A Victim of My Own Design

(Paperback)

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Ahaunting yet darkly humorous exploration of a world teetering on the edge of collapse.

With stories that pulse with both the familiar and the uncanny, O'Neil's characters struggle to survive in a reality rife with violence, climate catastrophe, and the crushing weight of modern life. From the threat of police brutality to the absurdity of predatory healthcare, his sharp observations of societal decay leave a lasting impact. Yet, in the midst of the turmoil, his signature wit emerges-offering moments of levity that deepen the poignancy of the human condition. Blending short stories, poetry, and micro-fiction, O'Neil's stream-of-consciousness style and inventive sentence structures draw the reader into a mesmerizing rhythm, making this collection as thought-provoking as it is unforgettable. Fans of his previous workA Creature Wanting Formwill find a continuation of his unique voice, while new readers will be captivated by his unflinching portrayal of survival in a world gone awry.

Reviews

PRAISE FOR LUKE O'NEIL'SA CREATURE WANTING FORM

"In these stories, Luke O'Neil tears the heart out of the dying world and makes us give a fuck that it's still beating.
Rax King, author of Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer

"Gorgeous, unsettling, infuriating.
Kim Kelly, author of Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor

"Rendered with a lyricism that seems to be in awe of the world even as they describe its greatest pains and profound injustices."
Megan Nolan, author of Acts of Desperation

"A beautiful disaster.
Dave Wedge, New York Times bestselling author and journalist

"One of the few writers who I'll read for the prose alone. "
Ryan Cooper, editor at The American Prospect and author of How Are You Going to Pay for That

"I always wanted to know what goes on inside Luke's brain. Then I read this, and, well, be careful what you wish for.
Dan Ozzi, author of Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore

"Luke ONeil is like no other journalist working today, fusing original reporting with memoir and frequently-profane observational humor to create what feels like a new type of truth-telling: precise, fucked-up, infuriating, and, somehow, beautiful. ...This is what it looks like when a gifted writer finds his voice.

Hamish McKenzie, co-founder of Substack

PRAISE FOR LUKE O'NEIL'S WELCOME TO HELL WORLD

"A vital and despairing collection of essays on modern American life.
Longreads

"Reading ...Hell World is a lot like staring deep into O'Neil's soul, and it's often a pretty dark place."
Boston Magazine

"Stream-of-consciousness reports that detail the many reasons reasonable people have to be angry right now.
New York Magazine

"A fever dream ... It's a lot to handle, but it's great."
InsideHook

"Tells it like it is. ... It's that honesty, along with pure writing ability, creativity, and a heavy helping of empathy, that makes Luke's writing so special.
The Alternative

"At once scathingly ironic and disarmingly sincere...
Full Stop Magazine

"Writings on contemporary matters, from politics to music ... should be beautiful but hideous at the same time-and O'Neil scratches that itch for a remarkable 538 pages.
Dig Boston

Author Bio

Luke O'Neilhas written forEsquire, New York Magazine, The Guardian, The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Playboy, Slate, Vice, and many other publications. He is the author ofWelcome to Hell World: Dispatches from the American Dystopia.