Our Time on the River [Hardcover]

Don Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 2003

1968. Steve’s older brother has just broken the news that he’s quit college to enlist in the army. Before David departs for Vietnam in September, their father decides to send the brothers on a canoe trip down the Susquehanna River. Steve knows that David isn’t happy about the plan, and he’s not looking forward to being trapped with his swaggering, tough-guy brother either. “Look out for each other!” is the last thing they hear Dad shout as they round a bend out of sight, David in the rear, controlling the canoe. At first narrow and quiet as a stream, the river soon grows wider and more complicated, carrying the boys through gritty small-town America on a journey that pushes their adversarial relationship into new territory. There is no map or guide for this trip: just two brothers going forward, navigating the twists and turns of the river, learning to fight for each other.
In this lyrical first novel, Don Brown tells the powerful story of two brothers coming of age in a challenging time.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-Steven's older brother, David, has a few short weeks at home before he ships out for Vietnam. Mindful of the uncertain future, their father insists that the two boys spend some time together on a canoe trip, just as he and David had done years before. David is uninterested and openly hostile to the younger boy as they embark down the Susquehanna River. Steven remains unruffled as his moody sibling seems distant and preoccupied. The brothers contend with little more than insects, a wet sleeping bag, and rural scenery in an uneventful beginning that gains momentum as they paddle. They meet girls, carny workers, and story-filled veterans, peripheral characters who react in different ways to the combat-bound teen. Steven absorbs every nuance and patiently cares for David when he gets drunk and later rescues him from drowning. David returns the favor when Steven seriously cuts himself. The canoe trip is clearly just a vehicle for the bonding of these two young men at a crucial point in their lives. Prosaic writing does not hinder the narrative but strengthens Steven's voice, that of a 14-year-old boy keenly aware that his brother might soon die in a war. Readers who enjoy the style of Gary Paulsen's The Beet Fields (Delacorte, 2000) will find a thoughtful choice here.
Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. Based on an actual trip the author took down the Susquehanna River in 1967, this first novel follows two brothers who canoe for two weeks together from Cooperstown, New York, to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before the older brother, David, is sent to Vietnam. David has dropped out of college to enlist, a decision that dredges up painful family memories of their uncle's death and their father's injury during World War II. The trip downstream is fairly easy despite bugs, rain, and the occasional racist warmonger, and it helps the brothers get to know one another and themselves better. It also helps them better understand humanity, both its compassionate and dark sides. Through the younger brother's immediate first-person narrative, Brown paints an interesting, accurate portrait of 1960s' life and culture. The lyrical descriptions clearly acknowledge the power and underlying tension of the river, the countryside, and the times, as well as the polarity created by the war. While not dramatic historical fiction, this is a satisfying read, with the river journey offering a microcosm of society at that time. Frances Bradburn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; None edition (April 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618311165
• ISBN-13: 978-0618311163
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,377,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Our Time on the River, March 24, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Our Time on the River (Hardcover)

After David, a nineteen-year-old from Cooperstown, New York, enlists in the military during the Vietnam War, he and his fourteen-year-old brother, Steven, are sent to canoe down the Susquehanna River, where they must rely on each other to survive. When they first set out on the river, the two brothers don't get along well, but as they encounter problems, they start to look out for one another. As they canoe down the river, they frequently make stops either to camp for the night or to purchase food in the cities they come across. One night, raccoons eat all of their food. Another night, they don't go to sleep for fear that a stranger would attack them. On one occasion, they take shelter from a storm, but their supplies and extra clothes get wet. Fortunately, they find a Laundromat in the next city. They experience many new things and, in one city, even get paid to help set up a carnival. In another city, Steven gets a gash down his chest while playing around in a junkyard and they must get to a doctor for a tetanus shot. Then, in one of the last cities they stop at, they upset some men in a bar, who then chase them away. They barely escape and are hit by rocks as they paddle away. Then, after their canoe capsizes and they almost drown, they call their dad to come and take them home. Later, David is sent to Vietnam, but returns home a while later, after a missile hit the building he was in and caused his eardrums to burst. Our Time on the River is a great adventure that any reader would enjoy.
This story is filled with suspense. One night, David and Steven find that there is someone in the woods near their camp. They take turns being lookout all night because they were afraid the stranger would attack them. In one town they upset some men at a bar and are chased back to the river. They get away just in time, but still are pummeled with rocks as they leave. Later, strong current makes it impossible to steer the canoe and they hit a tree stump, capsizing. David gets stuck on the root of a tree and Steven must scramble to save him from drowning.
This story has interesting characters. David is a tough-guy and enlists in the military even though the Vietnam War is being fought. His younger brother, Steven, is a shy fourteen-year-old and the two don't get along very well until after their adventures on the river. Their mom is always worried about them, telling them to be careful, but their dad is always encouraging them to have fun. He is the one who sends them on their adventure.
The relationship between the two brothers seemed very realistic. At first, they don't get along at all and neither one wants to canoe with the other. Their first night, they start to play around and David ends up chasing Steven, but when he catches him, he holds him underwater almost drowning him and they end up mad at each other. Later they start to look out for each other. When Steven gets cut at the junkyard in one city, David makes sure they find a doctor and get him a tetanus shot. Then, when the canoe capsizes in strong currents, David is stuck underwater on a tree's roots and Steven jumps back into the river to save him.
Our Time on the River is a great adventure story. It is filled with suspense and is very realistic. The characters are normal people, but still are interesting to read about. It is a captivating story that any reader would love from beginning to end.