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 floor into the bayou - to working with people with AIDS in the early days of the crisis, this collection entertains and enthralls in equal measure.