{"product_id":"the-high-desert","title":"The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e*** This book is remaindered. Remaindered books normally are marked on the edge to show they have been discounted. ***\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWinner of a 2022 ALA Alex Award\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWinner of the 2023 Cartoonist Studio Prize for Print Comics\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of The Washington Post's 10 Best Graphic Novels of the Year * One of NYPL's Best Books of the Year * A Publishers Weekly \"Best Book of the Year\" \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA formative coming-of-age graphic memoir by the creator of Afro-punk: a young man’s immersive reckoning with identity, racism, clumsy teen love and belonging in an isolated California desert, and a search for salvation and community through punk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApple Valley, California, in the late eighties, a thirsty, miserable desert.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTeenage James Spooner hates that he and his mom are back in town after years away. The one silver lining―new school, new you, right? But the few Black kids at school seem to be gangbanging, and the other kids fall on a spectrum of micro-aggressors to future Neo-Nazis. Mixed race, acutely aware of his Blackness, James doesn't know where he fits 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA haircut, a few Sex Pistols, Misfits and Black Flag records later: suddenly, 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, a friend must prove himself to his white supremacist brother and the local Aryan brotherhood through a show of violence. Everything and everyone are set to collide at one of the year's biggest shows in town...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeaving in the Black roots of punk rock and a vivid interlude in the thriving eighties DIY scene in New York's East Village, this is a powerful memoir about identity from a budding punk, artist, and activist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpooner’s journey is a raw look at the forces that shape us―and the music that saves us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eComing-of-Age Story:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Follow a young James Spooner as he navigates clumsy teen love, clashes with authority, and searches for belonging in an isolated desert town.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eAfro-Punk Origins:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Discover the formative experiences of the man who would go on to create the seminal Afro-punk movement, weaving together Black culture and punk rebellion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eAn Unflinching Look at Racism:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e From casual micro-aggressions to violent threats from a local Aryan brotherhood, this memoir confronts the brutal reality of being Black in a white-dominated scene.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e80s Punk Rock Scene:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Immerse yourself in the world of the Sex Pistols, Misfits, and Black Flag, from the desolate landscape of Apple Valley to the thriving DIY scene of New York's East Village.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003eWhat People Are Saying\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"James Spooner’s documentary AFRO-PUNK not only exposed racism in the punk scene, it inspired a movement that centered Black and Brown punks everywhere. In his new memoir, we learn about the major pitfalls and minor triumphs that put Spooner on the path to realize his dream of an all Black mosh pit. Beautifully written and illustrated \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe High Desert\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a must-have for every music fan. After I finished reading it I kept wishing a second, third and fourth volume would magically appear so it didn’t have to end.\" - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eKathleen Hanna, Bikini Kill \u0026amp; Le Tigre\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Washington DC is a long way from Apple Valley and the circumstances of James’ introduction to the punk underground are vastly different than mine, but there’s something so recognizable in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eHigh Desert \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethat I felt like I was there. I suspect in a way we were all there at one time in our lives, navigating and negotiating as we figured out just who the fuck we were and who was with us. I loved this book.\" - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eIan MacKaye, Minor Threat \u0026amp; Fugazi\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"James Spooner’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe High Desert \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehas all the marks of a classic Black punk coming-of-age story. What makes this graphic novel extra special is Spooner’s thoughtful observations about the ways that Black kids have to flatten themselves to feel safe in hostile white spaces. If you’ve ever had to fight to be yourself, this book is for you.\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eChris L. Terry, author of Black Card and Zero Fade\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"This reminds me of how punk can pull us out of a pit, give us legs to dance on, and words to scream with our dumb drunk beautiful friends. This already feels like a classic.\" - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eBen Passmore, author of BTTM FDRS and Your Black Friend\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“This beautifully paced graphic memoir illustrates the struggle and joy of finding self-acceptance and community on the fringes. It perfectly captures the innocence, camaraderie, and trauma of being a punk of color in the late eighties and early nineties. I couldn’t look away.” - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eMariNaomi, author and illustrator of Losing the Girl\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“James Spooner captures an often overlooked, West Coast slice of modern American culture and subculture. Misfits, nerds, social outcasts and rebels: Mr. Spooner has delivered a well needed roadmap for future generations of kids that don’t quite fit in, especially kids of color.” - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eNorwood, Fishbone\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"A rewarding journey of identity, creativity and self-determination.\" - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Like most coming-of-age books, 'The High Desert' is the saga of a square peg. What differentiates Spooner’s memoir is its bold confrontation of race.\" - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eWinner of a 2022 ALA Alex Award * Winner of the 2023 Cartoonist Studio Prize for Print Comics\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e*\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eOne of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Washington Post's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e10 Best Graphic Novels of 2022 * One of NYPL's Best Books of 2022 *One of Chicago Public Library's \"Best of the Best 2022 Books\" *\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eA \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\"Best Book of 2022\" * One of LitHub's \"Best Graphic Novels and Nonfiction of 2022\" * One of ALA's \"Best Graphic Novels for Adults\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e\"The High Desert\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a memoir for music lovers. Spooner brings readers along on the punk journey of his younger self, blazing lyrics across the pages; the larger the writing, the louder the volume.\" - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003edepartures.com\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Much like \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eGhost World\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, this grabbing, angsty coming-of-age tale offers a sidewalk view of a creative subculture. It’s also a poignant ode to the power of music to fill voids left by family and circumstance, with provocations thrumming on race and identity that sound out like a smashed guitar.” - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"His freshly told and achingly vulnerable graphic memoir illustrates his adolescence as being an outcast many times over...Spooner’s narration is endearingly earnest and honest feeling, whether pining after the cool Goth girl at the video store or exulting in discovering countercultural meccas like the East Village and Venice Beach.\" - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eStar Tribune\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I always love a good ‘punk kid coming of age’ tale and the 350+ pages of this kept me reading pretty much non-stop to the end.\"  - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eHanging Hex\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Perfect for fans of music history, as well anyone who’s ever been looking for their place to fit in.\" - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eBook Riot\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"A must-read for fans of punk music.\" - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003e\"The Hub\" at the Young Adult Library Services Association.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"A masterful debut that's just as captivating as it is inspiring. Spooner paints a world that's irresistible and harrowing, and fills it with the kind of honesty that defines every great graphic memoir.\" - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eEzra Claytan Daniels, author of BTTM FDRS\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Deeply relatable...it is genuinely therapeutic to read about James Spooner’s experiences: being in proximity to white supremacy, the exceptions that are made in small town, USA, and how quickly violence can escalate. Man oh man. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe High Desert\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e hits so deep.”  - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eKimya Dawson, Moldy Peaches\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“A coming of age tale of the very precarious faultlines of growing up an outsider amongst outsiders: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe High Desert \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eis an American tale of race, politics, counter-culture, and the tender and personal story of Black adolescence rarely told.” - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eBrontez Purnell, author of 100 Boyfriends\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Punk is James Spooner’s salvation as he comes of age in a racist world, but punk culture is also a microcosm of that world. The path to reconciliation—with himself, his parents, his peers—is navigated with exquisite nuance and compassion. A beautifully drawn story.\"  - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eAlison Bechdel, author of Fun Home\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“In each panel of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe High Desert\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, James Spooner delivers magic between his art and his words, mixing the intense passions of youth with the hindsight of the wise. Gorgeously drawn, brutally honest, and as emotionally raw as your favorite punk song.”  - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eDawnie Walton, author of The Final Revival of Opal \u0026amp; Nev\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“[A] probing graphic memoir. . . . . Spooner is a discerning student of his own past and the movement he joined. . . .[An] eloquent latter-day rejoinder to Chuck Klosterman’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eFargo Rock City\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. A lively, inspirational tale that will point readers toward art, music, and resistance of their own.”  - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eJAMES SPOONER is an accomplished tattoo artist, illustrator, and filmmaker. He directed the seminal documentary \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eAfro-Punk\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Spooner is also the co-founder of the Afro-punk Festival. Spooner’s work has appeared in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eNPR, Vice, The Village Voice, The New Yorker, Vibe, Fader, MTV, NBC News,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eVariety\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. He is an ongoing guest curator for the Broad Museum in Los Angeles, and previously programmed for the Brooklyn Academy of Music.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Houghton Mifflin Harcourt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44554878648413,"sku":"9780358659112","price":17.5,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0562\/0826\/1213\/files\/TheHighDesertBlackPunkNowhere.jpg?v=1782846203","url":"https:\/\/leftwingbooks.net\/products\/the-high-desert","provider":"Leftwingbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}