Take Me to the River

Bibliography

Hobbs, Will. Take Me to the River. New York, NY: Harper, 2011. Print.

Nilsen, Allen Pace, James Blasingame, Kenneth L. Donelson, and Don L. Nilsen. Literature for Today's Young Adults. 9th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print.

Summary

Two cousins, Rio, 15, and Dylan, 14, attempt to whitewater raft the 116 miles of the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande River for ten days on their own. In addition to trying to survive in this harsh climate, they encounter a tropical storm possibly heading their way and a murdering kidnapper on the loose somewhere in their vicinity with both the Mexican and American authorities on the hunt. Will they complete their journey alive?

Analysis           

Take Me to the River is a good adventure novel in that the “pace moved faster and faster to speed us into the tale” (Nilsen, et al. 227). There is much anticipation throughout the book as the boys battle for survival in the harsh, remote land and with two perceived threats looming – an incoming tropical storm and a fugitive on the loose. The reader can live vicariously through the boys as they travel down the Rio Grande like modern day Huck Finns.

Hobbs does a good job of quickly setting up major decisions that create tension for the main characters. Dylan constantly doubts himself as he is frequently confronted with having to take greater risks and go further outside his comfort zone as the trip progresses. For example, Dylan thinks to himself “You play it safe, you’ll disappoint your cousin and yourself. You’ll have to live with that.” He then says “I’m in. I’m going all the way, till the wheels fall off and burn” (Hobbs 77). This inner turmoil keeps his character believable and likeable. It also provides a reflection point for the reader to ask “what would I do in this situation?” Over time Dylan gains more confidence in his capabilities.

Hobbs provides an accurate picture of the day-to-day life on the border of Mexico and United States and how it has changed after the events of 9-11. He goes into detail about the trade relations and the political situation for people in this remote area including jobs and work situations, smuggling and trading of goods, illegal aliens, and the border patrol. Additionally, he gives a fairly detailed history lesson on the city of Boquillas, Mexico to personify the struggles of many remote border towns. 

Although the focus of an adventure book shouldn’t be the setting (Nilsen, et al. 228), the descriptive writing for this novel could have been stronger. Namely, many vocabulary terms and geological descriptions weren’t fully explained. An illustration would have been helpful to set the scene or provide more thorough descriptions than the cursory writing. The reader is left with a sense of the remoteness and poverty in the area, but often wouldn’t know what a Cat’s Claw Tree looks like or an octocillo. Hobbs also uses rafting terms that the average youth may not know. This takes the reader out of the rhythm of the book.  A short glossary in the back to describe some of the flora and fauna or what a “Canadian Stroke” is would be helpful. I found myself going to the Internet to help visualize what he was trying to describe.

Another weak piece of writing is in the characterization of the “bad guy.” He is very flat and not realistic. For example, he calls himself a gangster and is constantly waving his gun around. This character is too stereotypical to believe he is a serious cartel member.

           

Overall, I would recommend this book to a male YA reader because of the connection to nature, stirring adventure plot, and exposure to life on the Mexican-American border.