Customer Reviews

AMERICAN SKIN: A Novel

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I grew up in the time and place of this book-- and man-- does this guy know how to write. He nailed the mood-- the feelings of desperation that swirled around in those days. It seemed like nobody who hung out around Clark and Belmont had it together-- bad families--real poor-- parents on booze-- whatever. But everybody clung to each other for a sense that they belonged to something. I feel like I knew every single one of these characters in the book-- even though I know this is plainly a fictional account of a very true movement-- and dead on about the skins-- the good, the bad and the ambivalent. It's a complex thing all of it-- and De Grazia tells it just right. The guy knows what he's writing about-- in the past many things written about skinheads have been a sick sorry excuse for the truth. Thanks for telling the truth.

This is an incredible narrative. At first the straightforward style startled me, but as the story progressed I could see that Alex's voice fit perfectly with the intesity of the plot. I felt like he was sitting next to me telling the story the whole time.

If you are like me and you don't know anything about skinhead culture, this book is particularly intersting, because it presents an alternative to the neo-nazism that I'd assumed to be synonymous with skinheads. Another wake up call was the extremely personal account of life in prison. I was horrified by the ideological sacrifices as much as if not more than the physical dangers.

Technically, Mr. De Grazia astounded me, with his ability to create complete characters who had their own interpretations of just about everything, using a minimal amount of words. If you like action with ideas behind it, read this book!

When I read American Skin almost a year ago, the book was only published in England. Since then it has gone on to some success over here in the States. For the most part it has even been accepted by the mysterious but often cruel world of literary criticism. I have read quite a few positive reviews of the book and what i don't understand - what i will never understand - is why these people who obviously dig the book don't seem to really get it. It is not a Skinhead Bible, nor is it a graphically violent book, nor should it be compared to teenager fight flicks like Rumblefish and The Wild One - it is not even about skinheads really. American Skin is about a person - a young guy trying to figure things out - a young guy trying so desperately to make a go of it but not really knowing how to and yes, he happens to be a skinhead on occasion but so what - that is not what sticks with you after reading this book. At it's heart, American Skin is a beautiful story of one man's transgression and growth - sure Alex Verdi hangs and rumbles with skins - sure he does jailtime - but the physical conflict that often tends to follow Verdi around seems like jello when put up against the character's internal struggles that Degrazia displays with frighteningly wonderful words. Ultimately, the book explores the duality of Verdi the young man - it displays his many sides - sides that are strangling and saving each other all at once - it is this complexity and Degrazia's courage to explore it that make this book a triumph. Is it a perfect book? No. Is Degrazia a perfect writer? No. Is Alex Verdi a perfect character? No - and that is what makes him interesting. That said I don't think literary perfection is what the writer had in mind when this book written. Really all i think he had in mind was telling the story of Alex Verdi - plain and sample - but plain and simple this book is not. As new faces in American Lit go Degrazia may or may not own the palace someday but his first novel will certainly be looked upon as a vital brick in its foundation - along with Fight Club and American Psycho - a book that cleared the path for others - that cleared the path for change. So should you read this book if you are looking for "an actual piece of LITERATURE about the skin or the punk scene?" Hell no. Should you read this book if you are looking for an actual piece of LITERATURE about the complexities of humanity? Should you read this book if you are looking for an actual piece of LITERATURE that captures life's ugliness and beauty all at once? Hell yes. You should read it and then you should read it again. And to that anonymous, but rather venomous reader/reviewer in San Francisco, CA (we know it's you Eddie Norton,Jr!) -- since you are so into "scenes" and "culture" all i have for you is a quote from a beloved culural phenomenon, ESPN's Stuart Scott -- and since you are an admitted reader of the the worst of Anne Rice i figured you would appreciate good ol' Stu's advice when he tells you: "DON'T HATE THE PLAYA - HATE THE GAME." Take it from somebody who knows pal - the rest of you go read American Skin.

