Riot Act
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jul 16, 2024
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- $10.99
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- Pre-Order
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Punk rock meets Orwell's 1984 in this story of a group of theater kids who take on a political regime, perfect for readers who love books by A.S. King and Marie Lu.
In an alternate 1991, the authoritarian US government keeps tabs on everybody and everything. It censors which books can be read, what music can be listened to, and which plays can be performed.
When her best friend is killed by the authorities and her theater teacher disappears without a trace, Gigi decides to organize her fellow Champaign High School thespians to put on a production of Henry VI. But at what cost?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
All media is subject to despotic censorship, and any "anti-American thought" is banned in this 1991-set supernatural alternate history by Lariviere (Time Travel for Love and Profit). "Being dead is exactly like living in the Midwest," remarks snarky, recently murdered 18-year-old Max Bowl. But his soul still lingers, his consciousness linked to that of his best friend Giselle "Gigi" Durant. Past events portraying Max's life leading up to his death are depicted alongside Gigi's experiences in the present, in which she has reunited her former cohort of Champaign, Ill., thespians to mourn both Max and the recent death by suicide of their beloved teacher, Ms. Lee. Dodging political party informers, checkpoints, and raids, the students risk their lives by channeling Ms. Lee's rebellious attitude ("I'm doing it because they told me I can't") to stage an illegal "punk rock Shakespeare" version of Henry VI. While Max's presence in Gigi's life sometimes feels voyeuristic, as when he witnesses her first sexual encounter, tension zings throughout the twined plots, making for an unabashed profession of the importance of art in a tale both gritty and timely. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up.
