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3.0 out of 5 stars
Return to Return to the River, May 12, 2008
This review is from: Return to the River: The Classic Story of the Chinook Run and of the Men Who Fish It (Paperback)
This review is based on the 1965 hardcover edition of Haig-Brown's RTTR originally published in 1941. It's an interesting little book about salmon migration from the point of view of the fish. Lots of terrific pencil/charcoal illustrations. The author gives the salmon an identity without Disney-fying the poor creature. (Written today, the author and subsequent movie producer probably would have turned the fish into a talking cartoon.) Also, don't let yourself be put off by a few multi-syllabic scientific insect names. And the bits of human dialog might seem awkward and dated (the author is better at thinking like a fish!). But it's not a tough read. Frankly, a motivated junior high school student could probably handle it. Read this book if:
· You enjoy Portland, the Columbia River and the Pacific Northwest. You'll get a kick out of recognizing familiar places and rivers and scenery.
· You are into salmon behavior or fishing or environmental causes. However, I suspect there are lots of more up-to-date, sophisticated treatments of these subjects.
· Your dad had a copy of the book on his bookshelf the entire time you were growing up and, years later, you "borrowed" it from your mom and have hung onto it along with other bits and pieces that remind you of dear ol' dad and you finally cracked it open one day when looking for something to read.
OK, maybe that last reason only applies to me...unless the spine of this book was filed on the shelf behind your dad's recliner next to a copy of Goren's Bridge Complete (the things you remember!) and formed part of the backdrop for many curfew-and-car-keys negotiations.
A fun read for lots of reasons.
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