Field Guide to the North American Teenager

Norris’s field guide entry details Austin’s landscape of food trucks, strip malls, and large buildings. It also mentions Austin’s heat and Norris’s suspicion that the people of Austin are prideful to mask their insecurity.

Teenager Norris Kaplan and his mother, Judith, arrive in Austin, Texas. They have just moved from Quebec to Austin permanently for Judith’s new job in academia. Norris feels himself standing out, as a Black French Canadian in a hockey jersey that no one in Austin recognizes. Norris has seen enough American movies and television to know that he may not be liked as a Black teen or a French-Canadian immigrant. Norris already dislikes Austin for its heat and culture, and he forms harsh judgments about the people of Austin.

Norris complains to Judith, but he understands this is a rare job opportunity for her. In the cab, Norris observes the large highways, buildings, and high school football fields of his new city. Norris misses the snowy weather in Canada. He looks forward to flying back to Canada for spring break to go on a ski trip with his best friend, Eric. Eric recently came out as gay and has only told a few people.