Deliverance by James Dickey

This book tells the story of a group of four middle-aged men who decide to canoe a river through a wilderness area before a dam is finished that will flood this same area.  The area is unknown and the men, except one, are inexperienced with canoeing, camping, and survival skills.  The beginning of the book tells shortly how they came to go on the trip.  Then the majority of the book tells of the three days of the canoe trip and the surprising experience the men have.  The end again briefly tells how life goes on after the trip.  The whole book is told in first person by Ed, an advertising executive whose experience and the consequent connection he feels to the river changes his life and makes it suddenly seem tolerable to him, in spite of its conventional nature.  The book does have some violent parts, including a rape, so it may not be suitable for younger readers.  It is not very long but is surprisingly powerful.  It is easily worth the time.