I would like to thank my family: Mom, Lisa, Rashid, Mike, Haadiya, Micayla, Alyssa, Hamza, and Hasan for always supporting me and believing in me; Samantha for reading and
re-reading
everything I've ever written and encouraging me to keep writing anyway; Denise, Tammy, Karen, Mark, Faith, and Sheiba for inspiring me and pushing me to finish this novel; Sarah Weeks for helping me nourish this idea; the writing group at The New School: Caroline, Chris, Emmy, Jenny, Kathryne, Krissi, Lisa, Lisa GW, Melinda, and Randi for being so enthusiastic from the very beginning; my NAACP ACT-SO students for giving me more than I gave them; DJ Pete La Rock for his expertise in everything old-skool; and, of course, David Levithan for giving me the freedom to tell this story my way and for being the best editor I could have asked for.
Coe Booth started writing “novels” in second grade, then digressed, working with teens and families in crisis in the Bronx and as a writing consultant for the New York City Housing Department. After receiving an MFA in creative writing from The New School, she finished
Tyrell.
She was born in the Bronx, and she still lives there.
For more, check out
www.coebooth.com
and
www.thisispush.com.
Candy
KEVIN BROOKS
Kissing the Rain
KEVIN BROOKS
Lucas
KEVIN BROOKS
Martyn Pig
KEVIN BROOKS
You Remind Me of You
EIREANN CORRIGAN
Johnny Hazzard
EDDIE DE OLIVEIRA
Lucky
EDDIE DE OLIVEIRA
Born Confused
TANUJA DESAI HIDIER
Dirty Liar
BRIAN JAMES
Perfect World
BRIAN JAMES
Pure Sunshine
BRIAN JAMES
Tomorrow, Maybe
BRIAN JAMES
The Dating Diaries
KRISTEN KEMP
I Will Survive
KRISTEN KEMP
Beast
ALLY KENNEN
Heavy Metal and You
CHRISTOPHER KROVATIN
Cut
PATRICIA MCCORMICK
Talking in the Dark
BILLY MERRELL
Never Mind the Goldbergs
MATTHUE ROTH
I Don't Want to Be Crazy
SAMANTHA SCHUTZ
Nowhere Fast
KEVIN WALTMAN
Crashing
CHRIS WOODING
Kerosene
CHRIS WOODING
Fighting Ruben Wolfe
MARKUS ZUSAK
Where We Are, What We See
EDITED BY DAVID LEVITHAN
You Are Here, This Is Now
EDITED BY DAVID LEVITHAN
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Copyright © 2006 by Coe Booth.
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E-ISBN: 978-0-545-23215-9
Jacket photos:
John Millar/Stone/Getty Images (sofa in puddle)
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Jacket design by Steve Scott