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Northwest Readers
Another Way the River Has: Taut True Tales from the Northwest
Another Way the River Has collects Robin Cody's finest nonfiction writings, many appearing for the first time in print. Cody's prose rings with a sense of place. He is a native speaker who probes the streams and woods and salmon that run to the heart of what it means to live and love, to work and play, in Oregon. His characters--from loggers to fishers to cowboys to the kids on his school bus--are smart and curious, often offbeat, always vivid. Cody brings the ear of a novelist and the eye of a reporter to the people and places that make the Northwest, and Northwest literature, distinctive.
- GenresNonfictionEssays
200 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2010
4 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
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 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 14, 2011
in one of the two dozen nonfiction pieces that comprise another way the river has: taut true tales from the northwest, robin cody evokes the essence of ken kesey’s magnum opus, sometimes a great notion, in a manner befitting a theme in his own work: "to the extent that nobility is achieved and heartbreak rendered, it happens in relation to the big-woods country and wild rivers and raw landscape that used to - and in some places still does - set the pacific northwest apart." cody, best known for his novel ricochet river and the oregon book award-winning non-fiction book voyage of a summer sun, has had a rich and varied past. the essays collected in another way the river has spring from this distinct background and are testament not only to cody’s prowess as writer and storyteller, but also to his appreciation of our region’s singular and multifarious nature.
like the great stewart holbrook before him, cody unearths many an alluring story in some seemingly unlikely places and relays them with captivating language and bewitching imagery aplenty. most of the pieces contained within another way the river has were earlier published in northwest magazine and the sunday oregonian, and a few have been adapted from articles that first appeared in portland magazine. cody writes about a wide range of subjects, veering from the personal to the profound, yet each in its own way is imbued with a sense of humility, wonder, wisdom, and humor.
chronicled within another way the river has are tales about the magnificent northwest landscape; requisite stories of loggers, cowboys, salmon, and fishermen; and cody’s own experiences driving a bus for special education students, umpiring for the portland baseball umpires association, and refereeing for the girls basketball team at the oregon state school for the deaf, as well as of the many afternoons and evenings spent on his now defunct twenty-foot boat, the turtle (a one-time gift to him that may, in fact, still serve as a playhouse and fort for a pair of lucky children in a yard overlooking the columbia river). cody muses on nearly everything he encounters, from the mundane to the grand, and his resulting observations are keen and intriguing, contemplative yet engaged. he affords the northwest’s natural beauty its due reverence, but is careful not to deify it as many an urban dweller otherwise might. while a prominent sense of place permeates the book, it is the real-life characters he writes about that lend the book its vivacity. the interplay between inhabitants and their environment, however, is one cody recognizes well: “people shape the place. the place, in turn, shapes the people. it’s an evolving - not yet settled - relationship."
as cody writes in a touching piece (“miss ivory broom”) about a six-year-old girl with spina bifida: “story, it turns out, is the assassin of despair." this simple sentence, perhaps, is as telling as any other in the book. cody is well aware of his craft’s inherent power and wields his skill adeptly and with compassion and precision. the twenty-four pieces that make up this collection will appeal to nearly any reader who calls the pacific northwest home. regardless of whether one resides within the confines of a city or in the outlying rural expanse, measures their day by the punch of a time clock or by the height of the sun, cody’s true tales will undoubtedly delight. another way the river has is a strong addition to the unique, vast pantheon of northwest storytelling.
"...but the truth, too, can be as poetic and inspirational as any of the creation myths. with adaptation and selection comes an elegant beauty, a gospel of wonder that such a clean set of underlying principles could give rise to this bizarre extravaganza called life."
like the great stewart holbrook before him, cody unearths many an alluring story in some seemingly unlikely places and relays them with captivating language and bewitching imagery aplenty. most of the pieces contained within another way the river has were earlier published in northwest magazine and the sunday oregonian, and a few have been adapted from articles that first appeared in portland magazine. cody writes about a wide range of subjects, veering from the personal to the profound, yet each in its own way is imbued with a sense of humility, wonder, wisdom, and humor.
chronicled within another way the river has are tales about the magnificent northwest landscape; requisite stories of loggers, cowboys, salmon, and fishermen; and cody’s own experiences driving a bus for special education students, umpiring for the portland baseball umpires association, and refereeing for the girls basketball team at the oregon state school for the deaf, as well as of the many afternoons and evenings spent on his now defunct twenty-foot boat, the turtle (a one-time gift to him that may, in fact, still serve as a playhouse and fort for a pair of lucky children in a yard overlooking the columbia river). cody muses on nearly everything he encounters, from the mundane to the grand, and his resulting observations are keen and intriguing, contemplative yet engaged. he affords the northwest’s natural beauty its due reverence, but is careful not to deify it as many an urban dweller otherwise might. while a prominent sense of place permeates the book, it is the real-life characters he writes about that lend the book its vivacity. the interplay between inhabitants and their environment, however, is one cody recognizes well: “people shape the place. the place, in turn, shapes the people. it’s an evolving - not yet settled - relationship."
as cody writes in a touching piece (“miss ivory broom”) about a six-year-old girl with spina bifida: “story, it turns out, is the assassin of despair." this simple sentence, perhaps, is as telling as any other in the book. cody is well aware of his craft’s inherent power and wields his skill adeptly and with compassion and precision. the twenty-four pieces that make up this collection will appeal to nearly any reader who calls the pacific northwest home. regardless of whether one resides within the confines of a city or in the outlying rural expanse, measures their day by the punch of a time clock or by the height of the sun, cody’s true tales will undoubtedly delight. another way the river has is a strong addition to the unique, vast pantheon of northwest storytelling.
