Tropic of Orange — Karen Tei Yamashita

An apocalypse of race, class, and culture fanned by the media and the harsh L.A. sun.

Irreverently juggling magical realism, film noir, hip-hop, and chicanismo, Tropic of Orange takes place in a Los Angeles where the homeless, gangsters, infant organ entrepreneurs, and Hollywood collide on a stretch of the Harbor Freeway. Hemmed in by wildfires, it's a symphony conducted from an overpass: grandiose, comic, and as diverse as the city itself.