Palo Alto (book)

Palo Alto is a collection of short stories by the American actor and author James Franco . The volume was released in 2010.

The stories illuminate the lives of teenagers. Franco named the book Palo Alto after his hometown and dedicated it to authors he worked with at Brooklyn College . Franco was inspired by his own memories from his youth, but also by memories and experiences that he received from students at Palo Alto High School. Each story is told by a young narrator.

In addition to James Franco, Emma Roberts , Jack Kilmer, Nat Wolff , Chris Messina , Keegan Allen , Talia Shire , Don Novello and Val Kilmer also played in the film adaptation of the book . The script came from Gia Coppola , who also took over the direction.

University Avenue, Palo Alto. One of the locations in the stories

Palo Alto High School. Another setting for the stories

shape

All stories are told from the perspective of a first-person narrator . Many characters appear in multiple stories, they meet and interact with one another.

The book itself is divided into two parts: Palo Alto I with seven stories and Palo Alto II with four stories. The English language edition also contains the story of Yosemite .

content

Halloween

Ryan, who is on parole , has problems with alcohol . An argument breaks out at a Halloween party and Ryan runs over a woman in his car.

Lockheed

Marissa gets an internship at Lockheed Martin . Still, she thinks her life is boring. While studying, she has a part-time job with the Swede Jan. At a party, a boy who complimented her is run over by an SUV after a fight . This experience shocks Marissa very much.

American History

Stephen, a classmate of the narrator, is very emotional in a debate about slavery in the US during history class. Even the narrator is infected by it, racist terms are used. That's why he is beaten up by black classmates. His wounds are clearly visible, but in the next lesson he says that a girl was the reason for the fight.

Kill animals

The narrator, Saul, Ronny and Ami watch films. They shoot a pigeon with a sling . Ed, Ivan, and Howard are the narrator's new friends. They throw eggs at people or shoot with a sling. Ivan is therefore beaten up. Eventually the narrator, Ivan, Ed, Dan, and Jerry use an air rifle to shoot animals, but the rifle is stolen. With Howard and Bill, the narrator shoots a paintball gun at houses, where they are caught and punished.

Emily

Emily sees Ryan at a party and falls in love with him. At another party, she talks to him and they get intimate, but Ryan doesn't seem to be in love. Again at a party, Emily meets Ryan's boyfriend Adam, who throws her into a swimming pool , which leads to a scuffle. Emily is finally alone again.

Holiday camp

The narrator tells of his stays in a holiday camp . He spent the summer there with his friends and talked about alcohol, sex and school.

Chinatown

16-year-old Roberto, who tells the story, meets a girl named Pam while playing soccer. Pam was adopted and is half Vietnamese . Together they go to his friend Tom where they pot smoke. Roberto has sex with Pam.

Roberto and Pam stay in touch. Pam gives Roberto and his friends Tom and Seth a blowjob . During a party, Pam has oral sex with several boys in the bathroom . Pam has sex with many boys at a friend's house , Robert introduces vegetables (cucumbers, carrots) into them.

Robert is now acting like a kind of pimp for Pam and gives her to several employees of the "Cafe Buon", but also to some classmates. Pam is nicknamed Chinatown. Finally she breaks off contact with Roberto. The police are investigating Roberto on charges of rape , but since nothing can be proven, he remains unpunished.

April

The narrator Teddy takes art classes in high school and loves April, a girl from his school. At a party, he notices that April is interested in Barry. When he leaves the party and drives away in his car, there is an accident. Teddy commits a hit and run and is caught by the police. He has hours of community afford and gets probation . He does his community hours in a children's library.

With his friend Fred he paints in the books of the library and steals some books. When that is noticed, he is no longer allowed to come. Teddy uses drugs with other teenagers and is still disappointed that April is with Barry. He does the rest of his community hours in a nursing home for the elderly. There he draws again, especially the resident Tanya. He also goes to art classes again. Again and again he consumes drugs and thus increases his jealousy of Barry.

In the third part of the story, April is now the narrator. She tells how she came to Palo Alto with her family. She is in love with her soccer coach Mister B. and from time to time takes care of his son Michael. She begins a sexual relationship with Mr. B., who initially does not want to reciprocate her feelings, but still has intercourse with her. She keeps in touch with him. At a party, she talks to Teddy, who confesses his love to her. She sees Mr. B. less and less. When she takes care of Michael again, he tells her that he has another babysitter , which hurts April.

Tar baby

AJ and Teddy, the narrator, are drinking vodka . AJ decides to call April. Teddy is in love with April. The two boys want to meet April and her friend and are waiting for them, but the girls do not come. AJ and Teddy meet two other girls and talk to them briefly, but then scare them away. Eventually they decide to go to Ofra, who is having a party. On the way there, the two boys get into an argument and Teddy is thrown out of the car. He walks around town and talks to people he meets. When he starts yelling at cars passing by, he is picked up by a police patrol and taken home.

I could kill someone

Teddy, the narrator, hates his classmate Brent Baucher. Brent called him a "fagot" several times and once abused him in the gym locker room. Teddy wants to get a gun, and his friend Barry puts him in touch with Teague. Teddy buys a gun from Teague and at a music festival he sees Brent and runs towards him.

Pumpkin head

The narrator Michael is sitting in his grandfather's car with his friend Joe. They smoke and drink. Michael keeps having accident fantasies and drives his car against the wall of a house, whereby Joe is slightly injured. Months later they drive on Freeway 280. They use drugs with Hector. When Michael and Joe drive home again, Michael switches to the opposite lane of the freeway.

Reviews

“We move through the world of immigrants, the second generation, through the youth of those who the American dream has condemned in motels, shabby apartments, between parents who have enough to do with themselves. With James Franco, time is something that is available in excess, in which no perspective opens up. ”Wolfgang Franßen

“Is there anything that James Franco can't do? With "Palo Alto" the actor, screenwriter and presenter published a really great collection of short stories, all of which show snapshots from the city in California's Silicon Valley. James tells of young people in Palo Alto who grow up with boredom, high school sadness and skateboards - and spices up the stories with a good portion of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. “Glamor