Wonders of the West

Anyone who grew up poor on the outside, but privledged on the inside will appreciate this book. Jordan is having a wreck of a childhood no thanks to star-struck LA adults, her father's cancer, vapid neighborhood children, her McCarthy minded guidance counselor, and her mother's relentless insecurities. As a result, she cultivates a righteous arrogance that will give courage to anyone under the age of twenty. While 60s flower-power culture doesn't seem like it would have been my chosen escape from the insanity, I can understand how the amazing cultural power of youth at the time set up an inevitable backlash on the youth of today. This is my favorite Braverman book - the most potent, the most troubling. There is a reason that this book is out of print!!