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Richochet River
In late adolescence, after teens finally learn to surf their raging hormones, questions about boxes begin to arise. Everything becomes a schools, families, even hometowns start to pinch and confine after a while; the restless teen spirit wants to break free from expectations and humdrum rhythms. In a small Oregon logging town in the '60s, Wade and Lorna are beginning to feel the pinch, even more confusing because Calamus is home, too. The Calamus River rushes through town, inspiring them with its freedom and strength. What would happen if they broke free and allowed their own surging currents to take them to another place? Lessons come through a transforming friendship with another teen--a Native American named Jesse, who knows a lot about the river and his own restless spirit. This is a magnificent, deeply felt novel about coming of age and finding a place in the world.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Robin Cody
8 books10 followersAn Oregon native, Robin Cody is the author of Ricochet River and Voyage of a Summer Sun, both of which appear on the Oregon State Library's "150 Oregon Books for the Oregon Sesquicentennial" list. Voyage of a Summer Sun won the Oregon Book Award for literary nonfiction. Cody has worked as an English teacher, a dean of college admissions, a baseball umpire, and a school bus driver. He lives in Portland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
December 4, 2017
Growing up in Oregon, I was always aware of how older generations had knowledge that not only I did not have, but that I was unlikely to grow up to have. Knowledge of local flora and fauna, the lay of the land, and a sense for local history that goes beyond knowledge of the sequence of events and their relations. So it's this angle of Ricochet River that I'm most sensitive to, the fear that modernization (I should pick a better word, as modernization implies inevitability, that there is but a single historical destination) perverts what we are by limiting the ways in which we can grow. I've always blamed myself, because the loss of generational knowledge shouldn't be inevitable, and I've been aware that some effort on my part could help address some of the problem. But reading this novel, I've been aware too of how much of this loss is due to differences in the environment I grew up in versus those I've compared myself to, and because there often wasn't sufficient effort to bring me into these fields of knowledge for the end of my having an organic understanding of these fields.
I should say too that there's a nice chapter in this novel where an indigenous American character tries to relate their own culture and experiences to what is being discussed in class, and the teacher having no context for it, and seeing the comments as a distraction. It felt very familiar. I wondered why students speak in class. The first idea that occurs to me is that it is to share information with the instructor and other students. But it has to be more than that too, the student is reasserting their role in a dialectical relationship, reestablishing that the relationship is dialectical. The instructor is in a position of power, is in many ways an instrument of power, and the student will sometimes feel a need for affirmation, and sometimes a need for resistance. That's how it seems to me, anyways.
I should say too that there's a nice chapter in this novel where an indigenous American character tries to relate their own culture and experiences to what is being discussed in class, and the teacher having no context for it, and seeing the comments as a distraction. It felt very familiar. I wondered why students speak in class. The first idea that occurs to me is that it is to share information with the instructor and other students. But it has to be more than that too, the student is reasserting their role in a dialectical relationship, reestablishing that the relationship is dialectical. The instructor is in a position of power, is in many ways an instrument of power, and the student will sometimes feel a need for affirmation, and sometimes a need for resistance. That's how it seems to me, anyways.
September 15, 2018
I bought this book while traveling in Oregon. It breaks my black authors streak, but I was looking for a book set in Oregon by an Oregonian author, and this coming of age story fit the bill. I started reading the book on the plane on the way home, but then chaos ensued.
For some reason I read the preface, which I normally never do. From the preface, I learned some startling facts about the book's publication history. It was originally published in 1992. The subsequent paper back edition was taught in schools, particularly in Oregon. Unfortunately, parents complained because Ricochet River features brief scenes of teens drinking and engaging in bumbling, awkward sexual activity. When the original printing press went out of business in 2002, the book disappeared. In 2004, the author approached Ooligan Press about publishing a FUCKING CENSORED version with all of the sex taken out in an effort to get it back into schools. What a fucking travesty. My edition, the special 25th anniversary edition published in 2017, left the book in its censored form.
