A disturbing autobiographical portrait of the world of young male hustlers in San Francisco, involving a boy and his pet snail, Harold. With the beautiful watercolor images of acclaimed Australian artist Cherry Hood--known for her haunting portraits of adolescent boys--this harrowing novella lays bare the angst and sexual confusion of a new generation of lost boys.

"Originally published in McSweeney's in 2002, Leroy's beautifully written and heartbreaking story of Oliver, a heroin-addicted street kid, and Harold, his pet snail, gets repackaged in a small and gorgeous edition illustrated by Australian artist Wood. Wood's watercolor portraits of Oliver's fellow teenage hustlers (Serenity, Gotti, Crayon) and their pets (a snake, a dog, a rat) reveal their toughness and frailty; the paint, lightly, caressingly applied, drips down the page in delicate streaks. 'In the eyes of her subjects,' Leroy writes in his acknowledgements, 'she mines the unspoken, unguarded moments, what lays sic beyond their layers of fortification.' Dave Eggers contributes an admiring foreword, and editor Michael Ray delivers an ecstatic afterword. For Leroy fans-and there are many-this is an essential volume." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)