Blue Social Fictions Series Series Editor Patricia Leavy USA The Social Fictions series emerges out of the arts-based research movement. The series includes full-length fiction books that are informed by social research but written in a literary/artistic form (novels, plays, and short story collections). Believing there is much to learn through fiction, the series only includes works written entirely in the literary medium adapted. Each book includes an academic introduction that explains the research and teaching that informs the book as well as how the book can be used in college courses. The books are underscored with social science or other scholarly perspectives and intended to be relevant to the lives of college students—to tap into important issues in the unique ways that artistic or literary forms can. Please email queries to [email protected] International Editorial Advisory Board Carl Bagley, University of Durham, UK Anna Banks, University of Idaho, USA Carolyn Ellis, University of South Florida, USA Rita Irwin, University of British Columbia, Canada J. Gary Knowles, University of Toronto, Canada Laurel Richardson, The Ohio State University (Emeritus), USA Blue PatriciaLeavy SENSEPUBLISHERS ROTTERDAM/BOSTON/TAIPEI AC.I.P.recordforthisbookisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress. ISBN978-94-6300-353-7(paperback) ISBN978-94-6300-354-4(hardback) ISBN978-94-6300-355-1(e-book) Publishedby:SensePublishers, P.O.Box21858, 3001AWRotterdam, TheNetherlands https://www.sensepublishers.com/ Printedonacid-freepaper Allrightsreserved©2016SensePublishers Nopartofthisworkmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exceptionofanymaterialsuppliedspecificallyforthepurposeofbeingenteredand executedonacomputersystem,forexclusiveusebythepurchaserofthework. PRAISE FOR BLUE “I love it. I just love it. I wasn’t planning on reading it this morning, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. Tash is so familiar and yet unique. I get her discontents and I am rooting for her as soon as she says her first words. She’s in New York City and I know she’s going to make it. I want her to. And I want her friends, including the homeless man, to make it, too. In the accolades of the 1980s, I find the novel to be cool, hip, and awesome! It would be fantastic in any number of college courses. Young adults should read this. BRAVO, Patricia Leavy!” Laurel Richardson, Ph.D., The Ohio State University “An engaging piece of public scholarship, Blue provides rich food for thought about the pop culture landscape and how its shapes our own stories. With a subtext about privilege, opportunity, sexual assault and gender, this would be a useful and fun teaching tool.” Sut Jhally, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts at Amherst; Founder & Executive Director, Media Education Foundation “Blue is a joyful, inspiring and painfully beautiful novel written by gifted scholar and writer, Patricia Leavy. Blue shows all of us how to move forward through times of pain, crisis or complacency with hope and love.” Norman Denzin, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign “Blue is a tour de force! Leavy shines her brightest in this little gem of a book. Authentic dialogue, fun but complex characters, and brilliant use of pop culture make this book a must-read. I don’t want to give anything away, but the meaning of the title is genius. Beautiful! I love that we get to catch up with Tash from Low-Fat Love and be immersed in her sometimes endearing, sometimes frustrating, and all-too-relatable complexity again. The city is a refreshing character in this finely drawn book, transporting you to a hopeful, hip, vibrant New York. Blue inspires reflection and entertains. I highly recommend it!” Amy Leigh Mercree, author of The Spiritual Girl’s Guide to Dating “Blue, Patricia Leavy’s latest journey into social fiction, reminds me of what it meant to live through the blue of young adulthood, a time spent working through the complexities of a life that’s constantly changing like the sky while struggling toward self-love, spiritual balance and happiness. Like Low-Fat Love I was immediately pulled in as a reader by Leavy’s refreshing use of language, her descriptions helping me see the world she’s creating, a world that feels as familiar as one I remember as if it were yesterday.” Mary E. Weems, Ph.D., author of Blackeyed: Plays and Monologues and Cleveland Arts Prize winner “Patricia Leavy’s strength lies not just in writing relatable yet complex women, but also in the level of cultural and social research she puts into each page. Blue is more than a great read; it is the embodiment of sociological art, grounded in theory and method and mixed with all the fun pop culture has to offer. The result is stunning! I can’t wait to use it in the classroom!” Adrienne Trier-Bieniek, Ph.D., Valencia College “In her new novel Blue, Patricia Leavy maps the contemporary landscape of love by narrating a vibrant tale where complex and compelling characters dance with the possibilities of longing and romance like light and shadow dance a tango. Full of wisdom, wit, and wonder, swirling with vibrant voices that conjure the hope and loss we all know is the heart and truth of love, always more confounding than found, always calling us forth with indefatigable desire. Blue is a novel we all need to read now!” Carl Leggo, Ph.D., University of British Columbia and Poet Also from Patricia Leavy Low-Fat Love: Expanded Anniversary Edition American Circumstance Gender & Pop Culture: A Text-Reader Edited by Adrienne Trier-Bieniek and Patricia Leavy For more information, visit the author’s website www.patricialeavy.com for beauty seekers everywhere, and one in particular, Celine Boyle