After reading this in the preface, my initial reaction was to return it. I don't need a few uptight parents in Oregon telling me, an adult woman, what I can and can't read. But I was already on the plane, so getting back to the Portland bookstore was impossible. And, being captive on a plane for 5 hours, I had nothing else to do but read it. However, I am still VERY UPSET. I understand the author's 2004 predicament - let the book die or begrudgingly self-censor to give it a new life in schools. It is ridiculous that he had to make that choice. The parents who complained are not professional educators, writers or librarians. All they did was have unprotected sex that resulted in spawn, and they somehow believe that qualifies them to make curricular decisions????? Fucking idiots. School boards are spineless twats.
I finished the censored edition and then had to use library resources to request a copy of the first edition through inter-library loan. Thank you the fine staff at UMass Amherst for sending me the book, and the staff at my own institution for requesting, delivering and returning it. The fact that I had to use library and postal resources to read a few pages of teen sex and send the book back somehow feels more weird than if they had just left it in there, but that is what these irresponsible parents want.
What upsets me the most is that this new, 25th anniversary edition, PUBLISHED IN 2017, is still censored. From 2004 to 2017, both the worlds of young adult literature and pornography changed dramatically. The YA industry exploded, proving there is a financial market outside of schools. Additionally, several authors have won some significant battles to keep banned books in schools. Most importantly, most teens now have 24 hour access to porn in their pocket. With porn being so ubiquitous, it is more important than ever that teens see honest, realistic portrayals of sex. When discussing the book's sex scene, Cody says, "The scene is comic and bungling and incomplete, but still- taken out of context and read aloud to the school board, that passage is trouble." But the context is what is so important! Free internet porn reduces sex to a five minute clip of people smashing - this book and others like it do the important work of putting sex in the context of a relationship and its emotional consequences. Wade, the male protagonist, specifically mentions how different and more difficult his sexual experience is than how sex is portrayed in film. While my rage is up, I would also like to note that in the beginning of the book, when asked about his and Lorna's sex life, Wade repeatedly says, "Lorna is not that kind of girl." As his views and experience with sex evolve, you see that Wade and Lorna can have sex while maintaining their relationship and it does not change "what kind of girl" she is. Without the sex, the idea that there are certain kinds of trashy girls who have sex, and that makes them worse, is left in place. Fucking outrageous. I could go on about how the book features condoms, cunnilingus and other parts of the teen sexual experience missing from porn, but it doesn't matter to those fucking moronic parents.
ANYWAY, given that the world of YA literature is so much more open, WHY NOT USE THE OPPORTUNITY OF A 25TH EDITION TO RESTORE THE BOOK TO ITS ORIGINAL TEXT????? That is what I want to know. Why are my complaints and needs less valid than those of some completely ridiculous parents in Portland? I'm sure many English teachers and librarians would have advocated for it. This country is so stupid.
Also, be forewarned, this book will make you want to eat salmon every day, so have some on hand.
For some reason I read the preface, which I normally never do. From the preface, I learned some startling facts about the book's publication history. It was originally published in 1992. The subsequent paper back edition was taught in schools, particularly in Oregon. Unfortunately, parents complained because Ricochet River features brief scenes of teens drinking and engaging in bumbling, awkward sexual activity. When the original printing press went out of business in 2002, the book disappeared. In 2004, the author approached Ooligan Press about publishing a FUCKING CENSORED version with all of the sex taken out in an effort to get it back into schools. What a fucking travesty. My edition, the special 25th anniversary edition published in 2017, left the book in its censored form.
After reading this in the preface, my initial reaction was to return it. I don't need a few uptight parents in Oregon telling me, an adult woman, what I can and can't read. But I was already on the plane, so getting back to the Portland bookstore was impossible. And, being captive on a plane for 5 hours, I had nothing else to do but read it. However, I am still VERY UPSET. I understand the author's 2004 predicament - let the book die or begrudgingly self-censor to give it a new life in schools. It is ridiculous that he had to make that choice. The parents who complained are not professional educators, writers or librarians. All they did was have unprotected sex that resulted in spawn, and they somehow believe that qualifies them to make curricular decisions????? Fucking idiots. School boards are spineless twats.
I finished the censored edition and then had to use library resources to request a copy of the first edition through inter-library loan. Thank you the fine staff at UMass Amherst for sending me the book, and the staff at my own institution for requesting, delivering and returning it. The fact that I had to use library and postal resources to read a few pages of teen sex and send the book back somehow feels more weird than if they had just left it in there, but that is what these irresponsible parents want.
