▁polit icians ▁Category : A fg han ▁military ▁personnel ▁Category : A fg han ▁government ▁officials ▁Category : 1 9 6 1 ▁birth s ▁Category : 2 0 1 1 ▁death s <0x0A> </s> ▁Victor ▁La Val le ▁( born ▁February ▁ 3 , ▁ 1 9 7 2 ) ▁is ▁an ▁American ▁author . ▁He ▁is ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁a ▁short - story ▁collection , ▁S lap box ing ▁with ▁Jesus ▁and ▁four ▁nov els , ▁The ▁E c static , ▁Big ▁Machine , ▁The ▁Dev il ▁in ▁Silver , ▁and ▁The ▁Ch angel ing . ▁ ▁La Val le ▁writes ▁fiction ▁primarily , ▁though ▁he ▁has ▁also ▁written ▁ess ays ▁and ▁book ▁reviews ▁for ▁G Q , ▁Ess ence ▁Magazine , ▁The ▁F ader , ▁and ▁The ▁Washington ▁Post , ▁among ▁others . ▁ ▁Early ▁life ▁Lav alle ▁was ▁raised ▁in ▁the ▁Fl ushing ▁and ▁R osed ale ▁neighborhood s ▁of ▁Queens , ▁New ▁York ▁by ▁a ▁single ▁mother ▁who ▁had ▁em igr ated ▁from ▁U g anda ▁in ▁her ▁tw ent ies . ▁He ▁attended ▁Wood m ere ▁Academy ▁and ▁went ▁on ▁to ▁ear n ▁a ▁degree ▁in ▁English ▁from ▁Corn ell ▁University ▁and ▁a ▁Master ▁of ▁Fine ▁Arts ▁in ▁Creative ▁Writing ▁from ▁Columbia ▁University . ▁ ▁Liter ary ▁career ▁S lap box ing ▁with ▁Jesus ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 9 ▁by ▁V int age ▁Books . ▁The ▁eleven ▁inter connected ▁stories ▁deal ▁mostly ▁with ▁the ▁lives ▁of ▁young ▁black ▁and ▁Lat ino ▁men ▁living ▁in ▁New