River: A Hudson Memoir
Leslie Day's life changed forever when, in 1975, she moved to a tiny houseboat on the Hudson River at the 79th Street Boat Basin—a new home umbilically tied to Manhattan's Upper West Side. In her heartfelt memoir, River, Day reveals how she fell in love with, and married, her neighbor, a biology professor at Brooklyn College, became a naturalist, educator, and author, and raised her son on the boat. As Day invites readers into the intimate and connective stories of the singular floating community on the river, the histories and the people of the Hudson flow along with the tides and currents of Day's life.
There are stories of those who polluted the river, and of those who fought for it to be clean and safe. Of how Day became a student and teacher of the river, and the plants and animals she grew to know and love. Challenges and celebrations have their own place, too: storms, sinkings, fires, and ice fields; weddings, birthdays, holidays, and found families.
A unique look at life on and of the Hudson, River is a love letter to New York City, its famous waterway, as well as the environment around us and the people who shape it.
Praise for River
“River: A Hudson Memoir recounts author Leslie Day’s time living in the 79th Street Boat Basin. As one of the “livaboards,” she had firsthand experience in all aspects of life on the river– from personal relationships among family and neighbors to the broader community of birds and aquaculture. Day artfully illustrates the experience of riding the waves of NYC life with the added buoyancy of her Hudson River dwelling. “
— Landmark West!
“River: A Hudson Memoir recounts author Leslie Day’s time living in the 79th Street Boat Basin. As one of the “livaboards,” she had firsthand experience in all aspects of life on the river– from personal relationships among family and neighbors to the broader community of birds and aquaculture. Day artfully illustrates the experience of riding the waves of NYC life with the added buoyancy of her Hudson River dwelling.”
— Wave Hill Garden
“Get an insider's perspective on the floating community at the 79th Street Boat Basin on the Hudson River, as explored in Leslie Day’s book, River: A Hudson Memoir
Hear how Leslie and her family survived storms and ice floes
Discover how the Palisades were saved from destruction
Learn about the pollution and clean-up of the Hudson River
Find out what lies ahead in the future of the marina.“