Just a note, probably because it was published in 1991, just before all the barriers came down, there is no bad language in the book, except indirectly referenced: “she added a string of New York’s best obscenities.” These are rebellious, delinquent kids, and probably their language would realistically reflect that. I’m on the lookout for a copy of Thunder River, to spend some more time with these flawed but compelling characters and see what happens to them next. Although I would never in my life have wanted to canoe anywhere calm and easy, much less in whitewater, I did enjoy reading about it. They don’t learn their own limitations nor do they really reap the consequences of their bad choices, but there’s a sequel, or a companion novel, River Thunder, and maybe that’s where these kids really grow up. As the trip down the canyon progresses, the kids learn all about how much they can depend on one another, who’s smart and who’s not, and what they each have inside themselves. It’s rather obvious from the outside, looking in, that Troy is a manipulative schemer.

Of course, Jessie falls for the wrong guy, at first. And Freddy, part Hopi and part Basque, is the best paddler and wilderness survivor of the bunch, but he’s a mystery, a man of few words, and the only one that Troy can’t figure out or dominate. Pug, aka the Big Fella, is dumb, strong, and maybe dangerous against the rules, he carries a knife. Adam is the clown, always ready to diffuse the tension or sidetrack the conversation with a joke or a comedy routine. Star is from a tough background, formerly homeless, but with an ethereal quality that makes her perilously dependent on her superstitions and Tarot cards. Heather is the one who is most likely to complain, give up, and go home. Rita is a street-smart New York Hispanic girl with a loud mouth and a gift for outdoor cooking. Troy is the wealthy, spoiled natural leader of the group, the one who talks them into their wild adventure and keeps them going once they start down the canyon.

Jessie is the narrator, angry with her dad for remarrying after her mother’s death. In this YA book, eight teens, four girls and four guys, ditch their instructor in an outdoor education camp, steal his van and equipment, and drive to the Grand Canyon to paddle the rapids of the Colorado all the way through the canyon. I can’t say I’m up for the trip anytime soon, but maybe in eternity when I have plenty of time to train and no fear of death. I’ve never seen the Grand Canyon, but I can imagine it must be an exciting place, especially seen from a canoe deep inside the gorge. What you can do is keep it for your children, your children’s children, and for all who come after you.” The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. “I want you to do one thing in connection with it in your own interest and in the interests of the country. Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 on the Grand Canyon:

River Thunder by Will Hobbs