How to Get Over the End of the World, Hal Schrieve
How to Get Over the End of the World, Hal Schrieve
List: $25.00 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.50

How to Get Over the End of the World

Author: Hal Schrieve

Narrator: Scott Turner Schofield, JJ Hawkins, Kiebpoli Calnek

Unabridged: 9 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/03/2023


Synopsis

Boldly weird, cool, and confident, this YA novel of LGBTQ+ teen artists, activists, and telepathic visionaries offers hope against climate and community destruction. From the National Book Award–longlisted author of Out of Salem.

James Goldman, self-described neurotic goth gay transsexual stoner, is a senior in high school, and fully over it. He mostly ignores his classes at Cow Pie High, instead focusing on fundraising for the near-bankrupt local LGBTQ+ youth support group, Compton House, and attending punk shows with his friend-crush Ian and best friend Opal. But when James falls in love with Orsino, a homeschooled trans boy with telepathic powers and visions of the future, he wonders if the scope of what he believes possible is too small. Orsino, meanwhile, hopes that in James he has finally found someone who will be able to share the apocalyptic visions he has had to keep to himself, and better understand the powers they hold.

How to Get Over the End of the World confirms Hal Schrieve as a unique and to-be-celebrated voice in LGBTQ+ YA fiction with this multi-voiced story about flawed people trying their hardest to make a better world, about the beauty and craziness of hope, about too-big dreams and reality checks, and about the ways in which human messiness—egos, jealousy, insecurity—and good faith can coexist. It also about preserving the ties within a chosen family—and maybe saving the world—through love, art, and acts of resistance.

About The Author

Hal Schrieve is a children’s librarian in Manhattan and the best part of hir job is facilitating comics and creative writing workshops with young people. Hir first book, Out of Salem, was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Hal’s comics are featured in We’re Still Here, an all-trans comics anthology, and the zine Very Online. Hir fiction will be featured in the We’re Here horror anthology out in late 2022. Follow Hal at @howlmarin on Instagram and @hal_schrieve on Twitter.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Briar on November 17, 2023

Hal is so good at combining pitch-perfect parodies of recognizable queer "types"/interactions/dynamics, relationship drama, coming of age, and fabulist/psychedelic elements. I think I would have loved this book even more as an actual teenager (never mind the various personal revelations it probably......more

Goodreads review by Siobhan on September 24, 2023

How To Get Over the End of the World is a young adult novel about trans teenagers coming together to raise money through a rock opera whilst some of them see visions that are trying to prevent climate destruction. James is a messy gay trans senior who is ignoring high school to focus on keeping the......more

Goodreads review by Mal on January 17, 2024

I really loved this book! I loved getting to know James, Monique, Orsino, Opal and the people around them. I loved feeling Olympia and the youth punk scene, but most of all I loved reading about young trans ppl loving each other messily and with their whole bodies!!......more

Goodreads review by Mary on January 25, 2025

Nobody writes messy queer teens quite like Schrieve.......more

Goodreads review by Lex on November 24, 2023

Out of all of the books I read this year this will be the one that I buy a copy for my own collection. Also I will forever hold the title of being the first person to read this book through the Chicago Public Library system >:)......more