Unwilling to be hemmed in by genre, ideology, or expectation, Punk Planet Books strives to bring fiercely independent voices to the bookshelf.

you must be this happy to enter by elizabeth crane

Whether breathlessly enthusiastic serenely calm, or really concentrating on their personal zombie issues, Crane's happy cast explore the complexities behind personal satisfaction. You Must Be This Happy to Enter exists in a world very much like our own but infused with more joy and magic. It's a place where the happy are jailed, the sincere cause confusion, and pop culture so seamlessly melds with real life that characters can walk right out of the television and come live with you. click here for more info

we owe you nothing: expanded edition ed. by daniel sinker

The expanded edition of We Owe You Nothing brings the definitive book of conversations with the underground's greatest minds up to date. New interviews include an exclusive talk with Jawbreaker years after the band's breakup, along with conversations with punk legend Bob Mould, artist and writer Miranda July, feminist band The Gossip, PunkVoter.com, and record label G7 Welcoming Committee, in addition to the classic interviews from the original 2001 edition. click here for more info

the boy detective fails by joe meno

In the twilight of his childhood, Billy Argo, boy detective, is brokenhearted to find that his younger sister and crime-solving partner, Caroline, has committed suicide. Ten years later, Billy, age thirty, returns from an extended stay at St. Vitus' Hospital for the Mentally Ill to discover a world full of unimaginable strangeness: office buildings vanish without reason, small animals turn up without their heads, and cruel villains ride city buses to complete their evil schemes. It is here that the boy detective may learn the greatest secret of all: the necessity of the unknown. click here for more info

100 Posters, 134 Squirrels by jay ryan

A greatest-hits collection of the last decade of Jay Ryan's groundbreaking work, 100 Posters, 134 Squirrels showcases one of underground poster art's most prolific and talented practitioners. Featuring an introduction by rock critic Greg Kot, and framed by essays from underground illuminaries--Shellac guitartist Steve Albini, graphic design iconoclast art Chantry, and design historian Debra Parr--100 Posters, 134 Squirrels offers a unique look into Ryan's approach to poster art. click here for more info

lessons in taxidermy by Bee Lavender

Diagnosed with cancer at age twelve and periously pregnant at eighteen, surviving surgeries and violent accidents: sometimes you can't believe Bee Lavender is still alive; sometimes you think nothing could kill her. Lessons in Taxidermy is Lavender's fierce and expressive search for truth and an elusive sense of safety. This autobiographical tale is stark and resolved, but strangely euphoric, tying together moments and memories into a frantic, delicate, and often trancendently funny account of anguish and confusion, pain and poverty, isolation and illusion. click here for more info

All the Power: Revolution Without Illusion by Mark Andersen

All the Power is an ambitious and accessible mix of history, autobiography, and how-to manual. Longtime inner-city organizer and punk rabble-rouser Mark Andersen takes aim at the illusions that tend to keep North American radicals self-satisfied but ineffective. A whilrwind tour across decades--through punk and student activism, identity and lifestyle politics, direct action, armed struggle, patriotism, globalization, and beyond--ATP seeks a radicalism that is both rigorously self-critical and genuinely populist. click here for more info

Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno

Hairstyles of the Damned is an honest and riviting depiction of growing up punk on Chicago's south side. It is a novel about wanting to belong, but never quite belonging, that follows the riotous exploits of Brian, a high school burnout, and his best friend Gretchen, a punk rock girl fond of brawling. Based on the actual events surrounding a Chicago high school's segregated prom, this work of fiction unflinchingly pursues the truth in discovering what it means to be your own person. click here for more info

Punk Planet Books is a project of independents day media and an imprint of akashic books: 718.643.9193