• Age: 14 to 17
• Grade: 9 to 12

Dixon Carter wants to share his life manifesto. Don't worry — there won't be any violence. Dixon doesn't believe in violence. But Dixon is seeing things differently. He has gone off his meds — the drugs deaden him to the world. He is writing a daily journal from the point he stopped the meds.

There are times he is angry with the world and everyone in it. But then there are the times where he can see all the beauty, just like the Romantic poets. His girlfriend Sylvia and best friend Zeke are trying to help him on his journey.

But when the real world throws a tragic event in Dixon's path his struggles to save himself become darker and much more difficult and dangerous.

No one has a clearer view of Atlantic Canada's literary endeavours over the past twenty years than Lesley Choyce. He is the founder of the literary journal Pottersfield Portfolio, and the publisher of Pottersfield Press. He has edited several fiction anthologies and has been the in-house editor of many books from Pottersfield Press including Making Waves, a collection of stories by emerging authors from Atlantic Canada. He is the author of more than fifty books in genres ranging from poetry and essays to autobiography, history and fiction for adults, young adults, and children. Among his recent books are the novels The Republic of Nothing, World Enough, and Cold Clear Morning, and the story collection Dance the Rocks Ashore. Choyce is the writer, host, and co-producer of the popular literary show television program, Off the Page with Lesley Choyce, which is broadcast across the country on Vision TV. He also teaches in the English department of Dalhousie University in Halifax and is leader of the rock band The Surf Poets.

Lesley Choyce's profile page

"The style and tone of this novel will draw readers in, as the main character directly addresses the reader on and off throughout the novel. This novel deals with some heavy topics gracefully and in a short amount of time. It is a good read for high school reluctant readers."
— VOYA Magazine
"While writing this review, it occurred to me that the novel Into the Wasteland is a bit like the tardis from Doctor Who: its size is small, but once inside its cover, readers will find a multi-dimensional world. Lesley Choyce, the author, covers a lot of territory and some heavy subject matter. . . Many thanks to Lesley Choyce for creating a novel that provides a relatable character for them and their friends, because, as Zeke says, "We're all connected. We just don't see it."
Highly Recommended."
— CM Magazine