kevinsmokler's review against another edition
4.0
Brisk slight read that really comes down to demographics. Are the 70s and 80s in New York fascinating to you? The birth of hip-hop and the mid 90s Back Arts movement. For me, yes yes and more yes. So I loved City Kid.
You may not care. This is a book with a choir it preaches to. I am in that choir. But there are moments--about families, maturity and growing up--that are transcendant, that remind me of Colson Whitehead's "Sag Harbor" which I loved even though I'm not black and from New York. And that's why I'd recommend it, even if you're standing outside this church, wondering about the shouts of joy inside.
You may not care. This is a book with a choir it preaches to. I am in that choir. But there are moments--about families, maturity and growing up--that are transcendant, that remind me of Colson Whitehead's "Sag Harbor" which I loved even though I'm not black and from New York. And that's why I'd recommend it, even if you're standing outside this church, wondering about the shouts of joy inside.
tonireads's review against another edition
4.0
I've been a fan of Nelson George since I was in college and he was a music critic for the Village Voice chronicling hip-hop as a viable art form. In fact, he was my first adult "celebrity crush" (I like 'em cerebral) and I even got to hang out with him at a basketball game (I always meet my crushes eventually - and then I don't care anymore! :) Because of his close proximity to a lot of the creators and tastemakers of that time he was able to cast an educated, critical eye on what others saw as a passing phase. This memoir is great insight into how he became the acclaimed music critic, novelist, essayist, and filmmaker that he is today.
kellymce's review against another edition
2.0
It's just a bit sloppy, that's all. Plus, the parts when he talks about the ladies are just a tiny bit creepy. But! It's also great to have another narrative of, as he calls himself, a black nerd.
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