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Brilliantly written, darkly humorous, and original, The Book of Danzel is a must read\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Depicting the first of four marking periods at Anchor Academy, the provocative and timely \u201cThe Book of Danzel\u201d explores the underlying vulnerabilities of teenagers in a disorganized school system. Written as a blend of first-person narrative, third-person omniscient, and letters to dear America, the book explores both \u2014 a teenager\u2019s confronting emotions and his search for self at a navy-themed charter school \u2014 and a first-year teacher\u2019s confrontations with a displaced school management and her attempts at fitting in. As if the random shooting at Anchor Academy, the navy-themed charter school at the heart of city, was not enough to make already tense environment almost unbearable, the arrival of upcoming November 2016 elections adds fuel to the fire. Chana, a first-year English teacher, finds herself at loggerheads with the administration along with her colleagues after students\u2019 confronting political beliefs seem to rub the administration wrong way. Danzel, a returning junior, manages to find a brilliant solution to his problems after dodging two years of wrath at the hands of Admiral and the MPs, but another problem arrives and it\u2019s time for Danzel to face his opposition head on. Lipps\u2019 characterization is one of his strong points. All his characters are multi-dimensional. He brilliantly explores Danzel\u2019s gradually intense feelings of discontentment with strict military disciplined environment in the school. Danzel\u2019s voice is strong and grabs the reader\u2019s attention right from the beginning. The other teenagers are equally convincing as Lipps skillfully captures their hidden insecurities, underlying anger, conflicting emotions, and vulnerability. Chana and her crew of first-year teachers are definite crowd-pleasers. Their conversations serve up laughs to the accompanied intriguing prose. Admiral is hateful and realistic to the core: readers will root for anyone who has to suffer Admiral\u2019s wrath. Lipps writes with flair of a veteran author. The even-paced narrative brim with wry humor and underlying intrigue. Original and relevant, the novel is an authentic depiction of today\u2019s teenagers with conflicted emotions and explores issues like casual racism, culture wars, school shootings, and a disordered political system. The open ending finale will leave the reader waiting eagerly for the next installment featuring the endearing characters of Anchor Academy. Evocative prose, a horde of multi-dimensional characters, and a relevant, intriguing theme keep the pages of this stunning literary fiction turning.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n