Overview

In this honest novel set in the racial tinderbox of Chicago in 1969, Simon Fleming, the white son of an activist minister, is sent to a predominately African American high school, feeling charged to carry out the family's commitment to school integration. He is dropped into a world where gang warfare, drug abuse, and violence are rampant. Simon's quest for survival introduces him to Clyde, a gangbanger turned political militant; Louis, a brilliant, self-destructive boy; Clark, a racist police officer who vies for allegiance in return for protection; John, a communist teacher who teaches Simon as much about politics as about biology; and Dia, the object of his affections. Hey, Liberal! exposes an out-of-touch education system and the universality of racial violence amidst a nation moving, inch by hard-fought inch, toward a more culturally diverse future.

Reviews

"Hey, Liberal! is an arresting coming-of-age story, presenting an entirely singular perspective on race and politics during the turbulent late 1960s. Utilizing satire, pathos, and humor, Simon's story is as engaging as it is challenging." —Joe Meno, author of Hairstyles of the Damned, Office Girl, and Marvel and a Wonder

"Shawn Shiflett had me laughing, crying, and cringing. (But yeah, we were that uncertain, naive, clueless, and confused.) Wonderful characters, fine storytelling, and a great read, even with the cringes." —David Bradley, author of The Chaneysville Incident, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

"Shiflett does a nice job illuminating a complex situation from multiple perspectives, and readers will find the book's brisk final third...difficult to put down." —Kirkus Reviews

"[Author Shawn] Shiflett is adept at capturing teenage angst and vernacular, as well as the uncomfortable and awkward ways kids navigate friendship and shift alliances." —Newcity

"An edgy, raw insider account of student life during the late-1960s racial strife and protest movements that is distressingly pertinent to today." —Booklist

"Hey, Liberal! … is a timely look at race, politics, integration, and violence." —Chicago Review of Books

Author Biography

Shawn Shiflett is an associate professor of creative writing at Columbia College Chicago. He is the author of Hidden Place, which was included in Library Journal's 2004 "Summer Highs, Fall Firsts" list of "most successful debuts."