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amalauna's review against another edition
3.0
Great prose, readable. This book made me nostalgic for high school, but the end was only eh.
kamckim's review against another edition
3.0
This was interesting. I enjoyed learning about a sub-culture I knew nothing about. The narrator Brian goes to a Catholic high school in South Chicago in the early 90s. Through various trials and tribulations, he comes to an epiphany that everyone around him is just a phony. Hmmm, now where have we heard that before? This seemed like an update on an old classic, fresh, but not that original. I'm not even sure the setting will stand the test of time or transcend its core audience. I guess that remains to be seen. Warning: lots of realistic teen dialogue, cursing and sex. Recommended for age 17 and up.
lindsayharmon's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give it a 3.5 if I could. It was a fun read, full of sympathetic characters and a few familiar places.
kaylielongley's review against another edition
2.0
Brian Oswald, sometimes punk and sometimes metal but always angsty, is the protagonist of this little coming-of-age tale. Like every other male in popular young adult fiction, Brian’s an educated Catholic boy, covered in acne, in love with his best friend, Gretchen, always having that one thing on the brain. There’s nothing wrong with these experiences, but as our narrator reflects on his teenage years in Chicago during the 90s, Brian thus becomes every other dissatisfied youth, characteristic of John Hughes and Sarah Dessen, among others.
Author Meno tries to cater to a different audience through allusions to punk culture, such as the movement’s questionable fashion choices, underground concerts, and the necessity of swearing every other sentence. But Meno falls short, simply because his tale is mediocre at best. Nothing is groundbreaking, and the characters and their actions instead feel stereotypical. When his parents separate, Brian turns to drugs, petty crime, and a handful of Misfits albums. His relationship with Gretchen subsumes most of the book, and though there are a couple of touching moments, I was not emotionally attached. Perhaps this is because Brian’s main descriptions for her are “beautiful” and “fat.”
However, Meno does succeed in shaping Brian’s world. Heteronormativity, along with extreme racism and classism, is commonplace. Though Brian is one of many individuals who do not particularly belong, his emotional and social dysfunctions are minimal compared to his surroundings. As the novel progresses, Brian becomes increasingly more aware of these systemic issues, but he does minimal actions to solve them or even address his feelings. As a result, these influences act as mere backdrops or plot devices instead of teachable moments.
This is not to say that Hairstyles contains terrible writing. In fact, I laughed out loud throughout reading. Simply, most of its plot feels aimless, in need of sharp editing and a less moralistic ending. Perhaps I’ve gotten too old (is this possible? Moshing did indeed occur at a concert a couple days ago). Maybe I wanted something new and expected too much for this one.
Author Meno tries to cater to a different audience through allusions to punk culture, such as the movement’s questionable fashion choices, underground concerts, and the necessity of swearing every other sentence. But Meno falls short, simply because his tale is mediocre at best. Nothing is groundbreaking, and the characters and their actions instead feel stereotypical. When his parents separate, Brian turns to drugs, petty crime, and a handful of Misfits albums. His relationship with Gretchen subsumes most of the book, and though there are a couple of touching moments, I was not emotionally attached. Perhaps this is because Brian’s main descriptions for her are “beautiful” and “fat.”
However, Meno does succeed in shaping Brian’s world. Heteronormativity, along with extreme racism and classism, is commonplace. Though Brian is one of many individuals who do not particularly belong, his emotional and social dysfunctions are minimal compared to his surroundings. As the novel progresses, Brian becomes increasingly more aware of these systemic issues, but he does minimal actions to solve them or even address his feelings. As a result, these influences act as mere backdrops or plot devices instead of teachable moments.
