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  • Blood and Guts in High School by Kathy Acker book cover
  • Blood and Guts in High School by Kathy Acker book cover
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Blood and Guts in High School

by Kathy Acker

A transgressive collage of desire and power

$17.92 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

A transgressive collage of desire and power

Janey’s journey moves from Mérida to New York City and Tangier, tracing a route through abandonment, exploitation, and sexual awakening. The publisher describes the novel as a hallucinatory collage, bringing together fantastical narrative with philosophical and political concerns. Its depiction of a young protagonist entering an adult underworld makes questions of power and vulnerability central to the premise. The book also occupies a place in post-punk feminist fiction, while its provocative subject matter is integral to the work rather than background detail.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Adults interested in experimental or transgressive literary fiction
  • Readers exploring feminist fiction and questions of sexuality, power, and vulnerability
  • Those interested in surrealist or collage-like approaches to storytelling

Themes

Sexuality and erotic awakeningPower and vulnerabilityAbandonment and exploitationFeminism and political insight

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A masterpiece of surrealist fiction, steeped in controversy upon its first publication in 1984, Blood and Guts in High School is the book that established Kathy Acker as the preeminent voice of post-punk feminism. With 2017 marking the 70th anniversary of her birth, as well as the 10th year since her death this transgressive work of philosophical, political, and sexual insight--with a new introduction by Chris Kraus--continues to become more relevant than ever before.

In the Mexican city of Merida, ten-year-old Janey lives with Johnny--her "boyfriend, brother, sister, money, amusement, and father"--until he leaves her for another woman. Bereft, Janey travels to New York City, plunging into an underworld of gangs and prostitution. After escaping imprisonment, she flees to Tangiers where she meets Jean Genet, and they begin a torrid affair that will lead Janey to her demise. Fantastical, sensual, and fearlessly radical, this hallucinatory collage is both a comic and tragic portrait of erotic awakening.

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