Your Own Worst Enemy by Gordon Jack (review)

The candidates for Associated Student Body (ASB) President at Lincoln High are: Tony, fending off the model Asian stereotype with his stoner lifestyle; Julia, the brown-skinned Quebecois transplant who gets demographic support for being perceived as Latina even though she herself isn't sure; and blonde, blue-eyed Stacey, who has Machiavellian impulses and long experience with the mostly white ASB. Penning a gloriously messy and complicated high school election, Jack is unafraid to delve into issues of race and sexuality with the same earnest pettiness as lunch menus and homework policies. The perspectives of the candidates are complemented well by the narrative shifting to the various people around them, from Stacey's best friend and campaign manager turned Julia's love interest, to a Mohawk-ed freshman with a troubling mix of severe anxiety and fringe political beliefs propping up Tony as the down-with-the-system candidate. With clear satirical nods to recent U.S. politics, the novel delivers some delectably insufferable politicians, pundits, media personalities, and fixers, all while making these teens relatably familiar. This novel is as politically smart as it is breathtakingly cynical, and it's therefore perfect for readers who appreciate both qualities. WJ