This is not to say that Hairstyles contains terrible writing. In fact, I laughed out loud throughout reading. Simply, most of its plot feels aimless, in need of sharp editing and a less moralistic ending. Perhaps I’ve gotten too old (is this possible? Moshing did indeed occur at a concert a couple days ago). Maybe I wanted something new and expected too much for this one.
cemwrites's review against another edition
4.0
The author mentions some bands that I have never heard of before that I am now going to check out. The book was hard to follow sometimes, but that was the intention. It was in the language of a teenager in the early 90's.
tuc03229's review against another edition
3.0
So after several years, I decided to return to this book and read it again because I thought I might enjoy it more. Turns out I was right, my initial hatred of this book is unjustified. It's not perfect, but it does a good job of capturing the frustration and angst of adolescence and the conformity/groupthink within the punk community.
akross's review against another edition
2.0
For being written by a creative writing professor, this book is overwhelmingly stereotypical. The rebel girl who dyes her hair pink; the twenty-something who can't get away from high school; the boy with his constant erections and lascivious thoughts who really just wants some confidence. And everyone hates their parents (who likewise have stereotypical issues). While I agree that we all go through a lot of the same things in adolescence, sometimes I just wanted to slap the narrator and yell get OVER yourself .
It's hard to write a book from a teen point of view. If you compare it to a book like the perks of being a wallflower- which is by no means the perfect YA fic- it falls so far short, it's absurd. Meno was trying to give the book an authentic voice by inserting the appropriate filler words- like, um, fuck, maybe- but he tries too hard. I wasn't against this book from the start, and each of the characters really does have potential to tell a good story, but Meno fails in delivering.
Big perk of the book for me? It's set in the neighborhoods I was born in, and also where I spent a good chunk of childhood at my aunt's house. Rainbow Cone? I'm so there.
It's hard to write a book from a teen point of view. If you compare it to a book like the perks of being a wallflower- which is by no means the perfect YA fic- it falls so far short, it's absurd. Meno was trying to give the book an authentic voice by inserting the appropriate filler words- like, um, fuck, maybe- but he tries too hard. I wasn't against this book from the start, and each of the characters really does have potential to tell a good story, but Meno fails in delivering.
Big perk of the book for me? It's set in the neighborhoods I was born in, and also where I spent a good chunk of childhood at my aunt's house. Rainbow Cone? I'm so there.
gimchi's review against another edition
3.0
definitely not what i was expecting - i had started with meno's 'demons in the spring' which i *loved*; it was so quirky and original. this, however, was far more normal, though still enjoyable.
confession: i am a music dunce. truly. i grew up on disney and used to know all the words to the songs from 20,000 leagues under the sea. ("i've got a whale of a tale to tell you lads, a whale of a tale or two... 'bout the flappin' fish and the girls i've loved...")
so, most of this book was totally lost on me. in many ways, i just could not relate at ALL to the characters who identify themselves through metal and punk music. i've only recently (last 6 yrs) started expanding my musical horizons beyond disney and rex harrison musicals so i can't relate to the misfits or the dead kennedy's or punk in any fashion. and when friends (i'm looking at you megan!) reference meg white, it takes me a few minutes to think, "meg white... meg white... uhhhh... white... OH YEA! from the white stripes. got it. yeaaaaaa!"
despite never being a smoker, never doing drugs, not really drinking (except legally in paris on a graduation high school trip) or having sex or doing much of anything underage, uh... i suppose i found this book fascinating - like a cultural study on a subset of teenagers in america. just not one that i was a part of.
confession: i am a music dunce. truly. i grew up on disney and used to know all the words to the songs from 20,000 leagues under the sea. ("i've got a whale of a tale to tell you lads, a whale of a tale or two... 'bout the flappin' fish and the girls i've loved...")
so, most of this book was totally lost on me. in many ways, i just could not relate at ALL to the characters who identify themselves through metal and punk music. i've only recently (last 6 yrs) started expanding my musical horizons beyond disney and rex harrison musicals so i can't relate to the misfits or the dead kennedy's or punk in any fashion. and when friends (i'm looking at you megan!) reference meg white, it takes me a few minutes to think, "meg white... meg white... uhhhh... white... OH YEA! from the white stripes. got it. yeaaaaaa!"
despite never being a smoker, never doing drugs, not really drinking (except legally in paris on a graduation high school trip) or having sex or doing much of anything underage, uh... i suppose i found this book fascinating - like a cultural study on a subset of teenagers in america. just not one that i was a part of.