"...but the truth, too, can be as poetic and inspirational as any of the creation myths. with adaptation and selection comes an elegant beauty, a gospel of wonder that such a clean set of underlying principles could give rise to this bizarre extravaganza called life."
October 30, 2010
I saw this little beauty sitting on display in my neighborhood library. There was something friendly and familiar about it. I was delighted to find out that that feeling was founded in something real, as this book contains a story with the Clackamas River in the story.
Robin Cody is one of the few writers I've found who connect to the Oregon I grew up in, treating the Clackamas and Columbia rivers the way Twain treated the Mississippi and missouri rivers in his novels.
I admit that I read *in* this book, not the entire work. It's an anthology of short stories and vignettes that, I felt, I could go back to any time I chose and they would still be waiting for me.
It's lazily written and lazily read, shining a light on aspects of life in Oregon that I was never exposed to as a kid, but in an all-too familiar setting.
Whether you've even been to Oregon or not, the prose beckons you in and never gets in the way. I'll have to watch out for this author's work in the future.
Robin Cody is one of the few writers I've found who connect to the Oregon I grew up in, treating the Clackamas and Columbia rivers the way Twain treated the Mississippi and missouri rivers in his novels.
I admit that I read *in* this book, not the entire work. It's an anthology of short stories and vignettes that, I felt, I could go back to any time I chose and they would still be waiting for me.
It's lazily written and lazily read, shining a light on aspects of life in Oregon that I was never exposed to as a kid, but in an all-too familiar setting.
Whether you've even been to Oregon or not, the prose beckons you in and never gets in the way. I'll have to watch out for this author's work in the future.
October 27, 2017
Wonderful collection of essays, each was enlightening and fun to read!
February 3, 2023
Savory.
May 27, 2011
sometimes i want to rate this a 5 star but really i can only go for 3. if you like the northwest, want to read well described tidbits from boat building to river travel, bus driving, special needs children and indian busts, you will probably like this book. i never thought you could use too many similes or metaphors but the first half is so loaded with them i couldn't concentrate on the actual image.
most of these stories are previously published in newspapers or magazines. i see how cody tries to weave decades together. sometimes it works. sometimes it doesn't. he has deep compassion for the children on the special needs bus. he zens into the river, listens to people. really, it is quite lovely. his lack of respect for a couple who were ready to bury their cat was a shock but also revealed another side of his character.
this is not a personal book although the although is everywhere. he uses the reporter's eye and does not insert himself often. and when he does i wonder where his wife and children are while he is off umpiring, a goggling wildlife.
something is missing but so much is present.
oh...and i don't like the title. this is a book club read and i heard people say, what is that river book. a major problem for an author when the title is too convoluted to remember. And i probably would not have finished reading it were it not an 'assignment.' to many stellar books, too little time.
most of these stories are previously published in newspapers or magazines. i see how cody tries to weave decades together. sometimes it works. sometimes it doesn't. he has deep compassion for the children on the special needs bus. he zens into the river, listens to people. really, it is quite lovely. his lack of respect for a couple who were ready to bury their cat was a shock but also revealed another side of his character.
this is not a personal book although the although is everywhere. he uses the reporter's eye and does not insert himself often. and when he does i wonder where his wife and children are while he is off umpiring, a goggling wildlife.
something is missing but so much is present.
oh...and i don't like the title. this is a book club read and i heard people say, what is that river book. a major problem for an author when the title is too convoluted to remember. And i probably would not have finished reading it were it not an 'assignment.' to many stellar books, too little time.
November 20, 2013
This book, for the most part a collection of essays written from (if I have it correct) from the 1990s through about 2007, is a fabulous read.
Most of the book covers Robin Cody's travels on a boat, which was given to him after he sort of helped build it, along the Willamette and Columbia rivers and their many tributaries. But more importantly, the many tales open up a lot of stories on the rich culture of the Pacific Northwest, covering early pioneers, including references to changes since Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery, native Americans and the influences of Europeans.
We learn about rodeo life, high school basketball and baseball, school bus driving, a deaf school, digging tunnels through mountains, and problem children in Portland's schools. And you learn a lot about life along the rivers, especially about the remarkable influences of salmon on Northwest life past and present.
The writing is rich, some of the best prose I've seen. If you pick up a copy, take your time and savor each chapter, one at a time.
