A modern-day David and Goliath tale, The Riverkeepers is an impassioned firsthand account by two advocates who have taken on powerful corporate and government polluters to win back the river they love. John Cronin and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., report from the frontline of environmental activism, the Hudson River Valley, to tell us how we too can fight and win by reclaiming a fundamental right that dates back to the Magna Carta - the right to defend and enjoy our invaluable natural resources. Revealing shocking stories of commonplace environmental crime - from drinking water tainted with hospital waste to fish populations contaminated by freely dumped PCBs - John and Bobby describe their dramatic confrontations with more than ninety environmental lawbreakers. They vividly recount the hands-on investigations, the groundbreaking court battles, and the courageous local heroes that characterize their mission to bring to justice some of the world's most powerful institutions. Interweaving the personal, philosophical, and political, The Riverkeepers is a timely call to action that will resonate across America as the backlash spearheaded by congressional leaders and their major corporate allies threatens to reverse the hard-won victories in environmental law and policy. It is an eloquent and essential reminder that environmentalism is really about defending democracy and our most basic rights as citizens.