Review of Barefoot In Hells Canyon

[Chinaza Nnabuenyi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Barefoot In Hells Canyon" by Bryan Gould.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Barefoot in Hells Canyon by Bryan Gould recounts the story of two teenagers who spend the summer sailing through the Snake River on a war raft. In 1958, Glen and Bryan planned an adventure to sail in Hells Canyon, not minding the dangers and warnings. Though Bryan and Glen's parents agreed to let their sons go on this dangerous trip, Bryan's parents were skeptical about the whole idea, especially his father. We need to find out the outcome of the adventure.

Bryan Gould tells his story through this book. This was hard to tell. It was a struggle to know the name of the person telling the story until it was mentioned in the letter Bryan's father sent to him.

The author did an impressive job of giving a river guide throughout the trip to the Snake River. I also appreciate the attention to detail in the boys' rapid encounters on the sea. This will also capture a reader who finds adventure in the sea interesting. I liked how the new characters employed by the author did not make the story confusing. The characters all fell in line with the storyline.

Another positive aspect of the book is the value of friendship. This is displayed in the admirable friendship between Glen and Bryan. Glen was sure Bryan had his back, which was the same for Bryan. This theme was also revealed as they got older. The use of sarcasm by the characters also produced comic relief. But the arrangement of each chapter could have been clearer. It felt like he was telling two stories. One story was the version of the young boys, and the other was the older men.

Also, Gould hints at what will happen in the next chapter, thereby eradicating suspense. Reading the book would not be fun if every detail was told before it happened. Most readers might find this boring, as the storyline was about an adventure.

Gould also did an exposition on some of the activities done in the 1950s, which need to be more popular and no longer exist. These activities include hitchhiking, hopping on freight trains, and adventure on whitewater. Gould employed a first-person narrative, which made me more interested in reading from the author's point of view. Hence, this made the story easy to understand. I could easily understand the characters' emotions, and the author's use of language was easy to comprehend. Hence, I would give this book four out of five stars. I deducted a star because of the negative issues I found.

I recommend this book to young readers who find marine adventures mesmerizing and to people interested in the Snake River.

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Barefoot In Hells Canyon
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[Elina Tshabalala]

Sounds like the two guys were extremely brave. I wonder how their adventure turned out. Thanks for the review!

[Oluchi23]

It is a good thing to embark on an adventure like this. I am entice by the story line. I wish to embark on one soon. Thanks for the review.

[Chinedum Chijioke]

Sad that each chapter served as a spoiler to the next. It may bot be so much of an interesting read after all.

[Neto Chukwu]

It is important to have a friend that is always there for you whenever you need them just as Glenn and Bryan had each others back. This is a captivating book and I hope to read it soon enough.