Youth Humor

Youth in Revolt brings us the journals of Nick Twisp, California's most precocious diarist, whose ongoing struggles to make sense out of high school, deal with his divorced parents, and lose his virginity result in his transformation from an unassuming 14-year-old to a modern youth in open revolt. As his family splinters, worlds collide, and the police block all routes out of town, Nick must cope with economic deprivation, homelessness, and the gulag of the public schools.

As his family splinters, worlds collide, and the police block all routes out of town, Nick Twisp must cope with economic deprivation, homelessness, the gulag of the public schools, a competitive Type-A father, murderous canines (in triplicate), and an inconvenient hair trigger on his erectile response, all while vying ardently for the affections of the beauteous Sheeni Saunders, teenage goddess and ultimate intellectual goad. He's smart, he's horny, he's resourceful, and he's on the loose.

Fourteen-year-old Gary, a self-described "tree toad" (lover of a perfect lawn, the soft-porn masterpiece of Carnal Cuties, his Underwood typewriter, and, above all, his rebellious cousin Kate), lives through one amazing Lake Wobegon summer. Gary preoccupies himself by spinning fantastic yarns about boogers, talking dogs, conversations between God and Jesus, and especially melodramas featuring himself as hero and Kate as distresseddamsel.

P.J. O'Rourke traces his development from hippie protester to conservative grouch to jaded humorist. Along the way, we are privy to his strange, twisted days as editor in chief of National Lampoon, as well as the in-depth looks at appropriate sports for middle-aged Republicans, namely those which can be engaged in with a smuggled Havana between the teeth - fly-fishing, bird hunting, deep-sea fishing, and of course, golf. Plus, you'll hear O'Rourke's take on the Virtues of Automobiles - because what good was oil doing sitting in the ground for millions of years? - and many other hilarious rants in this off-the-wall collection by America's premier political humorist.

In Youth in Bondage, the second volume of Nick's journals, we find him stuck in Sheeni's hometown of Ukiah, living like an indentured servant with his penny-pinching father while his paramour and her boyfriend are away at school in Santa Cruz. But trouble finds Nick again when the F.B.I. picks up his trail and he must rely on the cahones of his tough alter ego, Francois Dillinger.

He didn't intend to burn half of Berkeley to the ground or create a media frenzy by faking his best friend's suicide or enroll in high school dressed as an elderly Italian woman. However, he did. Nick Twisp started out an honor student and ended up a fugitive. His ongoing struggles to make sense out of high school, deal with his divorced parents, and lose his virginity have resulted in his transformation from an unassuming, precocious 14-year-old to a modern youth in open revolt.

Nick Twisp is “sort of” famous and is–by his own accounts–the greatest in his profession for the past 500 years. So why are his neighbors wondering who’s that “grouchy white man” in apartment 22B? Our hero faces career setbacks, life challenges, and much more in this latest installment of the acclaimed Twisp family saga. Even more Twisps are on hand for romantic adventures, Twispian intrigue, and their clan’s always-frenetic approach to love and sex. Join the fun as marriages crumble, homicides are plotted, and dark secrets revealed as the laughs and surprises come fast and ...

Henry Lang is a smart but unassuming young man with a degree from Harvard and limited social skills. After his parents are killed in an accident, leaving him a substantial inheritance, he moves to Brooklyn to see if he can make it in publishing, perhaps fall in love, and attend the sorts of parties and events that he imagines 20-somethings in Brooklyn frequent. Unfortunately, Henry is somewhat of a target for other, more savvy Brooklynites. He finds himself in a string of increasingly troubling situations and demoralizing romantic adventures.

So what exactly happened to Nick and Sheeni after that fateful last day in Paris? A new generation of Twisps and Saunders explore these mysteries and more in this rollicking next chapter (Book 6) of the Nick Twisp saga. Like Nick, young Noel Wescott strives for love and liberty, but soon finds his life veering off into improbable and hilarious tangents. Also available now: Book 7 in the Nick Twisp series: "Son of Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Scott Twisp." More Twispian mayhem from Nick's own teenage son.

Nearly a year has passed since we last checked in with the tumultuous, ever-burgeoning Twisp clan. Join them again as they face the bumps and pitfalls of life in contemporary Los Angeles. Romance blooms, enemies plot revenge, elephants rampage, and blazes ignite as the Twisps prove again that lifeBand loveBcan be a hilarious challenge. Yes, expect even more dark Twispian secrets to be revealed. This witty and rollicking Book 9 can be enjoyed as part of the acclaimed series or read on its own. As always, familiarity with the previous novels is not required.

Wildfires engulfing cities in acrid brown smoke. Riots and shootings. And a deadly virus upending life in countless ways. In a world suddenly gone mad, the Twisp family struggles to carry on. Babies arrive, work evaporates, college goes online, and ex-girlfriends turn very cold (and rather warm). Can love happen while masked and six feet apart? Can a marriage survive endless hours of “Maggot Brain?” Join the Twisps for another cataclysmic yet laughter-filled summer in L.A., where nothing goes as planned and nerves are jolted daily. This riotous Book 12 can be enjoyed as part of the ...

Unemployed, separated from his wife, and facing foreclosure, Axel Weston needs a quick miracle to salvage his life. Then an unexpected magical power promises to turn things around. But when Axel starts to use his new-found power, he finds that invisibility can be a curse as well as a blessing–especially when others begin to discover his secret. Follow the man who doesn’t cast a shadow as his life takes some surprising–and hilarious–twists. Enjoy this rich and rollicking tale of non-visibility, but please don’t disclose the startling and captivating ending. From the author of the ...

From the author of Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp comes this hilarious new “musical” novel of teenage sisters from Ohio who “light a small cherry bomb” under their minister father’s campaign for the Vice Presidency of the United States. While one lovely sister dallies with a picketing environmentalist, her sexy identical twin conspires with a trench-coated reporter to “blow the lid off the elections.” The pace is hectic and the laughs non-stop as the wild and eccentric characters suddenly break into “song.” Payne’s sharply focused wit displays more bite than...

Eighty-five-year-old Henry Arthur Applebee has had a pretty good life. But one regret has haunted him for the last 65 years. And so, on an ordinary December morning, he boards a train from London to Edinburgh. His goal is simple: to find the woman who disappeared from his life decades earlier. But Henry isn’t the only person on a mission. Also bound for Edinburgh is troubled teen Ariel. And when the two strangers collide, what began as one humble journey will catapult them both into a whole new world.

A four-year-old girl looks back on her life when she was a "little" girl of two and a half. Jamie Lee Curtis perfectly captures a little girl's simple, childlike celebration of herself. This spirited view of growing up is perfect for the youngest readers.

Friends Are Thicker Than Water: Tales of a Misspent Youth is the story of two friends sharing their adventures that fabled year. From football to first jobs, from golf to girls, Mike's father thought Ralph was having a "misspent youth" and Mike was going along for the ride. Just like the mandolin they pawned in '55, Mike and Ralph were forever glued together in friendship. Step back in time with Ralph and Mike as they spend that carefree year of friendship living through one riotous situation after another "funny bone first!"