Into the Dangerous World

Publishers Weekly Starred Review: "This striking combination of story and illustration creates a powerful portrait of a budding artist."
At a family meeting, Ror declares her purpose:
I am an artist.
But she doesn’t really know what that means. Raised on a commune, she’s never attended a day of school, and has seen little of the outside world. What she knows best is drawing. To her, it’s like breathing; it’s how she makes sense of the world.
When her father torches the commune — and himself — Ror’s life changes. She, her mother and sister end up in a homeless residence in Manhattan, where she runs into trouble — and love — with Trey, the leader of Noise Ink, a graffiti crew.
On the city’s streets, and in its museums and galleries, Ror finds herself pulled in different directions. Her father wanted her to make classic art. Noise Ink insists she stay within their lines. Her art teacher urges her to go to college. What does she want?
What kind of artist am I?
Ror’s soul-searching — expressed in remarkable pictures and sharp-edged prose, set in the gritty Manhattan of 1984 — is cinematic in its scope, and its seamless blend of text and art makes Into the Dangerous World a groundbreaking event in fiction.

Art by JM Superville Sovak
More praise for Into the Dangerous World:
"A thought-provoking, beautiful exploration of the artistic process." Kirkus Reviews
"This bold book wakes us up to an urban tribe who operate in the margins. The powerful, primal art feels so organic to the text, it's hard to imagine one without the other."
-- NIKKI GRIMES, award-winning author of Bronx Masquerade
"I think I’ve found my new favorite author! This story of a young artist’s struggle to find her voice against all odds shimmers with authenticity. Julie Chibbaro understands the actual dynamics of being a high school student and struggling with the volatile world of street art and the insular nature of high art. Every character feels like someone I’ve known, debating how art fits into their life.” --Ron English, acclaimed street artist, culture jammer, and designer of Popaganda.
"Protagonist Ror is a young aspiring artist living on a Staten Island commune—until one day the commune is burned down and she moves to Manhattan, where she falls in love with the leader of a street art gang. For those anxious to see the next season of the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, this similar brainwashed-and-clueless-girl-meets-New-York plot line will tide you over in the meantime. The mixed format of the book, which includes Ror’s drawings every few pages, adds to the novel’s intrigue." New York Observer