Presents 22 stories of interest to readers ages 15 to 25, originally published in magazines, newspapers, and zines in 2001, selected for inclusion by editor Dave Eggers, and includes contributors' notes.

The pamphleteer / Jenny Bitner -- The lost boys / Sara Corbett -- Naji's Taliban phase / Michael Finkel -- Generation exile / Meenakshi Ganguly -- Speed demons / Karl Taro Greenfeld -- Hubcap diamondstar halo / Camden Joy -- Toil and temptation / Michael Kamber -- Snacks / Sam Lipsyte -- Stop that girl / Elizabeth McKenzie -- The nice new radicals / Seth Mnookin -- Local hipster overexplaining why he was at the mall -- Marilyn Manson now going door-to-door trying to shock people -- Journal of a new cobra recruit / Keith Pille -- My fake job / Rodney Rothman -- Fourth angry mouse / David Schickler -- Why McDonald's fries taste so good / Eric Schlosser -- Blood poison / Heidi Jon Schmidt -- To make a friend, be a friend / David Sedaris -- Higher education / Gary Smith -- "Jiving" with your teen / Seaton Smith -- Bomb scare / Adrian Tomine -- Selections from Please don't kill the freshman / Zoe Trope.