Assembly

<p>In Assembly Samuel Ludke brings together the voices of the everyday and the extraordinary setting them against the backdrop of American youth tradition and identity. With the energy of a pep rally and the seriousness of a sermon Ludke explores what it means to gather to belong and to confront the masks we wear-whether it's the letterman's jacket the cheerleader's smile or the gorilla suit grinning from the sidelines.</p><p>Part memoir part cultural critique and part poetic manifesto Assembly doesn't just tell stories-it stages them. It asks its readers to sit down on the bleachers of memory to hear the chants of adolescence echo against the walls of adulthood and to look closely at the rituals that shape us.</p><p> </p>