IRVINE WELSH Porno (WW Norton)

Every generation or so there is an artistic groundswell that threatens to become a full-fledged movement. And Scotland is currently the unheralded badass on campus, especially when you're talking about the literature of Janice Galloway, Iain Banks, and our favorite, Irvine Welsh. The explosive popularity of Trainspotting cemented Welsh's place in the European literary canon, in spite of the fact that his often brutal tales pull narrative out of the academy by the throat and throw it callously into Edinburgh's rough and rugged streets. Which brings us to Porno, Trainspotting's sequel (or sorts) -- if you thought Welsh's take on drug addiction and rehabilitation was in-your-face, wait until you read this knotted story of the same blue collar bastards trying to make it in the porn game. It's every bit as harsh, and we're not just talking about the vernacular, either. But its bracing honesty and heart is what sets it apart from exploitation fiction. No matter what you may think of the guy, Welsh walks the personal-is-political plank with his balls to the wall.