Since his mom left, Sam has become an expert in the art of slacking, especially since no one at his new school gets his intense passion for the music of the Pacific Northwest-Nirvana, Hole, Sleater-Kinney. Then his English teacher begins a slam poetry unit and Sam gets paired up with the daunting, scarred, clearly-a-gang-member Luis, who happens to sit next to him in every one of his classes. Slacking is no longer an option-Luis will destroy him.

Includes questions for the author.