What upsets me the most is that this new, 25th anniversary edition, PUBLISHED IN 2017, is still censored. From 2004 to 2017, both the worlds of young adult literature and pornography changed dramatically. The YA industry exploded, proving there is a financial market outside of schools. Additionally, several authors have won some significant battles to keep banned books in schools. Most importantly, most teens now have 24 hour access to porn in their pocket. With porn being so ubiquitous, it is more important than ever that teens see honest, realistic portrayals of sex. When discussing the book's sex scene, Cody says, "The scene is comic and bungling and incomplete, but still- taken out of context and read aloud to the school board, that passage is trouble." But the context is what is so important! Free internet porn reduces sex to a five minute clip of people smashing - this book and others like it do the important work of putting sex in the context of a relationship and its emotional consequences. Wade, the male protagonist, specifically mentions how different and more difficult his sexual experience is than how sex is portrayed in film. While my rage is up, I would also like to note that in the beginning of the book, when asked about his and Lorna's sex life, Wade repeatedly says, "Lorna is not that kind of girl." As his views and experience with sex evolve, you see that Wade and Lorna can have sex while maintaining their relationship and it does not change "what kind of girl" she is. Without the sex, the idea that there are certain kinds of trashy girls who have sex, and that makes them worse, is left in place. Fucking outrageous. I could go on about how the book features condoms, cunnilingus and other parts of the teen sexual experience missing from porn, but it doesn't matter to those fucking moronic parents.
ANYWAY, given that the world of YA literature is so much more open, WHY NOT USE THE OPPORTUNITY OF A 25TH EDITION TO RESTORE THE BOOK TO ITS ORIGINAL TEXT????? That is what I want to know. Why are my complaints and needs less valid than those of some completely ridiculous parents in Portland? I'm sure many English teachers and librarians would have advocated for it. This country is so stupid.
Also, be forewarned, this book will make you want to eat salmon every day, so have some on hand.
June 7, 2017
The foundation of this book is the traditional coming-of-age story with the jock, the pretty girl, and a token Native American boy named Jesse. Throw in the trials of high school life against a small-town setting complete with woods, a lake, and next-to-nothing to do and you have the backdrop for Ricochet River. The characters lack depth and instead seem to fall all-too-easily into the tropes that could be expected of a traditional YA book. Along with the appalling treatment of Jesse, Lorna’s snaggle tooth is sexualized, or perhaps fetishized, in a way that distracts and seems unnecessary in the context of the story. Wade for example does not receive this type of treatment—while Jesse is portrayed as mystic or other, and Lorna is sexualized, Wade is just Wade—which, to be frank, makes him a very forgettable protagonist.
While I appreciate the strides made with the anniversary edition, including the additional teachers guides and discussion material, this doesn’t change the fact that this book is racist and culturally insensitive in a way that I don’t find makes valuable commentary or holds historical significance. It is baffling to me that after multiple editions with different publishers nothing was done to alleviate or correct this.
While I appreciate the strides made with the anniversary edition, including the additional teachers guides and discussion material, this doesn’t change the fact that this book is racist and culturally insensitive in a way that I don’t find makes valuable commentary or holds historical significance. It is baffling to me that after multiple editions with different publishers nothing was done to alleviate or correct this.
December 27, 2020
I have decided to reread all the books on my shelves as part of the pandemic celebration. For years I have been hoarding them against some disaster and I think this is it. Anyway, this book dates from my days as a bookstore clerk in Central Oregon and if I actually have read it before it was 20 years ago or more and I didn't remember it at all. I think I particularly enjoyed it because it is set in Oregon in place I know. It is a coming of age story of three teenagers in a small lumber town in the 1960's. I really appreciated his treatment of the Native American boy, Jesse.
December 1, 2016
I'll say this up front: I love this book. It surprised me how much I love this book. It's set in 1960 (not an era I'd normally turn to for my fiction) in a small town in Oregon—the fictional town of Calamus, we're told, but it's fixed in the real forest east of Portland near the Clackamas and Columbia Rivers. It's fixed in the real history, too, of the Pacific Northwest, with the decline of logging as a way of life, the effects of river dams on salmon and the Indians who fished for them, and the attitudes of white and Indian cultures toward each other and toward the land.
