Eighteen Days to Graduation is by ML Lanzillotta and was published in 2017. It is available in English, from Amazon [1]
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The story follows an 18-year-old named Miranda just a few weeks before she graduates high school. We follow Miranda as she has various relationships within her last month of school, as well as psychiatric testing.
This book provides examples of:
- Audio Adaptation: The YouTube dramatic reading [2], courtesy of Miss Lanzillotta herself.
- Author Filibuster: M. L. Lanzillotta does not like psychiatrists or the public school system or authority in general. One of Miranda's internal monologues is a long rant about the 'true meaning of punk rock' and how kids need to learn to stand up for themselves.
- Drugs Are Bad: According to Miranda's bizarre, Hamlet-inspired internal monologue. Weirdly, though, she appears to find the idea of drug use attractive (for rather suicidal reasons).
- Fangirl: Miranda qualifies, due to her obsession with Sex Pistols and various science fiction fandoms.
- Gonzo Journalism: Apparently, this book was an attempt at Gonzo.
- High School: The story's setting, of course.
- Most Writers Are Writers: Miranda often writes in her spare time. At one point she works on a (parody?) version of Hamlet. That might be a reference to the author's Rocky Horror/Shakespeare crossover fanfic: [3].
- Punk Rock: The narrator, Miranda, is practically obsessed with the Sex Pistols (especially Sid Vicious and his girlfriend). Vicious' punk cover of My Way is mentioned repeatedly.
- Rock Trio: The band Miranda and Jeff go see counts as this.
- Shout-Out: Too many to list. Even the protagonist's name counts - 'Miranda' being a reference to The Tempest, and 'Duke' being a reference to Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This is lampshaded.Miranda: I've got the names of two fine literary characters, haven't I? Well, one spirited Shakespearean heroine and one dementedly drug-addled modern anti-hero."
