Now a “provocative” and “impressive” (Variety) film from director Gia Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola’s granddaughter)—starring Emma Roberts, James Franco, Nat Wolff, and Val Kilmer—the fiction debut from James Franco that Voguecalled “compelling and gutsy.”
James Franco’s story collection traces the lives of a group of teenagers as they experiment with vices of all kinds, struggle with their families and one another, and succumb to self-destructive, often heartless nihilism. In “Lockheed” a young woman’s summer—spent working a dull internship—is suddenly upended by a spectacular incident of violence at a house party. In “American History” a high school freshman attempts to impress a girl with a realistic portrayal of a slave owner during a classroom skit—only to have his feigned bigotry avenged. In “I Could Kill Someone,” a lonely teenager buys a gun with the aim of killing his high school tormentor, but begins to wonder about his bully’s own inner life.
These “spare and riveting” (O, The Oprah Magazine) stories are a compelling portrait of lives on the rough fringes of youth. Palo Alto is, “a collection of beautifully written stories” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) that “capture with perfect pitch the impossible exhilaration, the inevitable downbeatness, and the pure confusion of being an adolescent” (Elle).
Features a bonus essay by James Franco on Gia Coppola's film adaptation.
During one of my first few weeks at NYU, I was wondering around the NYU Bookstore and stumbled upon this book. Between the fact that it was written by James Franco, and that it looked like a nicely written book full of teenage angst, I knew I had to buy it. The part I loved most about Palo Alto was it's raw honesty of all the characters. Franco did not let any detail become a small detail in this book of essays. None of the essays are random either, it makes up one larger story. Luckily if you have not had the chance to read Palo Alto yet, it's a very quick read (only 240 pages), so you could easily read it before the film comes out on May 9! I would recommend this book to anyone 17 and up (warning--some parts are very NSFW). I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did, and I can't wait to see how Gia Coppola portrays it in the film version.
Have a great week!
-NBW
Side Note: As I would normally post the trailer for books that have a movie portrayal, I decided not to for this book just because there's something special about imagining the characters in your head as you wish, instead of imaging a character that someone chose for you to imagine. However, after you finish reading the novel, definitely go check out the trailer on Youtube, and get excited that there's less than a month until the film comes out in theaters!
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