{"product_id":"9781942600534","title":"New Jersey Me","description":"\u003cbr\u003eSet amidst the backdrop of the troubled town of Blackwater, New Jersey, a Bruce Lee- and Bruce Springsteen-devoted young hero journeys toward adulthood in this devastating yet intelligent debut novel from poet and musician Rich Ferguson.\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Jersey Me\u003c\/i\u003e explores an ensemble cast of unique characters, including Blackwater's hometown nuclear power plant; a beauty named Baby; Baby's hell-bent-for-prison boyfriend, Terry; a Mary Kay mom high on Vicodin and Bloody Marys; and an old, old tree with a taste for blood. The son of the local police chief, Mark dreams of escaping the small town's conflicting and oppressive codes of manhood. In the meantime, though, Mark lives a boy’s life, Blackwater-style: netting fish that have been killed by sudden coldwater emissions from the nuclear plant; kidnapping a chimp from the local circus; selling dirty socks to a local eccentric who may hold the key to Mark's escape; dating a one-legged girl; and observing the increasingly mysterious behavior of his best friend, Jimmy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rare Bird Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47061211414768,"sku":"9781942600534","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781942600534_p0.jpg?v=1763757988","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781942600534","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}