Peter Brown Hoffmeister

Rising sophomore Travis and his best friend, Creature, are just trying to survive the summer in their Eugene, Oregon, trailer park. But this isn't your average summer break. Between shooting hoops at the local basketball court and navigating the confusing thrill of first love, the boys are surrounded by a chaotic world that threatens to pull them under. Travis is watching his grandmother battle cancer, while Creature is caught in the dangerous crosshairs of local gang violence and addiction. Oh, and there is also a massive, terrifying reptilian infestation taking over their neighborhood. As the stakes get higher and the summer heat blazes on, Travis and Creature must rely on their unbreakable friendship to make it through. Packed with gritty realism, dark humor, and incredible heart, this story captures the messy, beautiful, and sometimes heartbreaking reality of growing up when the odds are stacked against you. Will they find a way to escape the cycle, or is this the part where you just have to laugh to keep from crying?

Growing up is rarely easy, but for Peter, it feels like a daily battle for survival. Homeschooled until the age of fourteen, Peter spends his childhood navigating a deeply chaotic home life. His mother is slowly losing herself to a manic state, while his strict, demanding father pushes him to the breaking point, teaching Peter to expect nothing but the worst from himself. Overwhelmed by anxiety, Peter bites his fingernails until they bleed and repeatedly tries to run away. Soon, a relentless, monotone voice in his head begins dictating his every move. When Peter finally enters public school, he hopes to break free from his father's intense control, but instead, he falls deeper into the grip of his own obsessive-compulsive behaviors. What starts as fierce competition in sports quickly spirals into a dangerous world of lies, violence, and substance abuse. This gripping, heartbreaking memoir takes you to the very edge of sanity as Peter fights to reclaim his life. It is a powerful, unflinchingly honest true story about the deep trauma of adolescence, the struggle with mental health, and the incredible resilience required to find redemption when all hope seems lost.

Little McCardell is doing everything in his power just to keep his world from falling apart. With his grandfather mysteriously missing and his older brother locked up in jail, Little is left to shoulder the burdens of his fractured family. Between looking out for his younger cousin, struggling to stay afloat in school, and working long hours at the town graveyard, he barely has time to breathe, let alone navigate his complicated feelings for his brother's former girlfriend. But Little's fragile routine shatters when the local police start asking dangerous questions about his grandfather's disappearance. Blackmailed by a corrupt deputy who catches him hunting out of season, Little is forced into an investigation he desperately wants to avoid. You will be drawn into a gritty, uncompromising web of secrets as Little finds himself beholden to the sheriff, his brother, and the haunting memory of his grandfather. With no clear way out that does not involve betrayal, this tragic and beautiful story explores the fierce resilience of a young man fighting to survive in a world that threatens to break him completely.