So Punk Rock: And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother

I adored reading So Punk Rock (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother). It was absolutely hilarious while still being about some of my favorite subjects: music and teens. The parts of the book that were graphic really added to the overall feel and humor of the book too. The glossary at the very end was hilarious, and I read parts of it aloud to my husband.

Heck, I read several parts of the book aloud to my husband. I laughed (full laughs, not just a smirk or a giggle) so many times while reading that I lost count. What made it funnier is that I know at least some stuff about Jewish traditions, which gave an entirely new level of funny and poignant to the story.

Anyone who likes music and a good laugh would love this, even if you're not show more a huge fan of stories about teenagers. I think I laughed myself to tears at one point, and I really didn't want to put it down while I was reading; I devoured it. So Punk Rock is a new favorite of mine. show less

A coming-of age story with an elite Jewish school twist - Ari starts a punk rock band, The Tribe, hoping it will bring him popularity (and girls) and "learns some hard lessons on playing it cool". Painfully funny; was thinking of this for a young Jewish kid I know, but a bit too much social drinking for an Alateen kid. Love this line:
"More maniacal laughter. I'm stunned...she may not be my dream girl, or even my daydream girl, or even my occasional stray thought - but she's cute, and she's popular, and - no doubt about it - she's into me. Or if she's not into me qua me, then she is digging on the Tribe"

Ari has a plan to finally be cool or kosher as the kids at school are calling it. So he talks to his best friend Jonas, already uber popular and not needing the help of a plan, but Ari knows how to manipulate, excuse me, convince Jonas to help him. They find the one guy that's got drums, ironically one of the most unpopular and his sister, a phenomenal singer and pretty damn hot. One ska cover of hava nagila later and they popularity is spiraling out of control. Unfortunately Ari and his band mates maybe losing themselves and each other in the process.

Another teen novel focusing on the importance of learning about yourself and being who you really are. It doesn't do it in a pushy way either. The most interesting parts of the book are show more how the characters interact with each other. I loved the comics that the author used to tell parts of the story. They were beautifully drawn and they really fit the tone of the story. I also loved the way the curse words are bleeped out of the book for the majority of the book. When a curse word is finally used, you just know how much they really mean it. show less

Ari has a plan to finally be cool or kosher as the kids at school are calling it. So he talks to his best friend Jonas, already uber popular and not needing the help of a plan, but Ari knows how to manipulate, excuse me, convince Jonas to help him. They find the one guy that's got drums, ironically one of the most unpopular and his sister, a phenomenal singer and pretty damn hot. One ska cover of hava nagila later and they popularity is spiraling out of control. Unfortunately Ari and his band mates maybe losing themselves and each other in the process.

Another teen novel focusing on the importance of learning about yourself and being who you really are. It doesn't do it in a pushy way either. The most interesting parts of the book are show more how the characters interact with each other. I loved the comics that the author used to tell parts of the story. They were beautifully drawn and they really fit the tone of the story. I also loved the way the curse words are bleeped out of the book for the majority of the book. When a curse word is finally used, you just know how much they really mean it. show less

Ari has a plan to finally be cool or kosher as the kids at school are calling it. So he talks to his best friend Jonas, already uber popular and not needing the help of a plan, but Ari knows how to manipulate, excuse me, convince Jonas to help him. They find the one guy that's got drums, ironically one of the most unpopular and his sister, a phenomenal singer and pretty damn hot. One ska cover of hava nagila later and they popularity is spiraling out of control. Unfortunately Ari and his band mates maybe losing themselves and each other in the process.

Another teen novel focusing on the importance of learning about yourself and being who you really are. It doesn't do it in a pushy way either. The most interesting parts of the book are show more how the characters interact with each other. I loved the comics that the author used to tell parts of the story. They were beautifully drawn and they really fit the tone of the story. I also loved the way the curse words are bleeped out of the book for the majority of the book. When a curse word is finally used, you just know how much they really mean it. show less

Ari has a plan to finally be cool or kosher as the kids at school are calling it. So he talks to his best friend Jonas, already uber popular and not needing the help of a plan, but Ari knows how to manipulate, excuse me, convince Jonas to help him. They find the one guy that's got drums, ironically one of the most unpopular and his sister, a phenomenal singer and pretty damn hot. One ska cover of hava nagila later and they popularity is spiraling out of control. Unfortunately Ari and his band mates maybe losing themselves and each other in the process.

Another teen novel focusing on the importance of learning about yourself and being who you really are. It doesn't do it in a pushy way either. The most interesting parts of the book are show more how the characters interact with each other. I loved the comics that the author used to tell parts of the story. They were beautifully drawn and they really fit the tone of the story. I also loved the way the curse words are bleeped out of the book for the majority of the book. When a curse word is finally used, you just know how much they really mean it. show less

Ari Abramson starts a Jewish indie-rock band so that he can gain more standing with the girls at his all-Jewish high school. The other members of The Tribe include Jonas, Ari’s pimptastic best friend; Yossi, who’s hardcore religious; and Reena, Yossi’s freshman sister. It turns out that starting up the band, while difficult, may just be the easiest part: now they have to deal with things such as deceit, drama, and inflated egos. Will Ari ever understand the real reason why he wanted to start a band?

SO PUNK ROCK is an intriguing blend of novel and graphic novel. It’s light on the music and heavy on the intricacies of interactions among high school students. The comic-strip panels are not necessarily essential to the plot, but show more they do provide a visual of the characters’ personalities, which is pretty interesting.

Ari is a likable protagonist, neither too full of himself nor too unconfident. His journey towards self-realization, though perhaps slightly unusual as he is a Jewish boy with strict parents who starts a rock band, is genuine and relatable, with a great lesson at the end. Furthermore, Ari’s interactions with his friends and crush are realistic: the problems that he encounters can definitely happen.

If this book had merely been about a teenage boy coming to terms with his own insecurity, I would’ve been sold. However, add in the music and religious aspect, and the story quickly turns unbelievable. The music and religion—more so the music than the religion—seem more like props to get everyone to a level of semi-self-actualization at the end than real events that happen in their lives. Little is mentioned of the actual musical part; instead, readers are left to interpret that four ragtag high schoolers who don’t even like each other half the time can pull together an original song from scratch in a week, to a quality good enough to garner many fans and gain a level of local fame. That’s just not realistic, and it left me disappointed.

Still, however, SO PUNK ROCK is a nice choice if you want a fast and fun read that celebrates the growth of teenagers. It will leave you in a good mood, racing to the teenager nearest to you and hoping that he or she will turn out like Ari does. show less