Wounded Tigris - by Leon McCarron (Hardcover)

About the Book

"For thousands of years, the Tigris has acted as a lung exhaling life into Mesopotamia. Its cycles of flooding created seasons of plenty and seasons of scarcity. Water was once everywhere, from the northern mountains to the southern marshlands. But it is now beginning to falter, becoming clogged and erratic, and the changing climate is bringing environmental instability to the countries that rely on it. During the pandemic, in 2020, Leon McCarron travelled from the source of this great river in the Turkish highlands, through northern Syria, into the heart of Iraq, and all the way to the Persian Gulf, moving downstream through the Cradle of Civilisation. Passing through settlements of the old world - some of which are now industrial hubs - McCarron talks to the inhabitants of cities like Diyarbakir, Mosul, Baghdad, Samarra and Basra, and asks them what it is like to live there now. Today almost 30 million people live in the watershed of the Tigris, but the river faces existential threats on multiple fronts. In Wounded Tigris, McCarron takes the reader on a fascinating journey from source to mouth, whilst also telling the incredible history of the varied lands the Tigris runs through, via encounters with the fascinating people whose own survival is often entwined with that of the river. Accompanied by beautiful photography, it is an unforgettable story told by a master explorer." --

Book Synopsis

A fascinating journey down the Tigris River--the lifeblood of human civilization--in search of history and hope.

Starting at the source of this storied river, where ancient Mesopotamians and Assyrian kings had their images carved into stone, explorer Leon McCarron and his small team will journey through the Turkish mountains, across north-east Syria and into the heart of Iraq.

Along the way, they will pass through historic cities like Diyarbakir, Mosul, and Baghdad. We will meet fishermen and farmers, along with artists, activists, and archaeologists, who rely on the flow of the river. Occasionally harassed by militias, often helped by soldiers, McCarron rode his luck in areas still troubled by ISIS and relied on the generosity of a network of strangers as he follows the river to its end in the Persian Gulf.

For readers of Simon Winchester, Erika Fatland, and Kevin Fedarko, Wounded Tigris is the story of what humanity stands to lose with the death of a great river, and what can be done to try to save it.

Review Quotes

"Wounded Tigris is a fine book. Overcoming considerable difficulties Leon McCarron's tough journey paints a rich and enthralling portrait of a river that once helped create the first cities on earth, and is now fighting a battle for survival."--Michael Palin, star of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and A Fish Called Wanda

"Brilliant. Documenting the reality of a war-torn region from a river's point of view--including many stretches that are no longer navigable because of military ordinances--Wounded Tigris captures the peculiar beauty and enduring importance of one of humanity's first waterways."--Foreword Reviews (starred)

"Wounded Tigris is an affecting look at communities that deserve attention and aid in the face of environmental catastrophe. McCarron writes with empathy about the people his group met along the way, capturing the joys and traditions that endure despite upheaval."--Booklist

"A brave adventure grippingly evoked and featuring pertinent historical context. An Iraq-based Northern Irish journalist ventures down the Tigris River through the fraught landscape of Turkey, Kurdistan, Syria, and Iraq. The narrative flows organically, delineating such daily hardships as negotiating with the police, as well as the evening delights of breaking bread with new friends in their homes."--Kirkus Reviews

"A journey through both time and ecological crisis: as epic as it is engaging."--Tom Holland, author of Rubicon, Dominion, and Persian Fire, and host of The Rest is History

"A reminder of what a great civilisation Iraq once was, what has been destroyed, and what humanity loses in the death of a civilisation. And it gave me itchy feet!"--Emma Sky, Founding Director of Yale's International Leadership Center, author of The Unravelling

"A swashbuckling tale...dodging mines and gun-cradling militia, mccarron returns to tell a tale of a river under assault."--Financial Times

"Filled with captivating insight into the history of humanity through the navigation of the Cradle of Civilization." --Barham Salih, President of Iraq (2018-2022)

"Hewn with the visceral language and spirit you'd expect from this adventurer."--National Geographic Traveller

"Real travel writing - hard hitting, with a flowing momentum, hitting a strong modern country...a truly epic journey."--Sophy Roberts, author of Lost Pianos of Siberia

About the Author

Leon McCarron is an award-winning writer, broadcaster, and explorer from Northern Ireland. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Geographical Society of Philadelphia's Explorer of the Year, and is known for long-distance expeditions and immersive multimedia storytelling. In the past decade he has travelled over 50,000km by human power, and is currently based in Iraq.