Book Review: I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert
This book will be published on July 8, 2008.

SUMMARY: Emily Black's parents blew out of their rural hometown in 1974 on a motorcycle with no thoughts of coming back. But when her mother hit the road to follow the exploding music scene, Emily's father was left to raise an infant alone. And the only place he knew how to do it was in his hometown of Carlisle, Wisconsin. It wasn't exactly the punk rock lifestyle he had intended, but he still raised Emily differently than her peers. And it showed. At first directionless and chafing against small town gossip, Emily channels her passion for music and longing for her mother into a punk band named She Laughs. If anything will bring Louisa back into Emily's life, it will be the music. With moderate local success, the band moves to Chicago hoping to hit it big. Instead, they hit personal and professional roadblocks that almost derail their dreams. Abusive relationships, drugs, poor management, alcohol, and other bad decisions bring She Laughs to the breaking point. This is a story about living hard core and living to tell about it.

OPINION: I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone is a saga of pain, loss, and music. It spans decades, telling the stories of both Emily and her mother as they each seek out a solution to their personal pain. At times, this book read like a punk chronology rather than a narrative, but the strong central characters always emerged to take back their story. The characters are flawed in such realistic ways that I cared about their struggles through problems with no easy answers. While I found many parts of this book moving, what drew me in most was the complex relationship between Emily and her father. It is rare to see such a devoted father in a teen book, especially one as alternative as Michael. He is more of a peer to Emily in some ways, yet cares for her throught challenging times as only a parent can. And I loved him for it.

MUSIC NOTE: Joey Ramone lent his name to the title, via a Sleater-Kinney quote, but the Ramones are not a real presence in this novel. It's a nice tribute to a very recognizable punk band, but doesn't contribute to the plot other than as a metaphore. Nevertheless, this book will make you want to go make a kick@$$ playlist of acts like The Clash, Dead Kennedys, Social Distortion, and Patti Smith. Or check out Stephanie's playlist on the book's MySpace page.

PERSONAL NOTE: As I was reading this book, the 90s cultural references really rang true to me. And then I realized that I am about the same age as Emily Black. That was strange...my youth as historical fiction!! Of course, I was more neo-hippie than punk back then. But I wasn't totally out of touch!