Reviews

East Bay Grease by Eric Miles Williamson

teejayniu's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

While a bit aimless, the author paints a vivid scene of a despairing life and place. The characters felt real and personal. 

renny's review

3.0

I read East Bay Grease in one sitting. It's a quick read, a coming of age story about a white guy named T-Bird growing up in 1980s Oakland. He comes from a family that includes gifted musicians, none of whom were able to fully realize their artistic pathways, for the usual reasons. He struggles with typical issues: work, money, his youth, and a sense of identity that is challenged on every point by the people in his environment: Mexicans, blacks, bikers, and so on. There is an emphasis on racial and class identity here. The book got me to thinking about constructed narratives being handed down and promulgated through identity, and how this usually leads to bitter divisions between groups of people who identify with those narratives, but lack the objectivity to question them. Never ending circle of humanity.

There were no big plot twists and nothing subversive about the story, but the book is well written and worth reading for those who are interested in Bay Area culture.