At the heart of the story, though, are the characters of Wade, Lorna, and Jesse. Wade is a high school senior who can't decide what he wants to do with his life. He's good in school, good in sports, comes from a good home, but he's good and confused. Lorna is his longtime girlfriend; she's smart but feels as if the walls of Calamus are closing in on her. Jesse has just moved to Calamus from the Warm Springs Reservation to spend his senior year at the high school; he's a gifted athlete but lives recklessly—Wade would call it "bass-ackwards"—and has trouble staying out of trouble. Jesse, in fact, is the fulcrum for just about everything that happens. Some of what happens is what you'd expect—it's high school—and some of it surprising as they explore the world around them.
I think what really connected with the most was the voice of the narrator, Wade. He's open and sincere and sometimes a bit clueless. For instance, when he first meets Jesse and Jesse makes a suggestive remark about Lorna, Wade freezes and thinks to himself—
"Situations like this you see all the time in movies. Some drunk insults your woman and you deck him with one punch—pflatt—or send him spinning out through the swinging saloon doors. But when it actually comes up... the trouble is, thinking about it. You have to just do it, not think about it. Will it hurt my hand? What if he gets up? By the time it dawned on me this was real life, my timing was way off."
Ricochet River does feel like real life. Even if it's 1960.
At the heart of the story, though, are the characters of Wade, Lorna, and Jesse. Wade is a high school senior who can't decide what he wants to do with his life. He's good in school, good in sports, comes from a good home, but he's good and confused. Lorna is his longtime girlfriend; she's smart but feels as if the walls of Calamus are closing in on her. Jesse has just moved to Calamus from the Warm Springs Reservation to spend his senior year at the high school; he's a gifted athlete but lives recklessly—Wade would call it "bass-ackwards"—and has trouble staying out of trouble. Jesse, in fact, is the fulcrum for just about everything that happens. Some of what happens is what you'd expect—it's high school—and some of it surprising as they explore the world around them.
I think what really connected with the most was the voice of the narrator, Wade. He's open and sincere and sometimes a bit clueless. For instance, when he first meets Jesse and Jesse makes a suggestive remark about Lorna, Wade freezes and thinks to himself—
"Situations like this you see all the time in movies. Some drunk insults your woman and you deck him with one punch—pflatt—or send him spinning out through the swinging saloon doors. But when it actually comes up... the trouble is, thinking about it. You have to just do it, not think about it. Will it hurt my hand? What if he gets up? By the time it dawned on me this was real life, my timing was way off."
Ricochet River does feel like real life. Even if it's 1960.
August 23, 2010
robin cody's ricochet river generated some mild controversy earlier last decade when some parents of a local school district attempted to have the book banned (on the spurious claims of age-inappropriate sexual themes & profanity). like many banned and censored works, ricochet river is a coming-of-age tale that narrates the requisite emotional awakening and sexual maturing of its teenage characters. set in 1960's calamus, a fictional oregon logging town near portland, the story follows three friends yearning for something greater than their small town could possibly offer. while parts of the book were not as well developed as they perhaps might have been, ricochet river does exude a certain charm (even if the ending was somewhat predictable). cody succeeds in capturing the essence of small town living, as well as the inevitable angst plaguing its young inhabitants. among the work's notable qualities are its vivid portrayal of the breathtaking cascadian landscape and the richness and depth cody lent the three main characters.
September 16, 2023
The story of the dam built on the Columbia River at Celilo Falls. The result was taking away the village and livelihood of the indians who had lived and fished at the falls for 10,000 years away in one fell swoop. Blocking the way for spawning Chinook Salmon on the river was seen as a price easy to pay.
In this story a teen Indian boy who had lived and fished at Celilo Falls comes to Calamus. Prejudice against Indians the plight of losing their homes, their whole culture lost and having to move to the warm Springs Reservation are touched on. Also the problem of hardworking people who suddenly have nothing to do, and guilt money from the government.
In 2005 salmon ladders were added to the Washington side of the Columbia River.
In this story a teen Indian boy who had lived and fished at Celilo Falls comes to Calamus. Prejudice against Indians the plight of losing their homes, their whole culture lost and having to move to the warm Springs Reservation are touched on. Also the problem of hardworking people who suddenly have nothing to do, and guilt money from the government.
In 2005 salmon ladders were added to the Washington side of the Columbia River.
