After a decade in the making, debut author Shaun Anthony McMichael delivers Whistle Punk Falls (Alternative Books Press), a powerful coming-of-age novel set during the psychological and economic collapse of 2009 Aberdeen, Washington. Rich with lyrical prose and haunting honesty, the novel explores friendship, mental illness, intergenerational trauma, and the ghosts—both real and imagined—that shape us.

At its heart is Malachi “Loud” McCrowley, an 18-year-old half-Native (Makah tribe), homeless teen haunted by the mysterious logging death of his white father and guided—perhaps dangerously—by the voices of Kurt Cobain and other misunderstood souls of the Pacific Northwest. The story is narrated by his best friend Jeremy Sweet, a shy guitar aficionado whose own coming-of-age is entwined with his attempt to save Loud from self-destruction.

As Aberdeen’s foundations tremble under the weight of the Great Recession, the novel asks a provocative and timely question: What does it truly mean to love someone?

“Whistle Punk Falls is about the bonds that stretch, break, and rebuild us,” McMichael says. “It’s about the ways people survive when the system fails—and the beauty that can still rise from ruin.”

McMichael—a longtime educator, writing coach to incarcerated and institutionalized populations—infuses his work with deep compassion and hard-earned insight. His novel reflects lived experiences at the intersection of race, class, masculinity, and mental health, offering readers both a mirror and a reckoning.

About the Author

Shaun Anthony McMichael is a writer, educator, and mental health advocate based in Seattle. He has taught English as a second language and creative writing to diverse populations for over 15 years. Whistle Punk Falls is his first novel.