First Descent

By Pam Withers

Montana-born Rex loves nothing more than to take his kayak out on a river, the faster and more powerful the better. When he gets the opportunity to tackle the well-named El Furioso in southwest Colombia, he is thrilled. He anticipates the river’s challenges, but finds himself in a situation where the real danger is human.

In Colombia, he meets Myriam Calambás, an indígena, who has lived along the El Furioso all her life. Though she loves its rushing waters, she dreams of leaving to get an education so that she can help her people. Her dreams, and her very survival, are in the balance when she and Rex are caught up in the clash between paramilitaries, working for rich landowners, and guerillas, who are supposed to be protecting the poor.

Pam Withers’ skill at writing about extreme adventures combines with a compelling story about an endangered world and a people struggling for their very right to exist.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9781770492745

Pam Withers

Pam Withers a écrit de nombreux livres de sport et d’aventures pour adolescents, dont plusieurs ont été publiés chez Orca dans la collection Currents. Elle a été trois fois finaliste pour le prix Red Maple remis par l’Association des bibliothèques de l’Ontario et a remporté à deux reprises le Silver Nautilus Book Award. Pam, une ancienne guide de plein air et éditrice, vit à Vancouver, en Colombie-Britannique.

Reviews for First Descent

[rena613 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Received this book from Librarything.com Early Reviewers.Well-written book. The story starts slow and steady then builds up to an exciting end. There is a lot of info regarding the location in Columbia and the way of life of the people there. And the author has so much detail regarding kayaking, it makes me want to try it myself! Teens should like this book.

[kristilafollette · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A solid adventure story for young adult readers! The story follows protagonist, Rex, the 17 year old grandson of a crotchety kayaking legend who mysteriously left Columbia before completing his descent of the El Furioso River. With the mission of completing what his grandfather started, Rex travels to Southwest Columbia, where he learns the truth about his grandfather’s legacy. Along the way, he meets Myriam, an indigenous teen who forces him to see beyond his kayaking goals to the plight of Columbian villagers caught in the crossfire of guerillas, paramilitaries, and the Columbian government. The writing is strong in some areas- Withers uses vivid images of Rex’s kayaking maneuvers and masterfully creates tension that compels the reader to go on. The weaker parts of the book are when Withers goes inside of characters’ heads and the transitions can be rather abrupt as the novel bounces back and forth between Rex’s narration and a third person p.o.v. There is an underlying story about the prejudice and egocentricity of Rex and his grandfather, who seem to view Columbians as ignorant and cultureless (to varying degrees). This is a great topic for discussion among young adult readers, but I wish Withers had gone further with it. The ending hints that Rex’s perspective is shifting, but a deeper look into the culture of the Columbian people could have created a much-needed epiphany for Rex. In general though, this book has a compelling storyline that would hold much appeal for adventure-loving 14-17 year olds. I’m glad to have it in my library for students to read! •I received this book through Library Thing Early Reviewers

[ecataldi-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow! I didn't have high expectations for this novel and I'm not really sure why. Maybe the cover art was a little cheesy for my taste or something. I'm not really sure. But regardless of my initial thoughts, I was definitely proven wrong. It was an awesome read! Kids, kayakers, and thrill seekers alike will love this book. It's informative, adventuresome, full of history, South American culture, and sporting knowledge. It's got something for everyone.This story follows Rex as he chases his grandfather's dream of being the first one to successfully kayak the deadly Furioso river in the wild, dangerous country of Columbia. At seventeen he secures enough sponsors, money, and teammates to attempt the first descent on this wild unmapped river. But Rex soon finds out that political unrest, genocide, and guerrilla's may kill him before he ever makes it to the river. He befriends a local indigenous tribe, the same ones his grandfather met decades before when trying to master the river and soon learns more about himself, his grandfather, and the poor endangered natives then he ever thought possible.It's an engrossing read and I learned loads about white water rafting and the unrest in Columbia. A must read for adventure fans!I received this book for free from Librarything in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.

[tracycampbell-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book from the Early Reviewers and was quite looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, I just could not get into it at all. I tried several times and it just didn't capture my interest. On the flip side, I gave it to my roommate and she said she thoroughly enjoyed it. For this reason, I am giving it 3.5 stars. I will definitely give it another try at a later time.

[shelleydaugherty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A riveting and action packed book for all ages! Let me begin by saying I am a novice when it comes to kayaking, but that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying this book. The author does a fine job with drawing the reader in and you feel as though you are riding the white waters along with Rex. Another excellent detail of the book is drawing a vivid image of what life is like in a country where you never feel safe, something many of us take for granted.Rex is tired of living in his grandfather's shadow and feeling like he always has to prove himself to his elder. His grandfather is a world renown kayaker but he has one section of a river in Columbia which he gave up and did not achieve his first descent. This is the river that Rex intends to tame and claim the first descent for himself. After traveling to Columbia, Rex finds an indigena girl to be his guide along the most difficult part of the river. Rex and his fellow kayakers are accepted into Miriam's village and learn what life is like for them, but Rex refuses to acknowledge the dangers looming all around him. But he can't ignore them when he himself becomes the target and must find a way to escape from something much more dangerous than the river he came to run.I recommend this book for readers of all ages and genre types. I would have read this book in one sitting if I could have found a way. The book grabs your attention early and hangs on with a death grasp! Excellent book! I look forward to reading more by this author!

[larrymicheli · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rex was a 17 yr. old boy who was a Kayaker like his Grandfather. He wanted to go to Columbia ,South America and complete the First Descent on the Furioso River that his grandpa had attempted by didn't finish. Columbia was very unsafe because of the paramilitary, guerillas and army units. Rex went to Columbia but his two companions left him due to the danger there. His grandad had met some indigena communities and never told anyone that he had fathered a child with one of the natives and was chased out of Columbia before completing the fist descent of the river. Rex meet the indigena that his grandad knew and discovered that he had a cousin (Myriam )and Uncle living in the village. He was captured by the guerilla's but escaped with the help of Alberto & Myriam. The story of their adventure finishes the story as the trio makes it safely down the treacherous river.

[wiremonkey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reviewed from Librarything Advanced Reader's CopyOnce again, this is a book I would never have picked up if it were not for the fact that Librarything sent it to me.Rex is a champion kayaker who is determined to nab a first descent, the name given to the feat of being the first crazy person to kayak a river. But his heart is set on not just any first descent- he wants to kayak the one river his famous kayaker grandfather tried and failed to complete: the furioso located in Colombia.Myriam is an indigena living by the banks of the Furioso. Her great ambition is to go to University so she can become a journalist and expose the plight of her people. Stuck in between a bloody and ruthless guerrilla war between the rebels and the paramilitaries, her people and her way of life are slowly being exterminated.When Rex hires her as a guide for his expedition Myriam believes she has finally found the way to make it to University. Together they embark on an adventure replete with white water, cliffs, jagged rocks, minefields and soldiers.The strength in this novel are the Myriam sections when she is describing the horrors her people have to face as well as their acute poverty. She is a great foil to Rex who is self-centered and single-minded. He refuses to see the political dangers of the situation along the river and doesn't clue in to state of Myriam and her people for way too long. Although irritating, I suspect this might be true to the character of any red-blooded, indifferently educated young american.A fast-paced gripping read that combines adventure, sports and a glimpse into an under-reported human rights atrocity.

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reason for Reading: The plot sounded exciting and I am a fan of this publisher, trusting their book selection when I haven't heard of the author before.Excellent. A superb adventure story that should especially touch reluctant male teen readers. This is an exciting rush of adrenaline from start to finish. 17-year-old Rex is an expert whitewater kayaker taking after his grandfather who raised him along with his mother. His grandfather was well-known in his day for making many first descents down rivers in South America but ended his career when local Natives chased him out of an area of Colombia leaving El Furioso unconquered to this day. Rex promises to finish his grandfather's legacy by making this his first "first descent" and heads off to Colombia without anyone in his family really understanding the political situation in that area. Hiring a local indigenous girl, 17-year-old Myriam, to be his guide he finds himself not only facing man vs. nature as he shoots extreme rapids but man vs man when he learns the plight of the indigena out in the wilderness caught between the paramilitary and guerrilla soldiers.An eye-opening story of culture clashes and world social problems that do not make headline news but should be known and addressed globally. Interesting characters that are real and relatable to teens. I found both Rex and Myriam to be likable teens, flawed and each developed throughout the story. I'm not usually into this type of "political situation" novel but am very fond of outdoor adventure/survival stories and found the political situation only enhanced the exhilaration of the plot. A great library pick!

[lavermeer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

FIRST DESCENT is straight-up, high-interest adventure YA novel. World-class kayaker Rex Scruggs wants nothing more than to tag a first descent on a wild Colombian river. In doing so, he'll prove his skill and his worthiness to his highly critical grandfather, his national team, his sponsors, and himself. Colombia, however, has much more to teach him.The novel features familiar patterns of conflict. Rex must overcome the biases of his North American upbringing, his grandfather's doubts in Rex's abilities, the local conditions of a developing nation, and the challenge of El Furioso itself. The action is non-stop from the opening pages, including daring river rescues, Class V rapids, ziplines, landmines, and armed guerrillas, and the author keeps both the narrative tension and the reader's interest high.There is much to admire in this text, but much of the story itself is built from shopworn pieces. Rex's mother is a weakly drawn walk-on character: apologetic, sympathetic, and loving, but incompletely realized. Rex's grandfather is a crusty, bigoted old man with a regret-filled past. Josh is a nervous young entrepreneur, ready to comply with local oppression as long as North American and European tourists continue to visit. An attentive reader will observe how the story is constructed; while the plot is still suspenseful, its trajectory is largely predictable.The stronger component of the story for me was the Andean natives, los indigenas. While highly stereotypical in its details (the attractive and determined young women, the possessive and aggressive young suitor, the wise and mysterious grandmother, etc.), the narrative does provide some sense of the racism, oppression, poverty, and exclusion that indigenous groups experience and of the complexities associated with escaping these conditions.I would recommend this book for reluctant male readers. There is much in Rex for young men to identify with, and he is a strong, likeable character who ultimately makes the right choices under difficult conditions. I would also recommend this book for any readers looking for a fast-paced adventure story. FIRST DESCENT won't let them down.

[jrlibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After I finished reading First Descent, I anxiously awaited the release because I wanted a couple copies for my school library. The book offers a little bit of everything. It would be engaging just on an adventure level, since the kayaking descriptions are exciting. The author kayaks so the descriptions are authentic. The two main characters are another reason I really enjoyed the book. Rex, a Canadian boy who wants to prove himself to his cranky grandfather, by attempting to kayak the river that "beat" the grandfather, and his river guide, Myriam, are both strong characters.Lastly, it's a great read for making readers more aware of the situation in Columbia and the realities of a civil war. Rex quickly discovers that he had no idea of the danger posed by the Guerillas who happen to be right in the area where he needs to kayak.

[red_dianthus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is both a rousing adventure and a coming of age tale, while also trying to educate the reader about the social problems in Columbia. Amazingly it achieves all three of these goals while still being engaging and fun. Unlike many young adult books this story balances both adventure and the inner thoughts of the two main characters as they come to grips with both growing up and the world around them.I would recommend this book for high school libraries as well as for inclusion into literature circles and class projects focusing on world issues. This one is exciting enough to keep the reluctant readers turning the pages.

[terriko_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Perhaps it's no surprise that a book about fast-paced whitewater kayaking would be a real page turner. However, it may be a surprise to some that in the end, this story isn't as much about the original hero, Rex, as it is about Myriam, the girl who he hires to be his native guide to the river he seeks to conquer. In many ways, she makes a better heroine than Rex makes a hero! When the river turns out to be an entirely different kind of adventure for Rex, he must learn to adapt and work with Myriam and the others he's met since leaving Canada. A fast-paced read that explores privilege, cultural differences, and the sharing of stories as much as it explores the wilds of Colombia and the unconquered river that Rex's grandfather never quite tamed.

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As with her many other young adult adventure novels, Pam Withers's latest has a suspenseful plot with a conflcted main character. We don't necessarily like 17-year-old Rex, because he is so driven to complete a first descent of a Colombian river that his famous grandfather was unable to accomplish that he is blind to the needs and feelings of others. His obsession, combined with an arrogance and narcissism, blind him to some real dangers, not only for himself but also for his expedition partners and the indegenous folks who help him. In many ways the plot is predictable in its twists and turns, but readers will find the ending satisfactory, particularly as Rex opens himself to awareness of others.

[brigitte64 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was really fun to read, I couldn’t stop until the end. I am no fan of kayaking but I this exciting adventure made me understand how much fun it can be. And how important is in life to not always reach your own goals. The unstable political situation and the traveling with the natives in Columbia brought the run for the first descent in a very different perspective.A really good book for not only for teenagers.

[cammykitty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I work in a U.S. middle school that has a population that is 25% Latino and growing. When I finished First Descent, I knew that it had to be added to our school library. Books that show strong Latino and Latina characters are hard enough to find, but ones where the Caucasian and Indigenous/Latina culture come together are even rarer. First, this book is a strong adventure story about a Canadian boy, Rex, who needs to prove something to his Grandfather. He does this by going to Columbia to kayak the river that had beaten "Gramps" 60 years before. He needs the help of the Indigenas that had had the (dis)pleasure of helping Gramps previously.Second, this is a novel of witness. Once Rex gets to Columbia, he finds the tourist board had downplayed the activities of Guerrila and paramilitary forces in the region he plans to kayak. Real news of the situation is hard to find. Reporters who attempt to cover the civil war frequently die doing so. The Indegenas who are helping him are right in the middle of the clash, being tortured, starved and killed by all three militaries involved. As Rex continues on his journey, he finds that proving something to Gramps isn't reason enough to get him over the falls and through the underground passage of the river. However, a better reason finds him.

[joles_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was excited to get this at BEA this year. It's hard to find good kayaking books. I highly enjoyed this book and could definitely connect with the characters. All of the kayaking references were good and you could tell that the author knew her stuff. Our protagonist, Rex goes to Columbia to run a river that his crotchety grandfather was unable to complete a first descent. Unfortunately, this section of Columbia is war-torn between the army (who stay mostly uninvolved), the paramilitaries and the guerrillas. There is a lot going on in the book without it being overwhelming. There is a good balance of kayaking and other action for those that are mostly interested int he kayaking portion.