INTO THE DANGEROUS WORLD

The compelling story of seventeen-year-old Ror, a true artist, and her mother and sister who find themselves homeless in Manhattan. Set in in 1984, this story is told in a groundbreaking combination of text, art, and innovative design.

At a family meeting, Ror declared her purpose: I am an artist. But she doesn’t really know what that means. Raised on a commune, she’s never attended a day of school, and has seen little of the outside world. What she knows best is drawing. To her, it’s like breathing; it’s how she makes sense of the world. When her father torches the commune—and himself—Ror’s life changes. She, her mother and sister end up in a homeless residence in Manhattan, where she runs into trouble—and love—with Trey, the leader of Noise Ink, a graffiti crew. On the city’s streets, and in its museums and galleries, Ror finds herself pulled in different directions. Her father wanted her to make classic art. Noise Ink insists she stay within their lines. Her art teacher urges her to go to college. What does she want? What kind of artist am I? Ror’s soul-searching—expressed in remarkable pictures and sharp-edged prose, set in the gritty Manhattan of 1984—is cinematic in its scope, and its seamless blend of text and art makes Into the Dangerous World a groundbreaking event in fiction.

Julie Chibbaro was raised by artists in New York City, and has spent her life figuring out what makes them tick. She married an artist who has helped her enter her characters’ creative minds. Their first collaboration, the historical novel Deadly, won the National Jewish Book Award, and was named a Bank Street Best Book. Her first novel, Redemption, won the American Book Award.

JM Superville Sovak is half-Trini, half-Czech, half-Canadian. His fourth half is spent making art. His work has been shown at the Manifesta European Biennial of Contemporary Art, Socrates Sculpture Park, and the Aldrich Museum. He was the illustrator for Julie Chibbaro's second novel Deadly. See more at www.supervillesovak.com.