No Going Back

By: Patrick Flores-Scott

Narrated by: Ramón de Ocampo

Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

"Powerful…. The excellent pacing and heart-wrenching exploration of redemption will sweep readers up."—Kirkus Reviews

In this tour de force about one teen’s quest for redemption from the award-winning author of American Road Trip, Antonio is determined to make amends to the people he hurt most—even if it means breaking the terms of his early release from juvenile detention.

It’s Friday morning, and seventeen-year-old Antonio Sullivan is on the verge of earning his early release from Zephyr Woods Youth Detention Center. Having been incarcerated for the last year and a half for a crime he didn’t directly commit, he’s now dedicating himself to his education and his sobriety program. What’s more, Antonio is driven by a deep need to make amends to the two people he hurt the most: his mom and his lifelong best friend, Maya. The conditions of his early release are clear—Antonio can’t have any contact with his father or miss his first meeting with his parole officer Monday morning. But a lot can happen between Friday and Monday, especially when the odds are against you.

Told through time-stamped chapters that race at a fever pitch over the course of a weekend, this absorbing coming-of-age novel explores what it means to right past wrongs in the face of adversity.

PRAISE FOR NO GOING BACK

"Fast-paced, poignant, and poetic . . . This is a book of unexpected hope."—Sondra Soderborg, author of Sky Ropes

"A deep look into the heart of being misunderstood, told with prose you just can't fake. With honest voices, a flow of poetry, and a satisfying conclusion, this book is a gift with a purpose, the kind you hand to a reader that both wants and needs it."—Sean Beaudoin, author of Welcome Thieves and Wise Young Fool

"A gripping and heart-wrenching novel about family, friendship and second chances—will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end."—Betty Culley, author of Three Things I Know are True and The Name She Gave Me

"Poetry, resilience, unflinching honesty, a steady undercurrent of hope, plus a wild adventure with a ticking clock, this book packs it all in for a three-day turbulent ride that's full of heart."—Kristin Bartley Lenz, author of The Art of Holding On and Letting Go

"A powerful story of the push and pull between doing what’s right and being there for the people we love."—Katherine Higgs-Coulthard, author of Junkyard Dogs and Hanging with My Peeps

"Patrick Flores-Scott delivers a beautiful exploration of familial love, the idea of healthy friendships, and the long-term impacts of trauma."—Rita Shah, author of The Meaning of Rehabilitation and Its Impact on Parole

©2024 Patrick Flores-Scott (P)2024 No Going Back

Critic reviews

"This is a taut coming-of-age story told in a combination of prose, with chapter headers that mark the day and time, and poems that flash back to earlier events. Antonio’s journey of self-realization features powerful inner dialogue that allows readers to understand the impulses that lead to his poor choices, and the novel brutally reflects the consequences and trials of addiction, chronic illness, and domestic violence on a family. The excellent pacing and heart-wrenching exploration of redemption will sweep readers up."—Kirkus Reviews

"Fast-paced, poignant, and poetic, Patrick Flores-Scott's No Going Back tracks rage—its sources, disconnects, misjudgments, and consequences—without flinching. This is a book of unexpected hope."—Sondra Soderborg, author of Sky Ropes

"A deep look into the heart of being misunderstood, told with prose you just can't fake. Flores-Scott has achieved something vital here, a lyrical take on self-reclamation laid out over a weekend of cold reality. With honest voices, a flow of poetry, and a satisfying conclusion, this book is a gift with a purpose, the kind you hand to a reader that both wants and needs it."—Sean Beaudoin, author of Welcome Thieves and Wise Young Fool