A masterpiece of surrealist fiction, Blood and Guts in High School is the book that established Kathy Acker as the preeminent voice of post-punk feminism upon its initial publication in 1984. This new edition includes an introduction by Chris Kraus that elucidates the book's composition, and presents the final two sections - "The Journey" and "The World" - in their correct order for the first time. With 2017 marking the twentieth year since Acker's death, this controversial, transgressive work of philosophical, political, and sexual insight continues to grow more relevant than ever before.
In the Mexican city of Mérida, ten-year-old Janey lives with Johnny - her "boyfriend, brother, sister, money, amusement, and father" - until he leaves her for another woman. Bereft, Janey travels to New York City, plunging into an underworld of gangs, prostitution, and imprisonment. Then, in Tangier, she meets Jean Ganet and begins a torrid affair that will lead Janey to her demise. Along the way, the text is illustrated with intricate sketches from Janey's journals, as well as theatrical dialogue and cinematic description. Fantastical and fearlessly radical, Blood and Guts in High School is at once a comic and tragic portrait of erotic awakening.
A masterpiece of surrealist fiction, Blood and Guts in High School is the book that established Kathy Acker as the preeminent voice of post-punk feminism upon its initial…
