Kung Fu High School
Kung Fu High School by Ryan Gattis, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2005, is a young adult fiction novel that explores a dystopian high school environment. In this gripping narrative, MLK High School has transformed into Kung Fu High School, where two gangs vie for power against a puppet principal and a drug kingpin. The story follows Jen B. and her brother Cue as they navigate this chaotic landscape, particularly when their cousin Jimmy, a martial arts champion, returns with a vow to avoid fighting, setting the stage for intense confrontations.
Readers will find a vivid portrayal of action and adventure as the characters confront themes of violence and loyalty within the school setting. As tensions escalate, teachers abandon their posts, and students arm themselves, the narrative builds toward a climactic battle that challenges notions of bravery and cowardice. With 278 pages, this edition presents a compelling look at social themes and the struggles faced by young adults in a world where survival often depends on physical prowess and moral choices.
Official synopsis Publisher
Wear your gear. Bring your blades. Back your family. Fight for your life.
MLK High School has collapsed into Kung Fu High School–where Jen B. and her brother, Cue, belong to one of two gangs still standing against the puppet principal and the drug kingpin who pulls his strings. Cousin Jimmy–a world-champion martial arts master of mythic stature–arrives in town after swearing to his mother that he’ll never fight again. His rep precedes him and everyone’s itching to see him “kicked in”–Kung Fu’s brutal initiation ritual. But he won’t break his vow and defend himself, so Cue steps in when things go too far. Soon, a surprise counterstrike sends Kung Fu spinning toward one final, raging battle. Teachers flee, students break out full weaponry, and Jimmy must make a decision that will brand him a coward–or a hero.
“Once upon a time, Bret Easton Ellis’s “American Psycho” set the standard for insane violence, gruesome detail and plain upsetting excess. But Ellis is about to be eclipsed by another young American, Ryan Gattis. In “Kung Fu High School” the practise of total bodily destruction has never been more thorough, or more moving.”–“Time Out London”
Ryan Gattis has a BFA in creative writing from Chapman University and a master’s in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. He currently lives in Colorado, where he grew up.
Discussion guide available at www.HarcourtBooks.com.
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