Wrong Side Of The River

by Cliff Johnson

Book Overview

Hot and humid, Southeastern Texas is also a land of Spanish moss lined bayous and secrets. At times the secrets are as dark as the bayous themselves. Many are revealed in this fast-moving and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0974679488
• ISBN13: 9780974679488
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Misty Peak Publishing
• Length: 314 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Wow!

I purchased this book as the write up intreged me. This is not my normal type of reading, but Cliff is obviously a wonderful author. I just couldn't put this book down. I recommend this book for everyone. What a life this young boy had. Keep up the great work Cliff. I'm looking forward to your next book.

A Five Star Book!

A wonderful book that puts you right there with the author. If you want to experience an adventure through the eyes of a young boy, then this is the book for you. Get it and read it and you will want to read it again and again. D.Bowman

Adventures of the Amazing Cliff Johnson!

"When we reached the highway, Big Mama reached in her purse and handed me a $20 bill. `What's this for?' I asked in surprise. `Son, this is where we part company. You're old enough to make it on your own. You go that way--I'm going this way,' she said..." And how old would one think is "old enough"? Would you believe... nine?! Author Cliff Johnson recalls his childhood from age 5 to 15 in this memoir, THE WRONG SIDE OF THE RIVER. From his humble beginnings in the bottomland of the lower Sabine River (on the Texas-Louisiana border), his is a childhood few would envy. Prosperity and harmony are sucked away by the family's alcoholism. The author's words paint vivid scenes of poverty--a 1940s world that doesn't seem survivable from today's perspective. The writing is direct and powerful. Undiminished by wordy flashbacks, background sketching, or gratuitous profanity, the reader is hit with the full impact of the insecure life of this boy, a la Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath." Yet, unlike "Grapes," the story of Cliff Johnson is inspirational and uplifting. He often serves refreshing light humor with his adventures. And this boy has more adventures than Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn! Cliff has a close call with an alligator. He survives Hurricane Audrey. His uncle tries to drown him. He smuggles hacksaw blades into a jail so his mom can saw through the bars. Shuffled from family member to family member like a bottle that's passed around, he travels as far as California and Idaho--and discovers nearly everyone else is living in a normal world, where their families don't get drunk and fight every night. Cliff Johnson begins to have dreams beyond the confines of his abusive childhood: he wants to become a cop, and he wants to have a family and raise them in Idaho. How in the world any person could suffer such an upbringing and emerge with such a positive spirit is remarkable to me, the essence of why I found this memoir to be so memorable. The end of the book makes me feel like cheering (so don't cheat! Read the author biography at the end last!) I recommend this book for young adults also--particularly those who are tempted to drink. Five stars for this action-packed memoir! -Byron C. Justice, author of "Violent Night"

A touching true story -- hard to put down!

The author tells his personal story of growing up in the deep South as an unwanted child, passed from relative to relative. He was neglected, abused, abandoned, and nearly murdered -- all before the age of ten! -- but he makes it through with his sense of humor and youthful innocence. This book reads like a modern-day Tom Sawyer or David Copperfield. It emphasizes the idea that no matter how bad your situation might be, you can choose how to react to it. Sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, this story will speak to anyone who's ever thought they had it rough. Just because life put you on the "wrong side of the river", doesn't mean you have to stay there!

Review by Deb Lawrence

Living in the bayous of Texas should have been fun for a small boy. Unending rivers and mysterious swamps should have represented hours of happy exploration and adventure. Instead, for Cliff Johnson, the bayous were only a haven from the harsh reality of being from the "wrong side of the river". He spent his childhood, trapped in a cycle of poverty, alcohol abuse and violence and was bounced from relative to relative, from city to city, and- the worst - from school to school. Johnson skillfully describes the various situations and confrontations from the point of view of the child he was at the time. He offers the reader an opportunity to experience what children feel in such situations. As a result, the reader is taken on an emotional roller coaster ride as the boy struggles with situations, which are out of control. This remarkable journey of a young boy through a childhood of poverty and alcohol abuse is a true portrayal of the resilience of the human spirit against seemingly insurmountable odds. It is a story to remember; its poignant message will remain with this reviewer for some time. Reviewer: Debbie Lawrence, Allbooks Reviews