Youth in Revolt

Fourteen-year-old Nick Twisp did not intend to set the fire that destroyed much of Berkeley's famed Gourmet Ghetto. He was surprised to be the cause of a death by electrocution, a near fatal suicide attempt, & lawsuits against his parents totalling $8.5 million. He was perplexed to find himself homeless, wanted by three police jurisdictions, the target of an international FBI search, & attending high school dressed like an elderly Italian woman. These are just some of the misfortunes that befall this precocious, literarily inclined teen in this hilarious, tightly plotted first novel. In this ribald, epic-length (200,000 plus words) comic trilogy, Nick recounts his evolution from "brown-nosing honor student" to "modern youth in open revolt." The wit is dazzling, the satire acerbic, & the laughs non-stop as Nick & his sociopathic alter ego Francois struggle to cope with '90s economic decline, the "gulag of public schools," a competitive "Type A" father, an amorous "roommate from hell," incipient male-pattern baldness, French culture, & an unfortunate "hair trigger" on their mutual erectile response. Through every adversity, Nick strives to outwit "affected twit" Trent Preston, arch-rival for the affections of a beautiful, supremely intellectual Sheeni Saunders. Volume discounts available from publisher; Aivia Press, P.O. Box, 1922, Sebastopol, CA 95742, 707/829-1756.Payne, C. D. is the author of 'Youth in Revolt' with ISBN 9781882647002 and ISBN 1882647009.