A friend of mine, who I share of love of paddling and all things water with, lent me this book to read. It took me a while to get around to it, but I'm so glad I did. Memoirs are always one of my favorite genres to read. Loewen's memoir is incredibly intimate and personal. Written after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, "Up a Creek, with a Paddle" feels like Loewen's parting gift to his children, grandchildren, and all those who were moved by his work as a sociologist throughout his career. In its pages, Loewen is alive even though he's since passed. It seems like the best parts of him are entombed in this novel - his love of paddling, his well-researched insights parts of U.S. history we try to forget or stubbornly choose to misremember, and his wisdom, collected over nearly eight decades of life. I knew nothing about Loewen going into this novel other than that we shared a love of paddling, but after finishing the memoir, I feel saddened at his passing. His perspective on many of the challenges facing our country was so well-reasoned but also so hopeful. I wish I could read his thoughts on what's going on in the U.S. in 2025. I look forward to reading some of his other works, such as Sundown Towns and Lies My Teacher Told Me, to hopefully learn more from his writings. My only critique, as others have noted, is the abrupt shifting of focus from paddling stories to essays on antiracism or Reconstruction. I enjoyed both types of chapters, especially since they seem to encapsulate Loewen so well, but for the uninitiated reader who knew neither Loewen or his career as sociologist the juxtaposition can often seem quite harsh.