New Dark Ages

New Dark Ages is the second book in Warren Kinsella’s “The X Gang” series. Like Recipe for Hate, New Dark Ages takes readers into a world not often explored in teen literature – punk rock culture of the early 1980s. The ugly and violent world of white supremacy again plays enemy to the unlikely heroes made up of the X Gang who once again find themselves at the centre of a gruesome murder investigation.

The loose coalition of punk rockers known as the X Gang have all graduated from high school now, but, not wanting to “live in suburban slag”, the two bands - the Hot Nasties and the Punk Rock Virgins - and their friends have decided to “go out in a blaze of punk rock glory" by going on tour. There is evidence that the murders are connected to punk rock culture and the X Gang in particular, so an FBI agent shadows the tour that takes them to Montreal, Ottawa and back to hometown Portland, Maine. The Canadian leg of the tour and a hospital stay in Toronto for narrator Kurt Blank furnishes Kinsella with an opportunity to contrast aspects of American and Canadian society – America does not fare well.

Meanwhile, Danny, a former bandmate, has sickened and confused the gang by joining the political campaign of right-wing, white supremacist Earl Turner. Kinsella holds nothing back in creating this Donald Trump/David Duke hybrid. Earl Turner is opportunistic, hypocritical, and morally corrupt. His shameless self-aggrandizement wrapped up in charming good looks and make-America-white-again rhetoric makes him very dangerous. Kinsella also does not shy away from pointing directly at the Republican Party prepared to nominate a candidate running on a “White is Right” platform and Americans willing to scapegoat anyone for all their woes. His message is clear: “You are responsible for this ugly creation America”.

The mysterious financial contributors to Earl Turner’s campaign and their connection to the murders make up the complex plot of the story. Readers who like learning through fiction will appreciate the places in the story where Kinsella has effortlessly woven in his deep knowledge of 20th century American politics and punk rock culture. In other places, Kinsella’s need to inform outweighs concerns of story craft. For example, X’s philosophical essays are awkwardly injected into the narration, and there is a chapter that begins: “Okay, class. Time for my little lecture about sex and gender and punk rock, okay? Get comfortable and listen up.” That said, some lessons, like the lesson on “the historical origins of the gobbing-at-a-punk-shows", are very interesting.

Kurt Blank narrates most of the story. While Kurt has more confidence now, he is still depressed and mostly keeps his homosexuality a secret. He has also developed a speed habit that plays a significant role in the storyline. Kurt continues to adore X, the unofficial, inscrutable leader of the gang. And just as in the first book, X has knowledge and wisdom that defy his young age.

One discomforting element of this novel is the depiction of violence. At times, the violence is pointed at as wrong and unjust, but, at other times, the violence is winked at and tolerated as though violence is an appropriate response if the victim is a white supremacist. For example, near the end of the novel, X and the others attack a group of white supremacists. Describing the melee, Kurt says, “Like any fight, when you’re in the middle of it, it’s hard to know who’s winning. But it felt like we were kicking ass. I stood back-to-back with X and hammered at every fascist who came close.” The police break up the fight, and X and Kurt are scolded. This leads to the very shocking and violent conclusion where readers learn that Danny and X have been secretly plotting to murder Earl Turner on live TV. It seems sometimes violence is the answer.

Another uncomfortable element is the isolated but harsh sexist plot bits. Kurt says of one female character, “Breeders are super cute.” Later, a friend of Kurt recounts a sexual encounter in language that not only objectifies the young woman but is overly explicit for a young adult novel. To be fair, there are other interesting and vital female characters in this novel. But the two young women Earl Turner is sleeping with while on campaign are never given the dignity of surnames let alone retribution for the despicable way they are portrayed and treated.

But the element that could keep this novel off the shelves of school libraries is the overuse of the n-word. Granted it is only and always used by characters known to be racist, and it is always used in a context that the reader is meant to despise. But Kinsella could (and does) easily make the point that these are hateful, horrible people through dramatization. An argument for historical accuracy could be made - after all, David Duke’s nationally televised racist rhetoric did take him all the way to a bid for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination. As Columbia University professor John McWhorter says in his 2019 essay for The Atlantic, “The Idea That Whites Can’t Refer to the N-Word": “There are matters of art involved, of course. Even when discussing rather than wielding the word, people—including black ones—might avoid barking out the word any more than necessary.” In New Dark Ages, Kinsella not only barks out the word more than necessary, he fails to meet the art “bar”.

There is something to be said for the timeliness of New Dark Ages. A known racist and misogynist is in the White House and The Black Lives Matter movement is protesting in the streets. But there is so much misery and hatefulness in this story - including and maybe even especially in the way it ends - that the reader is left feeling hopeless. Perhaps Kinsella addresses this feeling of hopelessness in Age of Unreason, the next book of the series.