Into the River of Angels

George R. Wolfe's young adult adventure novel, Into the River of Angels, tells how a high school kid's ill-conceived plan to canoe the Los Angeles River spirals out of control-an urban journey on a dangerous, forbidden waterway, woven together by a series of epic fails.

It starts when 17-year-old Sam Hawkins-an alienated, disillusioned, and sardonic renegade from the San Fernando Valley-decides he can flee his troubles with an impulsive escape on the infamous L.A. River, a 51-mile, concrete-lined patchwork of water systems that flows from the foothills of the western Valley, through the gritty concrete jungle of Downtown L.A., to Long Beach and the Pacific.

But his teenage rebellion soon turns into a surreal odyssey, featuring a series of threatening obstacles, as he and his fellow travelers encounter wildlife, police, smugglers, gangs, psychopaths, and more. Will the cost of their journey be more than they bargained for?

Wolfe, an author and activist, is the founder of L.A. River Expeditions, a group that advocates for endangered rivers and helped to open the L.A. River to the public. One of the first to journey down the river in its modern configuration, Wolfe is uniquely qualified to give life to this fascinating and highly detailed coming-of-age journey.