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The high desert / James Spooner.

High desert : (other title)
Spooner, James, (author,, artist.).

Summary:

Scene: Apple Valley, California, in the late eighties -- a thirsty, miserable desert. Teenage James Spooner hates that he and his mom are back in town after years away. The few Black kids here seem to be gangbanging, and the other kids fall on a spectrum of microaggressors to future neo-Nazis. Mixed-race and acutely aware of his Blackness, James doesn't know where he fits in until he meets Ty, a young Black punk who introduces him to the school outsiders -- skaters, unhappy young rebels, caught up in the punk groundswell sweeping the country. A haircut - and a few Sex Pistols, Misfits, and Black Flag records later -- James has friends, romantic prospects, and knows the difference between a bass and a guitar. But this desolate landscape hides brutal, building undercurrents: a classmate overdoses and a friend must prove himself to his white-supremacist brother and the local Aryan Brotherhood through a show of violence. And everything and everyone are set to collide at one of the year's biggest shows in town... Weaving in the Black roots of punk rock and a vivid interlude in New York's thriving DIY scene, this is the memoir of a budding punk, artist, and activist. -- Adapted from jacket flap description.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780358659112
  • ISBN: 0358659116
  • Physical Description: 368 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublisher, [2022]

Content descriptions

General Note:
"From the creator of AFRO-PUNK" --Dust jacket.
Formatted Contents Note:
Thirsty and miserable -- American waste -- TV party -- My war -- Six pack -- Family man -- ...Unless and until I can stick all of you -- I'm the one -- Who's got the 10 1/2? -- Rise above -- Gimmie gimmie gimmie -- Bastard in love -- Epilogue: my rules.
Awards Note:
Alex Award, 2023
Subject:
Spooner, James > Childhood and youth > Comic books, strips, etc.
Cartoonists > United States > Biography > Comic books, strips, etc.
Multiracial people > United States > Biography > Comic books, strips, etc.
Multiracial people > Race identity > United States > Comic books, strips, etc.
Music and race > United States > Comic books, strips, etc.
Punk rock music > Social aspects > Comic books, strips, etc.
Punk culture > Comic books, strips, etc.
Racism > United States > Comic books, strips, etc.
African Americans > California > Apple Valley > Comic books, strips, etc.
Teenagers > California > Apple Valley > Comic books, strips, etc.
Nineteen eighties > Comic books, strips, etc.
Nineteen nineties > Comic books, strips, etc.
Coming of age > Comic books, strips, etc.
Genre:
Autobiographical comics.
Coming-of-age comics.
Graphic novels.
Comics (Graphic works)
Nonfiction comics.

Available copies

  • 25 of 28 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
  • 3 of 4 copies available at Onslow County Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 28 total copies.
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Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Jacksonville Main Library BIO SPOONER (Text) 36015000514709 Adult Biography Available -
Richlands Branch Library BIO SPOONER (Text) 36015000514642 Adult Biography Available -
Sneads Ferry Branch Library BIO SPOONER (Text) 36015000514766 Adult Biography Checked out 08/18/2026
Swansboro Branch Library BIO SPOONER (Text) 36015000514584 Adult Biography Available -