The Tribes of Palos Verdes: A Novel [Paperback]

Joy Nicholson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1998

Medina Mason is a defiant, awkward newcomer to the affluent beach community of Palos Verdes, California. As her parents' marriage disintegrates and her beloved brother falls prey to the temptations of drugs and the lunacy of their mother, Medina surfs to survive, finding a bitter solace in the rough comfort of the waves. This is the moving story of growing up "different," of the love between siblings, and of one girl's power to save herself.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?Medina Mason, Midwestern transplant to the surf and high-rolling economy of Southern California, narrates this first novel by a promising young author. The teen struggles with her former fashion-model mother who despises Medina's slenderness while eating herself into oblivion; a twin brother who sinks lower and lower into his attachment to grass and pills because of his mother's neurotic attachment to him; an absent father who doesn't hear his daughter's pleas for help; and her own maturing relationships with guys. The harsh and superficial exchanges among individuals ring true: Medina inhabits a world where surf is the only reliable power, a power that can be understood at least as well as the adults in her life. She divides her peers into "tribes"?e.g., the towel girls (perfectly formed young women who never leave their beach towels), the "bottomfeeders" (lowlife guys who sell drugs on the beach and use strong-arm tactics to extract payment)?but the microcosm of her own family occupies most of her emotional energy and readers' attention. Teens living east of California will not find Medina's world attractive and may wonder if that's all there is to the fabled land of surf. Her family, however, could live?and attempt to destroy one another?anywhere.?Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When the situation at her idyllic Palos Verdes home turns volatile, young Medina attempts to surf her way to happiness. This first novel's initial printing is set at 50,000 copies.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (August 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031219532X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312195328
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #710,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and captivating book, May 20, 2003

By 

A. Marbach "badgroove" (Sometimes Sunny California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tribes of Palos Verdes: A Novel (Paperback)

After reading some of the reveiws listed I had to give my review. It seems that the major complaint was that it talks about things like drugs and sex and has a downer ending. This is life....and did you read the ending the same way I did? I didn't see it as a downer but as a way to start over for the main character. The book is a fast read...great for vacation reading (I read it, aloud during a 7 hour car trip last summer). I find the characters very real and believable.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Tribes of Palos Verdes, March 21, 2000

By 

David (Oceanside, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tribes of Palos Verdes (Hardcover)

As you can notice, I gave this book 5 wonderful, shiny, gold stars; thus, well deserved. This is the best book I've ever had the pleasure of reading and I'd highly recommend this book to anyone. Reason being is that I can relate to and understand many of the things that occur. I'm not the type of person that would usually sit down and read a book over and over again. Heck, I'm not the type of person that would sit down and read a book at all. At first, all I wanted was a book to get me through a report and I ended up with the only book I think I'll ever enjoy reading.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Misleading Cover!, October 18, 2004

By 

Lauryn "Lauryn" (IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tribes of Palos Verdes: A Novel (Paperback)

I picked up this book thinking, "Oh cool, a book about a girl in a group with guys surfing!" I soon found out that was not the case, or not really the case. This book astonished me and made me thank myself for all of the good things I have in my life. The story started out fairly normal, and me thinking "Everything will end up happy-go-lucky" boy, oh boy was I wrong. It was a rollercoaster, everytime something good would happen, it would scaled downward. The ending is very surprising, yet depressing at the same time! I just kept reading it because you wanted to find out what else could go wrong in Medina's life!