Author Thomas Marshall Takes on Current Hot Topic and Mental Health in YA Debut No More Dead Kids
Industry: Books
No More Dead Kids is a firebrand call to action and touching story about the adolescent mental health epidemic and the seemingly endless cycle of school attacks in America.
San Diego, CA (PRUnderground) February 7th, 2019
Since the debut of Angie Thomas’, The Hate U Give in 2017, there has been a glut of Young Adult ‘issue novels’ attempting to recreate its impact, and none have come close until now. 23-year-old Thomas Marshall’s debut novel No More Dead Kids succeeds in being both a firebrand call to action as well as a touching story about the adolescent mental health epidemic and the seemingly endless cycle of school attacks in America. By keeping the story small, focusing on characters, and showing us how a troubled but quiet outsider can seemingly transform into a potential killer with only the slightest of pushes, Marshall is able to both humanize and shed new light on a story it seems we are now all too familiar with.
No More Dead Kids follows Alexander, a Japanese-American teen living in a small Southern-California beach town, as he navigates through his junior year of high school apathetically. He is, however, swiftly thrust out of this ennui when he begins a secret relationship with Lila, his teacher’s daughter, as well as when he befriends a troubled freshman, Kenneth. Things finally seem to be looking up for Alex, all until Kenneth forms reluctant plans to harm people at school. Alex must act fast in order to stop this new friend from doing the unimaginable, and in doing so perfectly illustrate the power of compassion and the value of understanding.
From here, the novel expands outward, spanning a sprawling and cathartic cross-country road trip Alex takes with Ken, painting a picture of adolescence across America, and illustrating that there is far more that unites than divides its characters and our nation. With No More Dead Kids, Thomas Marshall establishes himself as a distinct and defiant new voice for his generation.
Copies of No More Dead Kids are available at all major booksellers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Black Rose Writing
Print and Electronic review copies available upon request
Contact: Christopher Miller / Social Media & Marketing Expert, Black Rose Writing
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