix of history, adventure, feminism, and blue-collar know-how. Highly recommended.”

—Library Journal

“Jessica DuLong’s elegantly written My River Chronicles . . . carries forward the craft of literary non-fiction with grace and energy.”

—Gay Talese, A Writer’s Life

“In rich and captivating prose, Jessica DuLong kindly invites the rest of us on the journey of her lifetime: from a dot-com job to the fabled waters of the Hudson River, where she became a fireboat engineer. This is an unusual and fascinating book.”

—Jon Meacham, American Lion

“When Jessica DuLong describes her work in the engine room of the John J. Harvey, you can practically feel the throb of the boat’s mighty diesels. This is someone who has paid some dues, and it shows in the details. Her view through a narrow portal at the water line opens into a bigger picture of the Hudson River, the economy of New York, and the dignity of work—the kind of work that is genuinely useful. My River Chronicles is an account of what made this country thrive, and might yet again: men and women who aren’t content to stand around with their hands in their pockets. The book reeks of penetrating oil, which may be just what is needed to get our economy, and our culture, moving again.”

—Matthew B. Crawford, Shop Class as Soulcraft

“Jessica DuLong is a lucky woman. She stumbled into an obscure world—the overheated engine room of an old fireboat—and discovered that she belonged there. Readers are lucky, too, because she has managed to translate her love affair with the water into a finely written and fascinating story about a lost American way of life.”

—Stefan Fatsis, Word Freak

“In a world where we are growing increasingly disconnected from anything real, what a delight to enter the engine room with Jessica DuLong, a real person doing a real thing in a real place. This is the kind of river trip that memoirs were developed for in the first place.”

—Douglas Rushkoff, Present Shock

“As both a writer and an engineer, [DuLong is] relentlessly, gratifyingly curious, and her fine, richly detailed prose holds an appeal regardless of your level of interest in heritage histories and engine mechanics. . . . DuLong’s passion for her craft is contagious, making My River Chronicles one of the most moving, unusual books I’ve read in a long time.”

—Bookslut