James Brown gained a cult following after chronicling his turbulent childhood and spiraling drug addiction in The Los Angeles Diaries. This River picks up where his first memoir left off, describing his tenuous relationship with sobriety, telling of agonizing relapses, and tracking his attempts to become a better father. "James Brown is a truth teller and here again he does not disappoint. His writing as always is lucid and unflinching. In laying bare his own soul, he makes of his work an act against loneliness, shot through with a sad wisdom." Kem Nunn "When you put this book down, trust me, you will think about it for a long time." Robert Olmstead "James Brown is one of our most accomplished writers, and this brilliant memoir is among the finest of its kind." B.H. Fairchild