A junior high school boy idolizes his older brother, the coolest, toughest guy in the neighborhood, and wants to be just like him.

Alternate chapters follow teenagers Todd and Viola, who become separated as the Mayor's oppressive new regime takes power in New Prentisstown, a space colony where residents can hear each other's thoughts.

[This book] focus[es] on topics [such as:] the corporate state, an emphasis on the impact of the power elite in a capitalist state; the environment, pollution and depletion of resources, with a new sense of urgency created for alleviating if not solving these chronic problems; urban deterioration, the steady decline in the physical and cultural quality of city life, with little successful effort to plan cities with citizens' basic needs and interests...

"This title discusses the many works that have been banned over the centuries because they offended or merely ignored official truths, challenged widely held assumptions, or contained ideas or language unacceptable to a state, religious institution, or private moral watchdog."--Publisher description.

"Candida centers on a romantic triangle and parodies courtly love and the domestic drama of Ibsen. It abounds with classical allusions, the fervor of a religious revival, and poetic inspiration and aspirations."--Publisher's description.