The nation’s river

One of the best books of 2025, included in our list of holiday book recommendations, is Potomac Fever, a compelling and sweeping history of the river that both connects and divides all of us in the DMV. Written by Maryland author and historian Charlotte Taylor Fryar, this volume delves into the natural and human history of the Potomac, exploring the plant and animal life in and around the river’s banks, as well as the story of racially unequal access to and white privilege in natural spaces.