Curtis Bent

Hangman's Bridge Curtis Bent

Through a variety of activities ranging from pulling weeds in Delta asparagus and sugar beet fields to playing hang tag during a two-a-day summer football practices on Delta bridges, Curtis shares vivid experiences with the reader that the Delta and the San Joaquin Valley offer. All is not simply fun and games in Curtis' rite of passage as he becomes aware of the profound impact that water holds on his family and environment of the state of California. Through personal experiences, Curtis shares basic facts with the reader such as the following: it takes five gallons of water for a walnut to reach market; a levee is reinforced with junked cars for eight miles to save the agricultural fields; or there is only one river in the U. S that has not been dammed, the Yellowstone.



Through the supportive, enlivened narrative of his family, friends, and acquaintances, Curtis weaves a compelling story that includes his establishing a school for challenged youth. As the main character, Lou, processes the gathered information, Lou takes a radical stand to confront the abuses that impact our socioeconomic culture. The novel culminates in a violent conclusion, to which the reader is asked, "What would you do?"