Compound Fracture

The INSTANT New York TimesUSA Today, and Indie bestselling novel from award-winning author Andrew Joseph White!
  • ISBN: 9781682636121
  • Publication date: 09/03/2024
  • Page Count: 416
  • Size: 5-1/4" x 8"
  • Age Range: 14-18
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  • ISBN: 9781682636121
  • Publication date: 09/03/2024
  • Page Count: 416
  • Size: 5-1/4" x 8"
  • Age Range: 14-18
  • Price:
  • Age Range: 14-18
  • Price:
  • Age Range: 14-18
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  • ISBN: 9781682637395
  • Publication date: 09/03/2024
  • Page Count: N/A
  • Age Range: 14-18
  • Price:
  • Age Range: 14-18
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Description

The INSTANT New York TimesUSA Today, and Indie bestselling novel from award-winning author Andrew Joseph White!

A queer Appalachian thriller that pulls no punches—following a trans autistic teen who’s drawn into the generational struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them.

The limited-quantity first printing of this powerful novel features specially-designed endpapers with photos of West Virginia coal mines from The Library of Congress!

On the night Miles Abernathy—sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian—comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county’s Sheriff Davies was responsible for the so-called “accident” that injured his dad, killed others, and crushed their grassroots efforts to unseat him.

The feud began a hundred years ago when Miles’s great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, incited a miners’ rebellion that ended with a public execution at the hands of law enforcement. Now, Miles becomes the feud’s latest victim as the sheriff’s son and his friends sniff out the evidence, follow him through the woods, and beat him nearly to death.

In the hospital, the ghost of a soot-covered man hovers over Miles’s bedside while Sheriff Davies threatens Miles into silence. But when Miles accidently kills one of the boys who hurt him, he learns of other folks in Twist Creek who want out from under the sheriff’s heel. To free their families from this cycle of cruelty, they’re willing to put everything on the line—is Miles?

A visceral, unabashedly political page-turner that won’t let you go until you’ve reached the end, Compound Fracture is not for the faint of heart, but it is for every reader who’s ready to fight for a better world. Hand this story to teens pushing for radical change.

Author/Illustrator

Andrew Joseph White

Author

Andrew Joseph White is a queer, trans author from Virginia, where he grew up falling in love with monsters and wishing he could be one too. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University in 2022  and has a habit of cuddling random street cats. Andrew writes about trans kids with claws and fangs, and what happens when they bite back.

Reviews

“Tremendously suspenseful. . . The hopeful, satisfying ending emerges from community collaboration. Unflinching and empowering.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“White’s latest is a stunning testament to the intertwining realities of politics and queerness, as well as community focused ideologies and the impact of those ideals in the face of oppression.”Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

★“This unapologetically gruesome story of a trans Appalachian teen channeling strength to preserve his family’s legacy amidst intergenerational trauma has the power to leave readers profoundly changed.”—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

Resources

Resources: Discussion Guide

Reading Group Guide

More Details

BISAC 1: YAF031000 Young Adult Fiction – LGBTQ+ – General
BISAC 2: YAF058030 Young Adult Fiction – Social Themes – Class Differences
BISAC 3: YAF062000 Young Adult Fiction – Thrillers & Suspense – General