Ventura and Zelzah

by J.G. Bryan

Overview

A tale of teenage friendships set in 1970's suburban Los Angeles

In the haze of a hot San Fernando Valley summer in 1970’s Los Angeles, Douglas and his friends—Hank, Weddy, and Ronnie—struggle with their awkward teenage years during a confusing and highly permissive era. Weed and alcohol are regularly available, and most of the boys freely partake as they each navigate their own family dramas at home. Meanwhile, Douglas must also sort through the ups-and-downs of his relationship with his not-quite-girlfriend, Natalia.

When not in the swimming pool trying to beat the intense Valley heat, Douglas and his friends spend their summer vacation taking the RTD into Westwood to see Jaws, watching the Fourth of July fireworks at Balboa Park, seeking thrills at Magic Mountain, checking out the head shop and the turquoise jewelry at The Sixth Chakra, eating hot dogs and facing Koufax in the batting cage at Flooky’s, and playing plenty of basketball.

Ventura and Zelzah is a funny, poignant, and nostalgic coming-of-age tale of teenage friendships in a blissfully unhurried, pre-digital era.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595807816
Publisher:	Santa Monica Press
Publication date:	03/08/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	15 Years

About the Author

J.G. Bryan lives in Southern California.

Editorial Reviews

04/18/2022

Set in 1970s suburban Los Angeles, Bryan’s slice-of-life novel of wild adolescence follows four friends as they navigate changing friendship dynamics amid the era’s quintessential sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll hijinks. Seventeen-year-old Douglas is determined to make the summer before his 18th birthday one to remember. After persuading his parents to allow him to let loose—citing hard work at odd jobs and maintaining good grades—Douglas and his friends Weddy, Hank, and Ronnie traipse across the Valley, watching Jaws at their local theater, attending Fourth of July fireworks and summer picnics, riding coasters at Magic Mountain, and playing plenty of basketball. Over the course of one interpersonally tumultuous summer, Douglas discovers sides of his lifelong friends that he never knew and struggles to navigate his on-off relationship with his crush Natalia. Douglas’s narration is occasionally stilted and overly adult—sometimes feeling more like memoir than novel—but his energetic approach to the pressure of impending adulthood is endearing. Bryan’s cathartic homage to the joys of adolescent years wisely centers teens’ unbridled capacity to live life untethered as they learn from their mistakes. All characters cue as white. Ages 15–up. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Set in 1970s suburban Los Angeles, Bryan’s slice-of-life novel of wild adolescence follows four friends as they navigate changing friendship dynamics amid the era’s quintessential sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll hijinks. . . . [Douglas’s] energetic approach to the pressure of impending adulthood is endearing. Bryan’s cathartic homage to the joys of adolescent years wisely centers teens’ unbridled capacity to live life untethered as they learn from their mistakes.”—Publishers Weekly

“Ventura and Zelzah is a coming-of-age story filled with laughter, adventures, high-jinx, and friendship. The Valley setting is palpable. It is nostalgic and magical.”—Historical Novel Society

“In J.G. Bryan's Ventura and Zelzah the social world of 1975 is evolving. A rising California culture provides the voice and look and ethics for young Americans. For these rising teens this new and dynamic culture is a backdrop for who they might become.”—Jack Gantos, Newberry Medal Award-winning author of Dead End in Norvelt

“Ventura and Zelzah is a vivid portrayal of the iconic San Fernando Valley of the 1970s. Having grown up in the Valley, I delighted at the realistic details on every page, but the novel also captures the universal journey of a boy moving toward manhood, no matter the time and place.”—Grant Farley, author of Bones of a Saint, a Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction Youth Book

“Funny and poignant. Imagine Dazed & Confused set in the San Fernando Valley. Author J.G. Bryan nails the rhythms of 1970s suburbia and the importance of friendship, with a memorable crew of characters who stayed with me long after the last page.”—Paul Haddad, author of Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles, and the YA novel Aramid

From the Publisher