I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

What begins as an affectionate reminiscence of Mannie Murphy's 1990s teenage infatuation with the late actor River Phoenix--specifically his role in Gus Van Sant's classic film, My Own Private Idaho--slowly transforms into a remarkable, sprawling account of the city of Portland and state of Oregon's long and shameful history of white nationalism. Told in the style of an illustrated diary, with wet, blue ink washes, the form reveals the author to be the other protagonist in this story as a genderqueer kid discovering a complicated history.--Back cover.