Robin Cody

had a copy of this Oregon classic on my shelves. It's a 25 anniversary edition; the author partnered with Ooligan Press to do a version that omits certain sections (apparently mild sexual content) which had led to the book being banned from High Schools. I have some kind of feelings about that, and also some feelings that they edited sex out of the book, but didn't edit out the occasions when the protagonist and his friends used offensive language (the r-word.)

It was written in 1992, and show more takes place in the early 60's; in small town Oregon. Cody grew up in Estacada, Oregon, and the book feels very true to that place and time. The writing is good, and it's fun to read about a place I know. The book features Wade, a young high-school athlete and scholar, growing up among loggers, fishermen, and in the shadow of Mt. Hood. It also features his girlfriend, Lorna, who is growing up in a trailer, smart, and eager to shake the small-town dust from her feet, and his friend Jesse, a Native American, a natural athlete, who never fits into the town, and who is suffering from the destruction of the Celilo Falls and what that meant to his community.

I was struck when reading it, by how competent and indendent young people were at that time and place. Driving, and managing car breakdowns, rafting down the river along, working at various jobs, fishing, etc. show less

I bought this book expecting an adventure-on-the-river story, but it's so much more. As the author says, it's the story of the Columbia River, told while Mr. Cody is also describing his epic canoe trip from its source in Canada all the way to the Pacific. It is full of fascinating historical information, priceless conversations with locals, descriptions of the myriad of dams and the impact they have had on man and nature. Anyone who lives in Oregon/Washington will enjoy this book immensely, show more and I think it should be mandatory reading for area high school students.
My favorite line involves Cody's exchange with an elderly native woman, who recalled a time before the dams, before her people learned English. He repeatedly has to ask her how to pronounce their word for this river, and when he cannot reproduce the sounds she makes, he asks, 'How do you spell it?' She replies, 'We don't.' show less

Cody takes us on a meandering canoe journey from the source of the Columbia river to the sea. Somewhat dated and a little self-indulgent but still interesting. Sasquatch Books gets negative points for the book falling to pieces in my hands as I read it.

This is a memoir of living near the water in Oregon. it included episodes on paddling the rivers and bays, and even attending local baseball games. The sports game chapters delve into why the local people are good at some sports.
This book covers local flavor, traditions, lifestyles, especially rural life in lower-elevation Oregon. The authors writing style exudes this local lifestyle nicely.