Into the River of Angels: A Novel

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 Downton L.A., to Long Beach and the Pacific.

But Sam’s 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 LA 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.

George R. Wolfe is the founder of both The LaLa Times, dubbed "The Onion for LA., and LA River Expeditions, a group that advocates for endangered rivers. His activist work has been featured in The New York Times, PBS, BBC, and in the documentary Rock the Boat: Saving America's Wildest River. Wolfe's first novel, Blake's Bible, was selected for the Jack Straw Writers Series, and several exhibitions. Into the River of Angels is Wolfe's second novel. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, dog, and cat.