Northside Hebrew Day School

Northside Hebrew Day School is where Gurion is enrolled before being kicked out and sent to Aptakisic Junior High School. He carries with him the effects of his immersion in Hebrew language, culture and religion and meets other Jewish students who are sympathetic to his concerns and beliefs.

Chicago

The Chicago area is the general setting for the book but the action takes place in a suburb, at the Aptakisic Junior High School.

Side of Damage

The Side of Damage is the wistfully-named insurrectionist group led by Gurion Maccabbee. Its targets are established authority as personified in the school system, other students who do not share their beliefs and, sometimes, parents. It is a guerrilla force of boys whose voices may not have deepened yet and some tomboy girls who just want in on the action, to experience the excitement of challenging the adult...