{"product_id":"the-water-remembers","title":"The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA moving multigenerational memoir of Indigenous resistance, environmental justice, and a Yurok family's fight to protect their legacy and the Klamath River.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the members of a Northern California tribe, salmon are the lifeblood of the people--a vital source of food, income, and cultural identity. When a catastrophic fish kill devastates the river, Amy Bowers Cordalis is propelled into action, reigniting her family's 170-year battle against the U.S. government.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn a moving and engrossing blend of memoir and history, Cordalis propels readers through generations of her family's struggle, where she learns that the fight for survival is not only about fishing--it's about protecting a way of life and the right of a species and river to exist. Her great-uncle's landmark Supreme Court case re-affirming her Nation's rights to land, water, fish, and sovereignty, her great-grandmother's defiant resistance during the Salmon Wars, and her family's ongoing battles against government overreach shape the deep commitment to justice that drives Cordalis forward.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the source of the fish kill is revealed, Cordalis steps up as General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe to hold powerful corporate interests accountable, and to spearhead the largest river restoration project in history. \u003ci\u003eThe Water Remembers\u003c\/i\u003e is a testament to the enduring power of Indigenous knowledge, family legacy, and the determination to ensure that future generations remember what it means to live in balance with the earth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmy Bowers Cordalis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a mother, fisherwoman, attorney, and a member and former General Counsel of the Yurok Tribe--the largest tribe in California. Formerly a staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund, she is the currently the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eRidges to Riffles Conservation Indigenous Group, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003ea nonprofit representing Native American tribes in natural and cultural resource matters where she works on advancing tribal sovereignty, water rights, fisheries, and the undamming of the Klamath River. She is also the recipient of the UN's highest environmental honor, Champion of the World Laureate and has been named to the second annual \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eTIME100 Climate\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e list (2024), featuring the 100 most influential leaders driving business to real climate action.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Civil Action\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e meets \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eBraiding Sweetgrass\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, a story of Indigenous survival and triumph from an Indigenous perspective.\"-- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eAsh Davidson, author of Damnation Spring\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Amy's writing sings with urgency and purpose.\"-- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eJosh \"Bones\" Murphy, Filmmaker\/Director of Patagonia's Artifishal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"In this moving memoir, Amy Bowers Cordalis shows what happens when ancestral memory joins forces with the law. The fight for the Klamath River is an important fight for tribal and environmental justice in the American West.\"-- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Owen, author of Where the Water Goes\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Water Remembers \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003eis a powerful, poetic testament to Indigenous resilience and reverence for the natural world. Amy Bowers Cordalis weaves history, activism, and sacred connection into a compelling narrative of communities fighting to protect what is most vital. This book is not just a call to action; it's a song of survival and restoration.\"-- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eLeah Thomas, environmental educator and author of The Intersectional Environmentalist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Triumphant story and ever widens the awareness of the dangers that threaten Indigenous people and their historic lands.\"-- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eCongressman Jared Huffman\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Amy Bowers Cordalis story tells us how Yurok values are lived. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Water Remembers\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e details how and why she assumed her responsibility to protect our homelands and all that we value. Her story can guide us all to meet our shared responsibilities to the world we have been gifted.\"-- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eJudge Abby Abinanti, Yurok Tribal Court Judge (and first Indigenous woman licensed to practice law in California)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"A powerful interweaving of memory, history, and activism, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Water Remembers\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a lyrical and uncompromising account of Amy Bowers Cordalis's fight to protect the Klamath River and the sovereignty of the Yurok Nation. Told through a Yurok storytelling lens, this book traverses ancestral knowledge, ecological devastation, and legal resistance, revealing the sacred bond between people and river. Bowers Cordalis, an attorney and lifelong fisherwoman, writes with the clarity of lived experience and the heart of a riverkeeper. This is a vital work of Indigenous resurgence and environmental justice, brimming with spirit, truth, and unstoppable resolve.\"-- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eTerese Marie Mailhot, author of Heart Berries\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"A brightly written, driving narrative of tribal voices and many other people... this important book is a joyous and uplifting story.\"-- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eCharles Wilkinson, author of Blood Struggle\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Amy Bowers Cordalis proves determination can save a river. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Water Remembers\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is an important record of how the Klamath became a battleground and a blueprint for action for future generations.\"-- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eYvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"A remarkable story... Bowers Cordalis eloquently describes her people's deep connection to the river.\"-- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eLA Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Little Brown and Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67729807900982,"sku":"9780316568951","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/2301\/7526\/files\/imageloader_fb0698c4-b4ba-4a26-b57e-39a0b809e282.jpg?v=1792010086","url":"https:\/\/www.summerbeambooks.com\/products\/the-water-remembers","provider":"Summer Beam Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}