Product Description

Pulled between the disparate spheres of home life with a minister father he loves and respects, and the world of sex, drugs, and violence of his closest boyhood friends, author Stephen Haven relates his journey of self-discovery in this poignant memoir. After a fourteen-year absence from his home in Amsterdam, New York, Haven returns in the week before Easter, 2003, to the town that molded his character.

A true bildungsroman, The River Lock traces the forging of Haven's identity from the clash of his youthful home life and the streets of his native mill town. Through memories of adolescence, Haven reveals how a growing understanding of art, culture, friendship, spirituality, family, and class melded to create a man able to live fully in two distinct worlds.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1138834 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 175 pages

Review
... a universal story, one to stand alongside such memoirs as Mary Karr's The Liars' Club or Wolff's This Boy's Life... -- Michael Pearson, author of Dreaming of Columbus: A Boyhood in the Bronx

...a story of love lost and regained, and a testament to the stories that shape us. -- Kim Barnes, Pulitzer Prize finalist, author of In the Wilderness

In Ulysses, Joyce explodes a single ordinary day into a life's journey... Haven pulls off a variation of that trick... -- Syracuse New times

About the Author
Stephen Haven is director of the M.F.A program in creative writing at Ashland University, and director of the Ashland Poetry Press.

Customer Reviews

The River Lock
Stephen Haven's memoir, The River Lock, is an introspective telling of the trials, tribulations and warm hearted escapades of an adolescent coming of age in upstate New York. Stephen's father is a respected rector at a local parish; Stephen's youthful indiscretions often conflict with this pious background and a somewhat laissez faire upbringing. There are a number of amusing childish pranks. There is also an element of danger as Stephen tends to wander between two distinct circles of friends and comes in contact with elements of alcohol, drugs and violence. There are many forks in the road.

This is a story about childhood and about growing up. It is a story about the choices that we make and the forces that shape our lives and remain with us. It is a fond reminiscence to which most can relate. Stephen Haven writes with a sense of humor and a sense of place that make this a novel that will stay with you. Highly recommended!

Reminiscing on Haven's past filled with drugs, sex, and violence
One's hometown, the city one grows up in, has much to do with the development of one's character. "The River Lock: One's Boy's Life Along the Mohawk" is author Stephen Haven's recounting of his childhood in Amsterdam, New York. Looking at the culture of the town and reminiscing on Haven's past filled with drugs, sex, and violence, "The River Lock" is intriguing and highly recommended for community library memoir collections.

a dedicated master,
Stephen Haven's work is among the finest work I've read. I own one of his poetry books. In many of the poems I got glimpses of his life growing up along the Mohawk. I trust the memoir will deliver the same awe that is derived from his poetry writing. Stephen is the MFA program leader at Ashland University and has a sincere love for writers and excellent writing. I have ordered my copy and can't wait to read it and give it a review.