A passionate, informed take on a distinctive genre.
Musings on heavy metal and hard rock, Metallica to Poison, from a die-hard fan.
Jensen was an 8-year-old living in a small Ontario town when he first discovered KISS. The band, with its shock-rock imagery and over-the-top theatrics, was perfectly crafted to capture the attention of boys like Jensen, bridging the gap between his “interest in comic book superheroes and [his] developing interest in music.” For Jensen, KISS was like “headbanger kindergarten,” forming the foundation for a life-long obsession with heavy metal and its various musical relatives. As Jensen grew older, bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden took over his turntable, offering an escape from his boring small-town life. Jensen faithfully chronicles his evolving fandom, from more accessible bands like Mötley Crüe and gradually moving on to abrasive thrash metal from the likes of Metallica and Slayer. But Jensen doesn’t just focus on the big, MTV-friendly names. Like a true fan, he revels in showing off his knowledge of more obscure bands, such as Raven and Underdog. While the names may not always be familiar, any music fan who was around in the pre-Internet era will relate to Jensen’s anecdotes about digging through record store bins in search of the latest new releases and faithfully reading magazines (in Jensen’s case, British publication Kerrang!) to find out about up-and-coming bands. His analysis is so thorough that he even takes time to explain why he never really got into certain groups, such as Motörhead, Megadeth and Tesla. While Jensen’s passion for the music is undeniable, nonfans may be bewildered by the pages spent evaluating Black Sabbath’s extensive catalog or the subtle distinctions between hard rock and heavy metal. (Mötley Crüe, for those keeping score, falls into the former category.) Also, Jensen too often veers into pseudo-academic philosophizing, which can detract from the music-loving pulse at the heart of the book. Jensen is much more successful, however, in his considered evaluation of Canadian heavy metal band Anvil, the influential group that seemed poised to make it big but never quite broke through, and his thoughtful observations on Guns N’ Roses’ strange career arc. While the book occasionally meanders, anyone considering him or herself a metalhead will find plenty to enjoy—and argue with—here.
A passionate, informed take on a distinctive genre.Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2012
ISBN: 978-0987715906
Page Count: 262
Publisher: No Sleep 'Til Sudbury
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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