September 4, 2018
A charming, if slightly diffuse, coming of age story set on the Clackamas River in 1960s Oregon logging country. The writing is wonderful. It's like the YA version of David James Duncan's The River Why and the 20th century version of Huckleberry Finn. Some reviewers seem to take issue with representation and tokenism, particularly of Jesse Howl, the American Indian character. I don't disagree. It does seem problematic to be too accepting of portrayals of the colonized (along with all their implied and explicit stereotypes), written by the colonizers. Cody deals with this problem a little bit in the book, but not quite enough.
August 28, 2024
seems like my kind of thing but ultimately I just didn’t connect with the characters. they are interesting to think about but reading about them on the page there weren’t many emotions stirring in me. the writing felt kind of cold, though there were a lot of attempts at deep conversation it just always felt forcefully constructed to provoke a lot of questions by someone who, I dunno, deconstructs novels and gleans questions from them for a living (he was a teacher. lol)
still good
still good
June 5, 2017
Ricochet River is a character study from the point of view of golden-boy Wade Cullen, a senior in high school in fictional Calamus, Oregon, from a privileged family. Through Wade's young, rule-following eyes, we see the struggles of two outsiders: his restless girlfriend, Lorna, and their friend, Jesse, an American Indian who has the nerve to be himself in a community who refuses to accept him. Both Jesse and Lorna are more talented than Wade in their own ways, but Wade sees their marginalization as inevitable based on their inability to play by the "rules." Wade's greatest threats and pressures is (very Oregonian) passive-aggressiveness from his family when he refuses to go to an East Coast college.
Robin Cody is a lyrical and thoughtful writer who manages to capture "Oregonness" in this novel (I'm referencing one of the comments Cody received in an early rejection letter for the book, described in the 25th anniversary edition's preface). There's a very specific type of what Lorna calls "viciousness" to not only small towns, but Oregon small towns in particular. Reading this in 2017, it's hard for me to think about much else other than how badly Jesse is failed by his "allies"--Wade and Lorna--and especially by the adults in Calamus who suck up his athletic talents but do nothing to nurture him as a person. It's hard to differentiate between the character's entertainment value for the readers of this book and for the residents of Calamus who view him as little more than a curiosity at best.
I've heard this described as a nostalgic novel, but I would hate to think that anyone could read this and feel warmth. It would be like feeling a warm fuzzy after reading Bridge to Teribithia. Except worse.
Robin Cody is a lyrical and thoughtful writer who manages to capture "Oregonness" in this novel (I'm referencing one of the comments Cody received in an early rejection letter for the book, described in the 25th anniversary edition's preface). There's a very specific type of what Lorna calls "viciousness" to not only small towns, but Oregon small towns in particular. Reading this in 2017, it's hard for me to think about much else other than how badly Jesse is failed by his "allies"--Wade and Lorna--and especially by the adults in Calamus who suck up his athletic talents but do nothing to nurture him as a person. It's hard to differentiate between the character's entertainment value for the readers of this book and for the residents of Calamus who view him as little more than a curiosity at best.
I've heard this described as a nostalgic novel, but I would hate to think that anyone could read this and feel warmth. It would be like feeling a warm fuzzy after reading Bridge to Teribithia. Except worse.
December 5, 2023
"Ricochet River" by Robin Cody is a captivating exploration of adolescence, friendship, and the complex dynamics of a small town. Set against the backdrop of a rural Oregon community, Cody weaves a compelling narrative that delves into the lives of its young protagonists and the challenges they face in the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
The story primarily follows the lives of two friends, Wade and Lorna, as they navigate the turbulent waters of high school, relationships, and the expectations of their close-knit community. Cody masterfully captures the essence of small-town life, portraying the interwoven relationships, gossip, and the impact of the surrounding environment on the characters' growth.
One of the strengths of "Ricochet River" lies in Cody's ability to create authentic and relatable characters. The struggles and triumphs of Wade and Lorna were relatable, making the story emotionally engaging. The coming-of-age theme is skillfully interwoven with the exploration of the town's history and the significance of the river that runs through it, adding depth and texture to the narrative.
Cody's writing is rich and evocative, painting vivid pictures of the Oregon landscape and immersing the reader in the sights, sounds, and emotions of the characters. The pacing is well-executed, keeping the narrative flowing smoothly while allowing for moments of introspection and self-discovery.