Most of the book covers Robin Cody's travels on a boat, which was given to him after he sort of helped build it, along the Willamette and Columbia rivers and their many tributaries. But more importantly, the many tales open up a lot of stories on the rich culture of the Pacific Northwest, covering early pioneers, including references to changes since Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery, native Americans and the influences of Europeans.
We learn about rodeo life, high school basketball and baseball, school bus driving, a deaf school, digging tunnels through mountains, and problem children in Portland's schools. And you learn a lot about life along the rivers, especially about the remarkable influences of salmon on Northwest life past and present.
The writing is rich, some of the best prose I've seen. If you pick up a copy, take your time and savor each chapter, one at a time.
December 19, 2013
Cody has a mind full of curiosity, and an umpire's even-handed way of looking at the world. It's a winning combination, and for anyone with an interest in odd and fascinating little corners of Pacific Northwest life, this is a real treasure of a book.
The book is loosely structured around the tale of a flat-bottomed plywood boat that Cody helps build, and is then given by its owner. The boat is christened The Turtle, and in it Cody explores the Columbia River from Portland to the ocean, with side trips into stories about the diminishing salmon runs and attempts to revive them, about semi-pro baseball umpiring, about driving emotionally disturbed kids on the dreaded "short bus." Cody is a guy who likes sitting on his moored boat and, in the words of the Dylan song, "just watching the river flow." He is a keen observer of animal life, and a man with the patience to sit long enough to really see what's in front of him.
The book is loosely structured around the tale of a flat-bottomed plywood boat that Cody helps build, and is then given by its owner. The boat is christened The Turtle, and in it Cody explores the Columbia River from Portland to the ocean, with side trips into stories about the diminishing salmon runs and attempts to revive them, about semi-pro baseball umpiring, about driving emotionally disturbed kids on the dreaded "short bus." Cody is a guy who likes sitting on his moored boat and, in the words of the Dylan song, "just watching the river flow." He is a keen observer of animal life, and a man with the patience to sit long enough to really see what's in front of him.
August 26, 2013
I was given this book as a gift and was surprised I had not found it on my own. I would have bought it in a New York minute showing that the person knew my interest well. This is a great collection of stories by an author who does not write enough. I read both Voyage of the Summer Sun and Ricochet River and enjoyed them both immensely. This collection of writings is something you do not want to end. He is so human in his interviewing and relaying his feelings as he prowls through the Northwest in search of topics. Drama is taking place all around us all of the time yet we seldom see it till someone like Cody stops and tells us the story
May 2, 2016
This was a fun and informative read. Cody brings the reader along for the ride on his adventures on the Columbia River and it's tributaries, interspersed with vignettes about his various jobs as well as the jobs of other northwesterners. I've always been connected to the are he writes about, having spent a good chunk of my childhood in the Willamette Valley and having returned to the lower Columbia (SW WA this time) just recently, and this book deepened my love for my home here. This read was a great combination of comforting familiarity and intriguing new viewpoints.
April 18, 2012
A very nice collection of essays, most of which feature either the Clackamas or Columbia rivers. Even the longer pieces have good stopping (pausing) points, making this a great book to read intermittently as I wait for the next book to show up from the Library hold list.
After the mountains, I miss the forests and the creeks dearly since we moved from the Northwest. Cody manages to capture "home" both literally, (the subject matter,) and figuratively, (in his pacing and style.)
Really a 3.5 that I couldn't round up, that I can recommend.
After the mountains, I miss the forests and the creeks dearly since we moved from the Northwest. Cody manages to capture "home" both literally, (the subject matter,) and figuratively, (in his pacing and style.)
Really a 3.5 that I couldn't round up, that I can recommend.
July 9, 2011
The Columbia River again is the focus of Robin Cody's book. The last I read was about his canoeing the length of the river. Fascinating facts I have encountered so far: the river "heaves more water into the Pacific than any other river in North or South America. The river carries ten times more water than the Colorado sends through the Grand Canyon, twice the flow of the fabled Nile." Really enjoying the book.
July 16, 2011
Wonderful collection of non-fiction stories about living and water in the Northwest. It was particularly interesting since I'm familiar with many of the places/people about whom he writes. I particularly liked the story Miss Ivory Broom, about driving the short bus in Portland. Also liked his stories about his boat The Turtle that he took out on the Columbia.
January 27, 2014
He is a very good writer and the first few essays were wonderful to read but then they got repetitive and a bit monotonous. If you are someone who lives on the west side of OR it might hold more fascination for you but I got tired of the boating stories.
July 1, 2015
After reading Cody's excellent "Voyage of the Summer Sun", I sought out other books of his (he doesn't have many, unfortunately)--but this colelction of wonderful stories covering pertinent topics in the Pacific Northwest is a good one.
December 29, 2010
This collection of short stories was well written and a pleasure to read. Cody truly captured the essence of the Pacific Northwest, its people and landscape.
February 26, 2011
Wonderful book, great stories about boating the Columbia, interesting people in the NW
September 13, 2011
Reading Cody was like wrapping myself in a cozy blanket - it just feels good. Love reading about my spot on the planet.
November 14, 2010
Flows as easily as a day on the river.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews