The Stardust Lounge Book

At the age of twelve, Deborah Digges's son Stephen was running in gangs, stealing cars, and bringing home guns. This is the story of the adolescence that followed, of a boy growing up quickly and aggressively, with unrestrainable energy and a flair for risky and outrageous behavior. It is his story, as told by his mother, who is intent on pulling together a family that can get her son through these years alive, not just undamaged but the better for them.

In beautiful, vibrant prose, devoid of self-pity, anger, or blame, Deborah describes her struggle to understand and protect her son as his behavior escalates beyond her control. Even in the midst of the most harrowing experiences, Stephen's intelligence and sensitivity shine through: in an essay he writes about his older brother, in his photography, in his incisive explanations for his unruly activities, in his impulse to take care of those in worse shape than he is in. And as Stephen's misadventures take him into territory; emotional territory, but also actual neighborhoods Deborah has never encountered before, she tags along behind (sometimes literally, trailing him under cover of night) and teaches herself to understand how and why he acts, thinks, feels the way he does.

Eventually, mother and son begin to rebuild their lives. A visit to a therapist who suggests they throw knives at a cardboard target proves surprisingly effective. Together, Deborah and Stephen take in a bizarre menagerie, including an unforgettable trio of dogs: Buster the epileptic bulldog; GQ, another bulldog, this one on Prozac; and Rufus, a basset hound who decides to raise a litter of motherless kittens. And, finally, Deborah and Stephen open their home to Trev, a friend of Stephen's abandoned by his family. Each new responsibility strengthens their unusual household into a real, if unconventional, family that can defend Stephen when he goes too far, that can pull him back him back in and help him redirect his energy.

At times touching, at times terrifying, this is a taut and fiercely engaging, uniquely insightful, and inspiring portrait of male adolescence in our complicated world.