River’s Reach: Coming of Age Amid the Fish War

A coming-of-age tale that takes in subjects as diverse as land rights and social justice, fishing wars and the Vietnam War, teenage romance and family loyalty, David Scott Richardson’s River’s Reach is an entertaining and educational young adult novel that explores an aspect of American history—fishing rights—capable of triggering strong emotions among disparate inhabitants of Washington State through the eyes of a young man seeking to find his place and purpose in the world.

It’s the start of senior year and football-playing high schooler Alex Haugen is on top of the world—save for the fact that he has no car, no girlfriend, and no concrete plan for college, anyway. That and the North Thurston High School football team being stuck in a terminal losing streak. Still, despite such minor woes, Alex is a popular kid with a tight group of friends, a potential love interest in the shape of cheerleader Amanda Schneider, and a passion for fishing in the local Nisqually River.

However, Alex’s easy-going life becomes complicated when his father, an officer with the Washington State Game Department, is involved in a raid on members of the Nisqually tribe who are fishing at Frank’s Landing. Gunfire breaks out during the raid and several arrests are made, including a teenager named Charlie McCallister. When Alex befriends Charlie and starts looking into the issue of fishing rights more deeply, he finds that things are nowhere near as clearcut as he thought.

River’s Reach follows Alex’s journey of self-discovery—that is, discovering who he is and who he wants to be—as he begins to recognize the importance of doing the right thing despite peer/family pressure and to understand the thorny issue of “gray areas” of the law. Indeed, David Scott Richardson takes pains to portray both sides of the dispute, not opting for the easy answer of labeling one side—either the Game Department or the Nisqually tribe—as the “bad guys.”

As such, the story takes a very nuanced approach to the issues and so manages to educate while it entertains. The same is true for other social issues addressed during the course of Alex’s journey, including the push for racial equality in the United States and the opposition to the Vietnam War. Alex’s nascent romance with Amanda also elucidates certain issues concerning gender inequality during the 1970s, although she is portrayed as a strong character who certainly knows her mind.

The issue of women’s rights is also touched upon in relation to Amanda’s mother’s work as a lawyer representing some of the Nisqually Indians. Moreover, the legal aspects of the story provide an illuminating contrast between the government’s business-like approach to issues such as fishing and the Nisqually Indians’ reverence for the natural world. Taking in so many social issues does sometimes slow down the pace of the story, but such issues are always interesting and well-handled as thinking points.

Alex is an appealing and often amusing character to follow, and while he can sometimes seem a bit naïve, his observations provide insights into how young people viewed major events at the time. The supporting characters are all well realized, despite the dialogue sometimes not quite ringing true, and the Washington State setting is vividly and lovingly brought to life. Overall, River’s Reach is a fine young adult novel with a relatable protagonist and an unusual central plot point, which should particularly appeal to those with an interest in recent US history.