Panthera's Haven - by Jude Rush (Paperback)

About the Book

A YA historical novel set in 1959-1960 that follows fourteen teenagers in a racially-integrated gang after they are displaced from their homes. As tensions rise with other local youth gangs, they become a renowned example to society.

Book Synopsis

Fourteen teenagers form a mixed gang in 1959. Up in arms with a world that hates them.

It's 1959-1960 America, the age of Presley, poodle skirts, and space monkeys. Fourteen teenagers are separated from their homes and are driven to form a mixed gang, named Panthera, in an abandoned house they call Panthera's Haven. They are an unusual bunch, often unpredictable, but mostly get along. Condemned by the youth gangs of the city and inspiring others with their radical nature, they soon find themselves under the spotlight, juggling the effects of gang violence and increasing fame. Through their struggles, they become a close-knit unit, and the name of Panthera comes to stand as a daring message to the world.

But is their world ready to receive it?

A coming-of-age story of friendship, nonconformity, and racial tension, Panthera's Haven is a unique study of each of the lives of fourteen teenagers, voicing their confusions, their wisecracks, and their frustrations with their contemporary world.