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The Shootings at Echo Creek High

by Darnell Clevenger

413 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); black and white text; catalogue #06-0274; ISBN 1-4120-8519-5; US$26.08, C$29.99, EUR21.42, £15.00

Donjon tells the story of his childhood in a town where absurd values, heroic visions, perverted leadership, friendship, violence, and sexual license mix like oil and vinegar.

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About the Author

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About the Book

A baroque novel, Echo Creek is little different from most places where people congregate for living purposes. City government is run by the wealthy and powerful, mainly Papa Lizardus, media magnate, unlikely lover, and Donjon's number one adult enemy after the latter seduces, ironically, the Papa's daughter; Ura Shill, lawyer, winner of national prosecutorial contests, and Donjon's number two adult enemy; and Dr. Al, champion of "no child left behind" and superintendent of Echo Creek's school system. Donjon, hero of his own dreams, begins his story with an absurd account of his original ancestor, a common enough creature who commits a perverted act and suffers the consequences. As the novel progresses we meet Echo Creek's "first fathers" and follow them in the adventures which led to their fame and fortune, and to the establishment of Echo Creek. We meet Cass and Adam, Donjon's friends, when our hero joins them in their bizarre westward trek to Dedmon's Woods the summer before Donjon enters elementary school. We follow the three as they age and move from one adventure to another, from their clash with Stinky in Dedmon's Woods; their capture by the homeless gang; their friendship with the rebel publisher, Marcus T; Donjon's conflict with Mrs. Boat and Mr. Wright; their experiments with big game hunting; Cass' spitting contest with the Shill; to, ultimately, the attack on Echo Creek High. We wander with our three heroes through official and unofficial Echo Creek, meeting such local celebrities past or present as Hardy Ball, baseball hero; Noah Waters, builder of an underground ark; Frieda Frog, born-again lesbian; Crock and Babel, terrorists; Reverend Gagan, miser and sensitivity trainer; and the black corpse with parts missing, which leads to a rainbow carnival and the only city-wide brawl Echo Creek has ever experienced.

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About the Author

Darnell Clevenger was born in Indiana in 1934. After high school and a short stint in business college, he spent several years traveling, studying, and working: Europe, Marshall Islands, Mexico, California. He graduated from UCLA with an AB in Spanish and with an MA in the same subject. Later he received the doctorate in comparative literature from Indiana University and then taught Spanish, English composition, and literature for 28 years in a small college in northwestern Ohio. Presently he is retired with his wife in Tempe, AZ, where he reads, writes, plays basketball, cooks, and occasionally hikes the backcountry with his children and grandchildren.

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Excerpts

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Catalogue Information

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