Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist
Barnes & Noble Press Presents Featured Selection
The summer after graduating from college, 22-year-old Danny Wolinski takes a cross-country US road trip with his friend, lan Perez, hoping to find the inspiration to reach his songwriting potential, start a band, and avoid student teaching in the fall.
Danny is tormented by intense physical and psychological pain and sees music as his only relief, but the more he searches for this inspiration in an America filled with endless parties, heavy drugs, and lost souls, the more he questions whether it exists.
A deeply disturbing and psychological coming-of-age novel, The Summer of Crud explores the complexities of friendship, masculinity, sex, mental illness, and addiction, and shows how the quest to unlock one’s creativity can both inspire and destroy a person.
Critical Acclaim for The Summer of Crud
“A slender, fast-paced, fever-dreamed excursion… undeniably addictive.”
“Like a bad trip–filthy in all sorts of ways, yet weirdly endearing.”
“A pot-smoking, paradigm-changing journey… especially recommended for readers who appreciate coming-of-age stories beyond the usual teenage angst focus.”
“Not a light read… LaPoma paints a gritty picture of struggling young adults… Dan’s demons are present on every page…”
“A classic story destined to find its home in reading groups across the nation.”
“I couldn’t help but recall my first impressions of Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine… most highly recommended.”
“Though The Summer of Crud is short, MAN is it deep! …like The Perks of Being a Wallflower’s grungy older brother.”
– Audrey L, Netgalley Reviewer
“Definitely weird, but enjoyably so. A daring piece of work.”
“Disturbingly deep, hypnotizing. I couldn’t stop reading it even if I wanted.”
“A thoughtful, well-written book, short, sweet and straight to the point… Not for the faint hearted and not for those who like block buster style commercial writing. Yet it is easy to read, the extensive dialogue between Danny and Ian, their complex relationship kept me wanting to know more. I finished the book rather quickly. The ending was good – simple, real and convincing.”
– -Cyan Night, Goodreads Reviewer
“Takes adventure and art to a whole other level… packed with life, lessons and realism. He gets into some deep shit and it will hit you. Even though it’s from a man’s pov, as a woman I completely understand and am sympathetic from a different aspect…”
“Twisted enough to be intriguing, but not so much that it’s a turnoff… A deep, unique, extremely well-presented narrative of self-awareness while declining into mental illness.”
“I don’t recommend this book for the faint of heart. This book is raw and written bluntly. Nothing in this book has its edges sanded down or rounded off. The topics of mental health, addiction, abuse and physical pain are not made over into something less terrible than they are If you are into blunt material that doesn’t always receive the storybook happy ending then this book is probably for you.”