Shortlisted for Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year
Sunday Times ‘Book of the Week’
- Stanfords ‘Book of the Month’
- Stanfords Best Seller
- Amazon #1 Best Seller in Travel Writing
- Financial Times ‘Best New Books on Climate and the Environment’
- Wanderlust ‘Best Travel Books of 2023’
- Geographical Magazine ‘Best Books of 2023’
- New Statesman ‘Book of the Year’ 2023
- Daunt Books ‘Book of the Year’ 2023
Sunday Times ‘Book of the Week’
- Stanfords ‘Book of the Month’
- Stanfords Best Seller
- Amazon #1 Best Seller in Travel Writing
- Financial Times ‘Best New Books on Climate and the Environment’
- Wanderlust ‘Best Travel Books of 2023’
- Geographical Magazine ‘Best Books of 2023’
- New Statesman ‘Book of the Year’ 2023
- Daunt Books ‘Book of the Year’ 2023
The river Tigris is in danger. It has been the lifeblood of ancient Mesopotamia and modern Iraq, but geopolitics and climate change have left the birthplace of civilisation at risk of becoming uninhabitable. In 2021, adventurer Leon McCarron travelled by boat along the full length of the river, in search of hope.
From the source, where Assyrian kings had their images carved into stone, McCarron and his small team journeyed through the Turkish mountains, across north-east Syria and into the heart of Iraq. Passing by historic cities like Diyarbakir, Mosul and Baghdad, McCarron kept the company of fishermen and farmers, but also 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 to reach the Persian Gulf.
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.
Published: 6 April 2023 (Corsair, UK), 7 November (Pegasus, USA)
“A BOOK BY TURNS HARD-HITTING, URGENT, GENTLY LYRICAL AND SELF-DEPRECATING, A BITTERSWEET PLEASURE.”— The Sunday Times
”A FINE BOOK - 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.— Sir Michael Palin
“A CAPTIVATING INSIGHT INTO THE HISTORY OF HUMANITY THROUGH NAVIGATING THE CRADLE OF CIVILISATION, WARNING US ABOUT DIRE CONSEQUENCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AFFECTING THIS GREAT RIVER.”— Barham Salih, President of Iraq 2018-2022
“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 BRILLIANT, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN, MAD AND MYSTICAL JOURNEY. READ IT.”— Quentin Sommerville, BBC Middle East Correspondent
“A SWASHBUCKLING TALE…DODGING MINES AND GUN-CRADLING MILITIA, MCCARRON RETURNS TO TELL A TALE OF A RIVER UNDER ASSAULT.”
— Financial Times
There are many reasons why it might seem unwise to walk, mostly alone, through the Middle East. That, in part, is exactly why Leon McCarron did it.
From Jerusalem, McCarron followed a series of wild hiking trails that trace ancient trading and pilgrimage routes and traverse some of the most contested landscapes in the world. In the West Bank, he met families struggling to lead normal lives amidst political turmoil and had a surreal encounter with the world's oldest and smallest religious sect. In Jordan, he visited the ruins of Hellenic citadels and trekked through the legendary Wadi Rum. His journey culminated in the vast deserts of the Sinai, home to Bedouin tribes and haunted by the ghosts of Biblical history. The Land Beyond is a journey through time, from the quagmire of current geopolitics to the original ideals of the faithful, through the layers of history, culture and religion that have shaped the Holy Land. But at its heart, it is the story of people, not politics and of the connections that can bridge seemingly insurmountable barriers. Paperback: August 2020, Tauris Parke |
What happens when you swap the nine-to-five for two wheels and a journey of a lifetime?
Terrified of the prospect of a life spent behind a desk, without challenge or excitement, Leon took off to cross America on an overloaded bicycle packed with everything but common sense. Over 5 months and 6000 miles, , he cycled from New York to Seattle and then on to the Mexican border, facing tornados, swollen river crossings, wild roaming buffalo and one hungry black bear along the way. But he also met kind strangers, who offered their food, wisdom, hospitality and even the occasional local history lesson, and learned what happens when you take a chance and follow the scent of adventure. Pub: Jul 2014, Summersdale |
Leon's writing also appears in: