Whitewater

by Paul Horgan

Whitewater is the story of three high-school-age friends growing up in a small Texas town. As each of them struggles to figure out what the future holds after high school, they interact with older townspeople who reflect back on their own broken dreams and the time when all things seemed possible to them as well.

Genres: Fiction

347 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1970

About the author

Paul Horgan was an American author of fiction and nonfiction, most of which was set in the Southwest. He received two Pulitzer Prizes for history.

The New York Times Review of Books said in 1989: "With the exception of Wallace Stegner, no living American has so distinguished himself in both fiction and history."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ho...

Reviews

[Marne Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book while I was in high school. Although it's not actually a very long book at all, it took me at least a year to get through it, not because I didn't like it, but because I found it so profound that I kept stopping to think about things in my own life.

Recently I decided to read it again, and my first hurdle was figuring out which book it was, since I didn't remember the title or the author, and all my Googling for keywords was in vain until I finally remembered the catchphrase, repeated constantly throughout the book, "Beat Orpha City!" That brought up exactly one hit in Italian, but it was enough to get me the title and author, and then I was able to find a copy at a research library near me.

I was half-expecting that I wouldn't like the book this time around, since I'm so much older now, but I had the same exact experience of taking forever to get through it. But this time I was not identifying so much with the teenage characters trying to find themselves in a small Texas town (although their story is still tragic and heartbreaking) but with the middle-aged townspeople they interact with, the ones who look at the young people and reflect back on their own youths. Horgan has managed to capture on paper very evocatively all the hidden hopes and dreams of both age groups. There are also some wonderful descriptive passages that I have never forgotten. Horgan may not be a much-remembered writer these days, but he's still definitely worth checking out.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read this book for the first time shortly after it was published, I told myself I would read it again someday because I loved it so. Well, I recently completed the second reading and am puzzled about why I was so thrilled with it the first time. Perhaps life, age, and the viewing of movies and reading of other books had something to do with it.

[Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This shows too often what young people do and how they feel about the things around them.
I was sorry for Phillipson being the only one left of the 3 but he did get to go to school and found out who gave him the money for college.
He seemed like a caring guy.

[Edward Amato · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. It had a very "Norman Rockwell" aspect to it and seemed to reveal a lifestyle more a part of my parents and grandparents generations. Given when this was written, it makes sense. This story drew a lot of emotion out of me.

[Joanne Otto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliantly and insightfully written, as is every book of Horgan's I've ever read. Explores the relationships of teenagers with their elders and their aspirations for the future. It is, however, very tragic, so I can't say it's a favorite of mine. That's no reflection on Horgan's writing.

[Ernest · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was, for me, the least interesting of Paul Horgan books...Loved his early work.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Horgan, RDC-B, Autumn, 1970 @ 1970, 8/73. A high school senior inadvertently causes the death of two of his friends in the powerful novel. Good.