Overview

"Being yourself can be such a bad idea sometimes. For sixteen-year-old Badi Hessamizadeh, life is a series of public humiliations. After withdrawing from public school under mysterious circumstances, Badi enters Magnificat Academy as a junior. To make things ""easier,"" his dad has even given him a new name: Bud Hess. Grappling with his Iranian-American identity, clinical depression, bullying, and a barely bottled rage, Bud is an outcast who copes by resorting to small revenges and covert acts of defiance, but the pressures of his home life, plummeting grades, and the unrequited affection of his new friend, Nikki, prime him for a more dangerous revolution. Strange letters to the editor begin to appear in Magnificat's newspaper, hinting that some tragedy will befall the school. Suspicion falls on Bud, and he and Nikki struggle to uncover the real culprit and clear Bud's name. Permanent Record explodes with dark humor, emotional depth, and a unique, powerful look at modern teen life."

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9781477847367

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Reviews

...an edgy, discomfiting attack on post-9/11 nerves and prejudices. --Kirkus Reviews The draw here is the protagonist's voice, with its mix of teenage angst, grown-up anxieties, and deep-seated anger. --The Horn Book Magazine Permanent Record is one of my Favorite Books Read in 2013; and those who love The Perks of Being a Wallflower will also love this story of an outsider trying to find his way in the world. -- Liz Burns, A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy, an SLJ blog A poignant and compelling tale of a unique high school outcast, told in a searing and memorable voice. --David Klass, author of You Don't Know Me Smart, funny, and psychologically complex. Leslie Stella is a brilliant writer, and her debut as a writer for teens is a dazzling achievement. --Julianna Baggott, author of Pure [Badi's] realization that everyone, no matter how cool or popular, has problems and deserves respect is an important one. --Sarah Hunter, Booklist

“...an edgy, discomfiting attack on post-9/11 nerves and prejudices.” —Kirkus Reviews “The draw here is the protagonist’s voice, with its mix of teenage angst, grown-up anxieties, and deep-seated anger.” —The Horn Book Magazine “Permanent Record is one of my Favorite Books Read in 2013; and those who love The Perks of Being a Wallflower will also love this story of an outsider trying to find his way in the world.” — Liz Burns, A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy, an SLJ blog “A poignant and compelling tale of a unique high school outcast, told in a searing and memorable voice.” —David Klass, author of You Don’t Know Me “Smart, funny, and psychologically complex. Leslie Stella is a brilliant writer, and her debut as a writer for teens is a dazzling achievement.” —Julianna Baggott, author of Pure “[Badi’s] realization that everyone, no matter how cool or popular, has problems and deserves respect is an important one.” —Sarah Hunter, Booklist

Author Information

Leslie Stella is the author of three previous novels of contemporary adult fiction, Unimaginable Zero Summer, The Easy Hour, and Fat Bald Jeff. She was a founding editor of the Chicago-based politics and satire magazine Lumpen, and her work has been published in The Mississippi Review, The Adirondack Review, Bust, Easy Listener, and anthologized in The Book of Zines: Readings from the Fringe (edited by Playboy’s Chip Rowe), a collection of essays and articles from the obsessive, frequently bizarre world of zines. Leslie was nominated for a 2004 Pushcart Prize in short fiction. Permanent Record is her first novel for young adults. She lives in Illinois with her husband and their children.

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