Reading the Water

A unique and radiant memoir about fatherhood and fly fishing. Fishing was Mark Hume's passion since he was a young boy, a lifeline through a childhood marked by impermanence. When he became a father, he knew he wanted to pass on his love of fishing and the natural world to his daughters. Most of all, he wanted to give them hope for their future even as they were growing up during an ever-worsening climate crisis. As soon as they were old enough, Mark taught his girls how to read the water and see the patterns in nature. He showed them how to cast, how to catch fish and release them, and--only when needed--how to kill them. He discovered that fly fishing and fatherhood require many of the same skills: patience, flexibility, and the knowledge of when to reel in and when to let go. Illuminating and heartfelt, Reading the Water is a much-needed, positive story about a father raising daughters, and a meditation on finding faith in a deep connection with the natural world.