¶ … Water" by David James Duncan which commends the author in his elaboration of the importance of the ecological system in lieu of our human needs. The words of one reviewer as she commended this book said, "I thank David James Duncan for putting into words the profound idea that the salmon's presence is a breathtaking reminder of the rightness of the earth's own plan." And theses words are thus the thesis of the narratives in "My Story as Told by Water" by David James Duncan.

As the human civilization progresses we see that the environment is being affected adversely. There are tens of instances where humans have polluted nature and the results can be seen in the greenhouse effect and extinction of various species. This raises the question of the relevance of nature to the human. Environmentalists are focusing on the concepts of sustainable progress and in such a scenario books, which relate to the issue become indispensable. Thus, the book "My Story as Told by Water" by David James Duncan is one such contribution to the world.

Duncan is a nature lover he loves all the elements of nature is not afraid to say so. He is vociferously critical of the policies, which have goverened the nations around the world, and his rage at human progress at the expense of nature is apparent. He is one of the few environmental writers who are capable of tempering his rage with humor. He does not preach, rather he relates and acknowledges the worth of the environment and through his tributes puts the world to shame.

My Story as Told by Water is a selection of essays and articles which Duncan has written about the environment and which each evoke memories for the reader. As child Duncan used to go through his hometown fishing and playing in the river. Growing up in the Portland area he was close to the wilderness and it the destruction of the same caused...

This need to be close to nature and the inevitable loss of it caused him to feel more passionately than most about the environment. His words are an intricate web of the emotions he has regarding the joy he received from nature and the grief brought on by the loss.
The characters in the essays and the tales that are told are unforgettable and the humor that touches each evokes a sense of feeling in which the reader is able to relate to the situation. The narratives are not corny even as they condemn and the touch of realism allows the reader to cherish the moments that have now become mere memories.

Through his flair for creative writing and his exquisite use of the facts he paints a humorous picture of the past. Sentences like "current mining regulations in America were signed into law by Ulysses Grant" mingle with, "the caution of Mary Tyler Moore crawling across a floor covered with thousands of baby gerbils" all capture the imagination of the reader.

The book's theme is simply a love for the environment and the essays become the memoirs of his love affair with nature as he relates his tales of the rivers, creeks, streams and other natural water forms all of which he saw in Portland as a child and gradually lost as he grew to be an adult. For once we see a writer who has actually experienced nature condemn the politics, which have destroyed it. The writer cannot be called an idealist or a preacher for his experience and words are all too human. That he has left his hometown to live in Montana on the edges of the wilderness gives truth to his words, which evoke a love of nature.

As he writes of the 'myriad suburban streams' and the life in them the reader is left to wonder at the profound inspiration the writer must have felt at the time.

Yet, to say the book is all cream and peaches would…