Paddy Reid spent thirty years working in some of the poorest communities in the United States – mainly in the Deep South – as a handyman, prison visitor and outreach worker. In The River Healer, he recounts his encounters with some of the remarkable people he met along the way – and their resilience in the face of grinding poverty. From patching up “Red’s shack” – and falling through the fl oor into the bayou – to working with people with AIDS in the early days of the crisis, this collection entertains and enthrals in equal measure.

The River Healer is a unique, heart-breaking record of life in the Southern United States by an award-winning writer. The book features stunning black-and-white photographs by the late American photographer Al Clayton.