{"product_id":"the-el-paperback-1","title":"The El - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eTheodore C. Van Alst\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the co-editor of the bestselling anthology \u003ci\u003eNever Whistle at Night\u003c\/i\u003e, a semi-autobiographical novel that follows a group of teenage gang members as they trek across Chicago to a momentous meeting, inspired by the cult classic \u003ci\u003eThe Warriors\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Cool and real as hell.\" --Tommy Orange, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThere There\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn ordinary day in August 1979 dawns hot and humid in Chicago. Teenager Teddy is living with his dad after being kicked out of his mom's house due to his gang activity. But Teddy has thrived in the Simon City Royals, and today, he'll be helping to lead a posse of the group's younger members south across the city to Roosevelt High School to attend a gathering of gangs forming \"the Nation\"--a bold new attempt at joining forces across racial lines. This holds particular importance for Teddy, as his branch's only Indigenous member. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut when the meeting breaks up in gunshots and police sirens, Teddy must guide the Royals back across hostile territory, along secret routes and back alleys, and stop by stop on the thundering tracks of the El. In the face of violence from rival gangs and a secret Judas in the Royals' ranks, Teddy is armed only with a potent combination of book smarts and street smarts, and by the guiding spirit of Coyote, who has granted him the power to glimpse a future only he may survive to see. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eImmersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of the author's beloved city, \u003ci\u003eThe El\u003c\/i\u003e will transport you to that singular sun- and blood-soaked day in Chicago. It is a love letter to another time, to a city, and to a group of friends trying to find their place and make their way in a world that doesn't want them.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHEODORE C. VAN ALST JR. (enrolled member, Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians)\u003c\/b\u003e is the co-editor of \u003ci\u003eNever Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology\u003c\/i\u003e, and the author of the story collections \u003ci\u003eSacred Smokes\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing; \u003ci\u003eSacred City\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the Electa Quinney Award for Published Stories; and the final book in the Chicago-based trilogy, \u003ci\u003eSacred Folks.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 192\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 7.9 x 5.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 12, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43153249173567,"sku":"9780593686768","price":21.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/v5j6eKF4-E9780593686768.webp?v=1776945545","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/the-el-paperback-1","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}