The Other Way Around

by Sashi Kaufman

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org

*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Pub Date Mar 01 2014 | Archive Date Feb 16 2014

Lerner Publishing Group | Carolrhoda Lab

Teens & YA

Description

Andrew has seen a flash of his future. (Dad: unfinished PhD. Mom: unfulfilling career. Their marriage: unsuccessful.) Based on what he's seen, he's uninspired to put a foot on the well-worn path to the adulthood everyone expects of him. There must be another way around.

After a particularly disastrous Thanksgiving (his cousin wets Andrew's bed; his parents were too chicken to tell him his grandmother died), Andrew accidentally (on purpose) runs away and joins the circus. Kind of.

A guy can meet the most interesting people at the Greyhound station at dinnertime on Thanksgiving day. The Freegans are exactly the kinds of friends (living out of an ancient VW camper van, dumpster diving, dressing like clowns and busking for change) who would have Andrew's mom reaching for a third glass of Chardonnay. To Andrew, five teenagers who seem like they've found another way to grow up are a dream come true. But as the VW winds its way across the USA, the future is anything but certain.

The path of least resistance is a long, strange trip.

A Note From the Publisher

This is Sashi Kaufman's debut novel.

Advance Praise

"Freegans, dumpster diving, and a van named Shirley. I seriously would follow this motley crew of performers anywhere. Andrew's journey across the country, into love, into friendship, into a community unlike any he's ever seen, was riveting . I am so glad Andrew got in the van, and I feel so lucky to have had the chance to ride shotgun.

His is a thrilling reminder that sometimes we have to leave home to find ourselves."

—Adrienne Maria Vrettos, author of Burnout

"Freegans, dumpster diving, and a van named Shirley. I seriously would follow this motley crew of performers anywhere. Andrew's journey across the country, into love, into friendship, into a...