As the characters grapple with love, loss, and the challenges of adulthood, "Ricochet River" offers a poignant reflection on the universal experiences of growing up. The novel beautifully captures the complexities of friendship and the ways in which personal choices can have lasting consequences.
The story primarily follows the lives of two friends, Wade and Lorna, as they navigate the turbulent waters of high school, relationships, and the expectations of their close-knit community. Cody masterfully captures the essence of small-town life, portraying the interwoven relationships, gossip, and the impact of the surrounding environment on the characters' growth.
One of the strengths of "Ricochet River" lies in Cody's ability to create authentic and relatable characters. The struggles and triumphs of Wade and Lorna were relatable, making the story emotionally engaging. The coming-of-age theme is skillfully interwoven with the exploration of the town's history and the significance of the river that runs through it, adding depth and texture to the narrative.
Cody's writing is rich and evocative, painting vivid pictures of the Oregon landscape and immersing the reader in the sights, sounds, and emotions of the characters. The pacing is well-executed, keeping the narrative flowing smoothly while allowing for moments of introspection and self-discovery.
As the characters grapple with love, loss, and the challenges of adulthood, "Ricochet River" offers a poignant reflection on the universal experiences of growing up. The novel beautifully captures the complexities of friendship and the ways in which personal choices can have lasting consequences.
August 1, 2017
Amazing and great story of life in a fictional small logging town near Oregon City, featuring Native American culture and the migration cycle of salmon.
Read this book.
I heard an interview w/ author Robin Cody on the radio recently. He told how he tried for 15 years to publish the story, until it finally got picked up. He had improved it a lot by that point. It is now in high school reading curriculum.
High-schooler Wade Curren's life is disrupted when Jesse Howl (yes Howl, as in howl like a wolf, or better, like a coyote) comes to town. Jesse is from the Warm Springs reservation and it turns out he's an amazing athlete. He quickly replaces Wade as starting pitcher on the baseball team.
All kinds of trouble comes about because of Jesse, as Wade gets to know him and becomes his friend, while Wade is trying to keep things going with his steady girlfriend Lorna. Woven through all this is a lost way of life (several lost ways of life) and the terrible end faced by the salmon because of the construction of all the dams.
Read this book.
I heard an interview w/ author Robin Cody on the radio recently. He told how he tried for 15 years to publish the story, until it finally got picked up. He had improved it a lot by that point. It is now in high school reading curriculum.
High-schooler Wade Curren's life is disrupted when Jesse Howl (yes Howl, as in howl like a wolf, or better, like a coyote) comes to town. Jesse is from the Warm Springs reservation and it turns out he's an amazing athlete. He quickly replaces Wade as starting pitcher on the baseball team.
All kinds of trouble comes about because of Jesse, as Wade gets to know him and becomes his friend, while Wade is trying to keep things going with his steady girlfriend Lorna. Woven through all this is a lost way of life (several lost ways of life) and the terrible end faced by the salmon because of the construction of all the dams.
January 23, 2019
What is the term for when you don't want a book to end? That is what I felt here. Set in Oregon, with well-drawn, likable characters, Cody tells a beguiling coming-of-age story that touches on racism, prejudice, the destruction of the salmon fishery and the Indians who fished them, the pointlessness of life on the reservation and restrictiveness of a small town, and, above all, the power of friendship. Each chapter begins with Wade Curren's (the narrator) keen observations of nature: salmon, the river, trees. . .osprey, all of which fascinated me. And then he proceeds with the story of the events in the lives of these three teens, which, at times, are hilarious and others, tearfully sad.
Fortunately, I read the original, 1992 version of the book, not the subsequent, censored one. Thus, the book authentically captured the innocence of growing up in a small town in the 60's, where high school sports, hanging out at the local eatery on Friday night and gossip were central to life. Well done!
Fortunately, I read the original, 1992 version of the book, not the subsequent, censored one. Thus, the book authentically captured the innocence of growing up in a small town in the 60's, where high school sports, hanging out at the local eatery on Friday night and gossip were central to life. Well done!
