I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone (edition 2008)

Totally nails 90s rock cliches. And the dialogue, ouch. Not unpleasant though. ( )

I loved "I wanna be your Joey Ramone" by: Stephanie Kuehnert. It was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I really felt like I was in the story and living the life of Emily Black who wanted to be a rock star hoping that it would bring her mother back to her. After her father told her that her mom left to follow the music. She grew up in the time of punk and rock and roll and bases her life off of the values her father instills in her. ( )

Books about music, musicians, punk history, etc., appeal to me. Books written for young adults appeal to me. I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone has both, so I was hooked.

Throughout the reading, I got to learn about some punk history while watching a band develop during a time the protagonist was struggling with her mother's disappearance. The balance between these topics was quite well-managed, I thought.

I found myself unable to put this book down on several occasions. I would compare it in subject matter to Guitar Girl, which I also enjoyed. However, the true bonus here was the backdrop of the developing punk scene. The scenes of the novel are situated around this music history, and the story isn't told in a linear fashion. For that reason, the punk history helps to acclimate the reader to the era in which the action is taking place.

All in all, a good read, though a bit heavy on the description of sexual contact. The music was woven into the novel in a completely seamless way, which really brought the story to a new level. Kudos to the author for that.

reviewed here: http://book-splot.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-wanna-be-your-joey-ramone-stephanie.htm... ( )

I didn't like this book nearly as much as I liked her second, Ballads of Suburbia. It just didn't speak to me the same way or ring as true. ( )