Sol Yurick was an American novelist whose work often drew from his experiences as a social investigator. His writing is characterized by a keen insight into societal issues and the human psyche, often exploring themes of violence, poverty, and the search for identity within harsh urban landscapes. Yurick masterfully blended classical literary structures with contemporary social concerns, giving his novels a profound and resonant depth that continues to engage readers.
Sol Yurick’s cult novel, originally published in 1966, blasts the American judicial system and society in general. It was called ‘one of the fiercest and most effective satires to come out of America in a decade’ by The Spectator. Although written before his debut published novel The Warriors (1965), like that work, Fertig was eventually made into a movie—The Confession (1999) starring Ben Kingsley. It is now available for the first time in over three decades.
It's a hot 4th of July night in New York City. In the darkness of the Bronx, thousands of boys have gathered from all across the city. Among them are the warriors of the Coney Island Dominators. Ismael Rivera, leader of the Delancey Thrones, has called an assembly of New York's disparate youth gangs. Why should they keep taking it from the Man when they could be the ones giving it to everyone else? But when the assembly descends into violence, the Dominators are suddenly a very long way home from home. The Warriors follows the Dominators as they rape and murder their way back to Coney Island through the terrifying New York night. First published in 1965, Sol Yurick's bleak and shocking novel is a brutal tale of young men left to raise themselves, and an urgent warning about the animal savagery that emerges from the torn fabric of human society.