Bridget Crocker’s debut memoir, “The River’s Daughter” was published by Spiegel & Grau earlier this month. (Submitted photo)

River rafting guide Bridget Crocker released “The River’s Daughter” earlier this month, a debut memoir of how she found healing from generational cycles of trauma and poverty on the Snake River.

Crocker’s work delves into her relationship with the river with emotional complexity, an aspect often absent from narratives about river running, which have historically been penned by men. As one of the few female guides on the Snake River, Crocker hopes her book offers a new perspective.

“I was usually the only woman on any guide crew,” Crocker said. “As a result of the sport being male-dominated, there are few narratives about river running and most of the adventure travel canon is written from a male perspective and deals primarily with logistics and outer landscape, often overlooking the interior journey. I wanted to change that. Sharing my experiences running rivers all over the world and the lessons I’ve learned from other cultural points of view can help create a deeper understanding between people, cultures, and nature,” she said in an interview with publisher Spiegel & Grau.

The author lived on the banks of the Snake River in Wyoming with her mother following a turbulent divorce between her parents. Amidst the chaos of her adolescence, Crocker found the river to be the one constant in her life.

She hopes that by sharing the story of how she overcame damaging multigenerational cycles of poverty, trauma and abuse, the book might serve as a roadmap to others navigating similar challenges.

“So many of us suffer from disconnection from our natural world and families of origin. If this story can inspire others to reconnect with their true nature, I’m sure growth and healing will come from it, and that’s a powerful force for change,” she said in the interview.

To be continued

The name of the book was borne out of a conversation Crocker had with another writer at a party, during which she described the feeling of the river nurturing her and loving her unconditionally during her childhood.

“I feel like I’m the river’s daughter,” Crocker said to her companion. A chill passed through both of them, cementing the book title for Crocker.

During the writing process, the author discovered far more material than she could fit into one book, so she has begun work on two additional memoirs. Her next work picks up on a rafting trip on Ethiopia’s Omo River and includes expeditions in Chile, the Philippines, Peru, Idaho, Costa Rica and Alaska, while navigating internal struggles of alcoholism, addiction and codependence, according to the interview.

Bend author event

On Thursday, Crocker visits Bend’s Roundabout Books to discuss “The River’s Daughter.” She’ll be joined by Ken Streater, a former international river guide and author of “Be the Good: Becoming a Force for a Better World” and “The Gift of Courage: Tales of Open Hearts, Kindness, and Community.”

Crocker is a contributing author to Lonely Planet guidebooks and “The Best Women’s Travel Writing” series. Her work has also been featured in “Men’s Journal,” “National Geographic Adventure,” “Trail Runner,” “Outside” and on Patagonia’s blog, “The Cleanest Line.”

More coverage: Bend author Joseph Olshand releases 11th book

If You Go

What: Bridget Crocker in conversation with Ken Streater on “The River’s Daughter”

When: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday

Where: Roundabout Books & Cafe, 900 NW Mount Washington Drive #110, Bend

Cost: $5 or a purchase of “The River’s Daughter”

Contact: roundaboutbookshop.com or 541-306-6564