August 17, 2017
Robin Cody's Ricochet River serves as stunning representation of what it means to be a teenager. Each character's struggles to come of age in a Pacific Northwest small town are unique but equally poignant, and I found myself most connected to Lorna as she navigated her identity so authentically, struggling to balance love, family, friendship, school, and connection to home and roots. This anniversary edition through Ooligan Press challenges censorship and what it means to most authentically represent the community which you purport to represent, and does so in a beautifully designed, educationally-focused manner (with teaching guide and all). This is a text that will excellently serve any high school classroom and which teenagers and adults alike will love deeply. Cody's novel will inspire readers to challenge themselves and each other to be better, do better, and live better lives.
June 10, 2018
As a lifelong Oregonian, this book hit me close to home. Cody really captured something specific about small, rural towns in this state. There's a particular way of doing things, and the people who don't really fit in struggle the most and face a lot of discrimination.
With the narrator's voice being the town's star athlete, a young white boy on the edge of the rest of his life, it's difficult sometimes to see where the dark stereotyping of the town ends and the commentary on it begins. The book is largely about the protagonist's friend Jesse, a young Native man, and how he sticks out like a sore thumb in the town. Sometimes he takes on the dumb but noble archetype, and, while I think it's the author's commentary on stereotyping and bias, it's not always clear enough.
The book really captures small-town Oregon in a unique way and has some captivating characters, such as the protagonist's girlfriend Lorna, a girl with a snaggletooth who wants to escape the town.
With the narrator's voice being the town's star athlete, a young white boy on the edge of the rest of his life, it's difficult sometimes to see where the dark stereotyping of the town ends and the commentary on it begins. The book is largely about the protagonist's friend Jesse, a young Native man, and how he sticks out like a sore thumb in the town. Sometimes he takes on the dumb but noble archetype, and, while I think it's the author's commentary on stereotyping and bias, it's not always clear enough.
The book really captures small-town Oregon in a unique way and has some captivating characters, such as the protagonist's girlfriend Lorna, a girl with a snaggletooth who wants to escape the town.
February 24, 2020
This book is like The Outsiders for the Pacific Northwest. It’s a gorgeous, simple yet profound, coming-of-age tale that lets you see the world through the eyes of a guy on the cusp of adulthood in his small corner of Oregon in the 1960s. I really appreciated this lens, having been a native Oregonian my whole life; I felt immersed in the history of places I myself am so familiar with, getting to know them through other’s past experiences. All of the characters in this book were so well-developed, and by the end of it you find yourself feeling that same sense of anticipation and longing that is so universal amongst new adults. When Jesse, a Native American from out of town, moves to the tiny town of Calamus, he ushers in new ways of thinking, telling stories, and doing life that is filtered through the perspective of the protagonist, Wade. Wade and Jesse become close friends and the narrative demonstrates the ways in which Jesse’s presence changes the small town, the-way-it’s-always-been mindset that Wade has grown so comfortable with and complacent in. The narrative takes us through Jesse’s and Wade’s final year as high schoolers, and the reader sees the slow but steady transformation in Wade as his appreciation for Jesse’s cultural and personality differences come into conflict with the status quo expectations of Calamus. Cody’s writing is poetic yet clear, and a beautiful tribute to the oftentimes wild and unexpected changes that come about with growing up.
August 17, 2018
I think the best thing about this book is that it really captures the small town feel or rural Oregon. It felt familiar and real. Growing up in a town, definitely not as small as this, I kept nodding my head with the realization that yes, yes this is exactly what it's like.
My struggle, which I realize has everything to do with my growing and learning politically and socially the last few years, is the date in which it takes place. While I definitely realize 1960 to 2018 are vastly different and that much of the language is dated, it also felt too close to home sometimes. In turn, I think this is exactly what books are supposed to do: challenge us, make us question familiarity, and, ultimately, form our own conclusions and beliefs based on the influences of the words we read.
My struggle, which I realize has everything to do with my growing and learning politically and socially the last few years, is the date in which it takes place. While I definitely realize 1960 to 2018 are vastly different and that much of the language is dated, it also felt too close to home sometimes. In turn, I think this is exactly what books are supposed to do: challenge us, make us question familiarity, and, ultimately, form our own conclusions and beliefs based on the influences of the words we read.
