A mind-altering coming-of-age novel from the acclaimed author of Almost Home

A powerful coming-of-age novel about a seventeen-year-old girl who joins a radical environmental movement in the Pacific Northwest.Ever since her older brother Andy died, Alison's life has been just as dark as her home in Tacoma, Washington. Her mom is in perpetual mourning, her father ran out on them, and after hanging out with Andy's hard-partying friends for a year, Alison's reputation is trashed. She planned on taking the path of least resistance during her senior year--hanging out with her punk rocker boyfriend and trying not to flunk out of school--until a massive fight with her mother pushes her over the edge, and she runs away. At first, joining a group of radical environmentalists who are occupying a Washington State forest is just about having a place to crash. But the ancient woods prove to be as vibrant and welcoming as they are vulnerable, and for the first time, Alison realizes that she might be more powerful than she thought. As tensions in the forest mount and confrontations with authorities get physical, Alison has to decide whether she's willing to put her own life on the line to fight for what she believes in. In this stunning literary work, Jessica Blank uses the anti-establishment and radical mood of the 1990s to show a girl grappling to find the strength and courage to do what's right . . . for the world . . . and for herself.

Why would anyone choose to live on the streets? There is Eeyore, just twelve years old when she runs away from her priveleged home, harboring a secret she's too ashamed to tell anyone. Rusty is a sensitive gay teen who winds up alone when his older boyfriend ditches him in Hollywood. Squid has gone through too many foster homes to count. There's Scabius, a delusional punk from Utah who takes the 'me against the world' motto to dangerous extremes. And Critter is a heroin dealer with movie star looks and a vulnerable heart. Laura should be home studying, but she can't face another one of her mom's boyfriends. And then there's Tracy, the damaged thread that ties them all together, irrevocably changing each life she touches. This unlikely band of characters form their own dysfunctional family, complete with love and belonging, abuse and betrayal. Each will make their way home, wherever it may be.