Sing My Way Home: Voices of the New American Roots Rock Review

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(More customer reviews)this book is called voices of the new american roots rock you
would never guess thats the title by reading the book. the authors give chapters to their favorite artists while ignoring
the large majority of artists that fit in this category-a chapter on
delaney and bonnie and of course,their personal hero,gram parsons.The authors portray parsons as this larger than life artist who founded the whole americana genre.But like,Chris Hillman,a bandmate of Parsons has said on many occassions.gram parson wrote a couple great songs,some good ones
but building him up to this great songwriter and performer is
ridiculous. And Hillman continues by saying that Gene Clark of the byrds was a much better songwriter and has not received anywhere
near tha accolates that parsons has.
The authors then list a top 100 of americanan root based albuns-of course
parsons and his band the flying burrito brothers dominate the top 20 while great amercana artists like johnny cash,nancy griffith,jim white,uncle tupelo,gene clark,the buffalo springfield,emmy lou harris,and many others have either one or
no albums on their top 100 list.
The authors bias clearly comes into play when someone like rodney crowell has
two albums in the top 30,kris Kristofferson,delaney and bonnie and lucinda williams all get the top album and star treatment.
A very subjective book with no objectivity whatever-pass on this one

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Sing My Way Home explores the ascendance of American roots rock and its signature artists, past and present. The book traces the movement's antecedents and profiles the visionary singer-songwriters and musicians who, over the past three decades, have made it an extraordinary, thriving genre. Every chapter includes a playlist to guide readers in downloading and building their own "mix tapes." This is a book that will transform novice fans into experts and enrich their understanding of great singer-songwriters and performers.

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Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend Review

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(More customer reviews)Carrie Jones' "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" adds a twist to the YA breakup novel.
High school senior and singer-songwriter, Belle Philbrick, is dumped. And not in your usual way. Her boyfriend Dylan--Harvest King to Belle's Harvest Queen--announces that he's gay. And, needless to say, dumps her. "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" chronicles Belle's story in first-person narration over the course of the week that follows.
Why a week? In an inspired piece of character development, Belle doesn't want to turn into a Malory--a girl who whines about a boy for an extended period of time. Instead, she spends time with her best friend, Emily, and becomes closer to Dylan's best friend, Tom. And, because she lives in a small Maine town--her breakup and Dylan's announcement that he's gay remain their secret for about 24 hours before everyone knows everything. "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" is a tale not just of Belle's coming to terms with her gay (ex) boyfriend, but also the entire town's adjustment to Dylan's announcement.
Carrie Jones has created an admirable heroine in Belle. While her breakup with Dylan is understandably painful, social justice and her true love for Dylan win over her pain. As one of the leaders of her school's Amenesty International chapter, Belle can't overlook when other students call Dylan "fag" (or her, weirdly, "fag hag"). Belle is a compelling character, very real despite the fact that her situation may seem unusual. One doesn't expect your first and true love to be gay. Fortunately, Belle has a good friend to turn to--a level-headed girl named Emily. Here is a revealing conversation between the two girls:

"'You know. It's a big deal what's happening to you and Dylan and everything. That's hard to adjust to. You love him for, like, forever and then--boom that love's gone.'
I stare into Emily's blue eyes. She stares back with sympathy. I say as undramtically as possible. 'It was a lie, Em. It was just a fairy tale. You don't have to recover from a fairy tale.'
She exhales, plucks off the lens cap again and twirls it between her fingers. 'Yes, you do.'"
Carrie Jones has teenage speak--even the discourse of smart, self-aware teens like Emily and Belle--down pat. "Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend" is highly recommended for older teens. (There is some sexual content.) This is one smart book with one smart heroine.


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FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF NEED AND CAPTIVATE

Winner of the 2008 Maine Literary Award!

Dylan is Belle's true love-maybe even her soulmate. Until one day when Dylan drops the ultimate bomb: he's gay. Where, Belle wonders, does that leave her? And how will the rest of their small town deal with an openly gay Homecoming King? This beautifully written debut explores what happens when you are suddenly forced to see someone in a new light, and what that can teach you about yourself.

"Provocative . . . The author's poetic prose ably captures her heroine's emotional upheavals." -Publishers Weekly"It's good to have [Carrie Jones'] talent in the field." -KLIATT"Jones offers an atypical perspective of the coming-out story by legitimizing the love that is not lost, but changed, when young people grow up and apart." -School Library Journal"From the first sentence of Carrie Jones' novel I could tell that here was a bright new writer who was going to set the world of young adult letters af lame." -Kathi Appelt, award-winning poet and author

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Never Mind the Pollacks: A Rock and Roll Novel (P.S.) Review

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(More customer reviews)Never Mind the Pollacks by Neal Pollack is alternately brilliant and trash, and if you are at all into the history of rock music, Thompsonian mania, sex, drugs, puking on shoes, f**king the establishment, riding the snake to the lake, and flipping birds or wearing sunglasses in every photograph ever taken of you, definitely read this book.
At the very least it's good for some seriously hard laughs, and even when he fails at what he's doing, it's like seeing your favorite band play a bad show--you still get the gist of what he was going for, and as is true with rock-and-roll in general, you just can't be on all the time.
Now, i'm going to go puke up 8 martinis and pass out cold.
Note: I am no relation to Mr Pollack. My surname has two O's.

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