Drawing on lessons from Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, Downriver is the story of a transformational journey in response to a life-changing event. Author Erik Hare represents coming-of-age lessons through metaphors and characters that both children and adults can understand, taking us through the magical realms of the River Flats, Piketown and Fountain Cave. Downriver explores themes of identity, power, ownership, and "finding one's place" in a rapidlychanging world. We travel with Popey, the main character, to learn more about the magic of the world through experience and observation, rather than through academic knowledge or just reading the written word. Popey's defiance and determination calls forth our own reflections on the need for self-actualization through our unique choices in life paths. The characters in Downriver at once familiar and memorable, illustrating the ways in which relationships influence our choices and help us see ourselves more clearly. Landscapes and locales provide the anchoring framework for the story, each describing beauty as it is found throughout even the most difficult personal struggles. In the end, we arrive at a sense of peace for the journeys ahead.