Mavo - High School In the 1960s, Freshman Year

by Mike Bonner

“MAVO.” The word is a slur aimed at poor white youths from Portland, Oregon's east side, originating in the early 1960s. Other places called them Hoods or Greasers. In Portland, they were called Mavos. This is the 1965-66 fictional memoir of Patrick Compton, a fourteen year old from a troubled family, who takes an irreverent look at life during his freshman year. With that pivotal period serving as the backdrop to a host of delinquent adventures, MAVO contrasts the schemes and dreams of a precocious adolescent with the bitter realities that rarely fail to curdle the joy of living. Patrick's narrative is a meditation on the notion that misery plus time equals comedy. His engaging outlook and subversive storytelling style conspire to create a truly unique literary experience.

438 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 6, 2016

Reviews

[Terry Varner-Benge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colorful description of the gray life of a teenage boy in Portland, Oregon 1965-66. “Patrick’s narrative is a meditation on the notion that misery plus time equals comedy.” I couldn’t say it better. It’s a survival story and a coming-of-age story, a “fictional (?) memoir.” Those of us who spent our growing-up years in Portland before gentrification will recognize scenes from Dead Memories Portland and more. Thanks to Mike Bonner for sharing this story with us.