October 1, 2018
Why do I get the sense that I'm reading a high school text book? Well, for starters, the 25th edition proudly proclaims that the new edition is "suitable for use in high schools". Then there is the advertisement in the back of the book for the author's "in-depth Discussion Guide" that has questions such as, " What is the literary purpose of the short chapter lead-ins?" I was starting to think that every literary device in the book existed just to be explained to high school writing students! Even the production of the book was an assignment for writing students (albeit University level). It was an OK story, but I couldn't relate well to any of the characters, didn't find the story believable, and the whole river thing is becoming overdone.
June 9, 2019
Ricochet River is an interesting take on a coming-of-age novel. In many ways the narrative is specific in a way that I, as a native Oregonian, found poignant. However, reading the novel, you get the sense that author wrote from the perspective of the least compelling of the three main characters. Though the prose is beautiful, it often feels as though the book is unable to clearly separate its own commentary on prejudice from using language and representing attitudes that just simply are prejudiced. The result is that Lorna and Jesse, the two of the three protagonists who do not narrate the book, are stereotyped in ways that are never critically examined. Though a worthwhile read, Ricochet River left me with the uneasy sensation that its central ideas were not fully realized.
December 4, 2018
I've placed this book on my historical fiction shelf, because although it's "only" 50+ years ago, it covers an important time in the history of Oregon, and of our country: the building of dams that destroyed Native American homes, artifacts, and ways of life. From the very first page the reader knows that this is a story that cannot end well, but it grabs you and won't let go. The sex scenes have placed it on lists of banned books in high school libraries, and I just hope that means that a lot of teenagers have read it. Not a new book, but not out of date, either.
April 12, 2018
Ricochet River by Robin Cody is a book about a high school sports star from a small town in Oregon and about his friendship with a odd kid name Jesse and him trying to figure out his identity. Overall this was not a very interesting book although I am glad I read it because I learned a lot about life in small towns and a lot about nature as well and one reason that I did like this book is because it is set in Oregon. So if you really like nature or stories set in small towns this would be a good book for you to read but overall I thought this was kind of a boring book.
May 12, 2017
I enjoyed reading a "coming of age" novel set in the same era as when I "came of age!" (albeit across the country!) And I enjoyed reading a "local" novel, although I never could quite place where the fictional town of Calamas was located (west of Portland? east of Portland?). This is a great YA novel - and I can see why teachers like it for class discussions. That said, I look forward to my book group's discussion next week.
September 13, 2018
Throughout the book, I kept waiting for something to actually happen. When Jesse takes his final stunt, I was a bit flabbergasted. (It hit close to home in a way I don't like to recall.)
The Oregon history tidbits were like an excerpt from a pamphlet handed out at the End of the Oregon Trail Museum.
Given this is a young adult book, I excuse much of the fluff.
I may recommend this to a teen who just moved to the state.
The Oregon history tidbits were like an excerpt from a pamphlet handed out at the End of the Oregon Trail Museum.
Given this is a young adult book, I excuse much of the fluff.
I may recommend this to a teen who just moved to the state.
June 5, 2022
Although I think the writer’s descriptions of Oregon are beautiful, and there are important themes about the damage we are doing to the earth and to each other, the characterization of Wade and how he us a “good friend” to Jesse while being so condescending and cruel toward him (and his girlfriend) made me think this is a book we can shelve.
May 16, 2017
This is a wonderful, challenging, powerful coming-of-age story set in a 1960's mill town in Oregon. This 25th Anniversary edition is prefaced by Molly Gloss, Brian Doyle, William Sullivan and Diana Abu-Jaber. Can't get better than that for recommendations.
December 18, 2017
I could relate and the ending was very sad. The demise of anything native; so vulnerable in today's America. Robin Cody did an excellent job portraying a young native man's spirit. . . . how precious the dreamer.
May 19, 2020
Set in a small Oregon logging town in the 60’s, this story follows three teenagers as they navigate high school and the pressures of growing up in a small town rife with racism and sexism. The fictional town is all based on Estacada and the river is really the Clackamas River.
March 10, 2018
This captures an older Oregon, when log trucks were a common sight. It’s sad, too, and beautifully written.
September 15, 2018
This story of three teenagers in a small Oregon town has interesting characters and a strong sense of place. If you need a lot of plot this one may not be for you, but I really enjoyed it.
January 30, 2023
Loved it
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