I work at an independent bookstore in Washington D.C. Between the years 1980 and 1995 I was a full-fledged rude (anti-racist) skin. During that time I lived and worked in D.C.,N.Y.C.and Boston. I witnessed many scenes from the milieu which Mr. De Grazia describes in American Skin.I commend Mr.De Grazia for his faithful and unstinting depiction of that time and culture. Beyond getting the details right,Mr.De Grazia has revealed some of the emotional truths inherent to the culture.When I first saw American Skin,I was, to be frank,skeptical of its contents.The cover design,a pastiche of the collages of Romare Bearden intrigued me.On the other hand, I was jaded by long experience of reading sensational, slanted journalistic explorations of the skinhead phenomena and I assumed that the author of American Skin would follow suit.As I scanned the first two chapters (on company time,naturally)I was quickly disabused of this notion. The voice of Alex Verdi resonated from page one. His is a heroic tale,filled with the mystery and tragedy and joy of life.Don De Grazia,I hail thee!

I'd say that it's pretty accurate that this book isn't as much about Skinheads as it is about disenfranchised youth and teen angst.

Alex Verdi is a somewhat unbelieveable character in a rather unbeleivable story -but don't for a minute let that stop you... especially if you are/were a fan of any S.E.Hinton's books/characters (Rusty James from Rumble Fish comes immediately to mind).

Don't get me wrong, I do think American Skin is truly an entertaining book (lots of action, sex and violence). There are just a lot of reasons I find it all to be unbelievable; mostly it's because the main character, Alex, is too smart and seemingly resourceful to get himself into the jams that he does throughout the book... not to mention the extreme nature of his mood swings from intellectual to caveman all the while wrestling with his own socio-political views as well as his women troubles. Alex devotedly follows his idol, Tim Penn (another fairly unbelievable character), up until the point where he has this sort of moment of clarity while both Tim and Alex are in Ft.Benning - which is that the Army could be the right life life for Alex - yet he not only dimisses Tim's ridicule of such a notion (and dismisses Tim as well), but then he then proceeds to not stay in the Army anyway, and instead gets out and follows the biggest loser of the book - Zack. Alex then ends up working in an Ice Cream Parlor (a punk rock nod to Henry Rollins pre-Black Flag career?)... which leads us right up to the point where the most ridiculously fantastic chain of events in the whole story unfold....

Alex really isn't any kind of a Skinhead but rather a lost kid looking for companionship. He wore a costume that more than anything was a fashion statement (just as it turns out his fellow skins in the story did) He could have just as easily been a Gangbanger or a Cult Member since he exhibited very little of the ethics/beliefs of either as well. Very little (if anything) is mentioned about Oi! or Ska culture other than is a brief semi-factual history given by Marie (the quite confused mulatto Straightedge-Buddhist with the Chelsea haircut)... or of factory work.... minus Alex's short stint (which is ironically before he ever meets any Skins)... or of working class ideals - although Tim occasionally preaches about Skins being Blue Collar, all the Skins in this book live like hippies or artists in a commune of sorts - all the while bashing hippies AND Socialists.

If you are looking for a story, It's a good read (and a quick one at that). If you are looking for some kind of documentary on Skinhead culture, look elsewhere lest you be disappointed. The title, is in the end why it's only getting only 4 stars from me -it is simply too misleading.

I don't know exactly how to put my thoughts about this book into words. All I can say is that it is perhaps one of the most powerful novels I have ever read. Some parts of the book were quite funny, some brutally tragic, and others were inspiring. I'm a fan of the "coming-of-age" genre, but usually in the form of non-fiction memoirs. However, this book read like an honest and intimate account of a real young man's life. I highly reccomend American Skin and I look forward to Don De Grazia's next work.

'American Skin' contains all the elements of quality fiction- contemporary subject matter, colorful characters, a layered theme, social commentary, and, above all, honesty. The aspect of skinhead culture is not exploited (as the subject seems to be slightly trendy at the moment), but rather used as a backdrop to portray the struggles of coming of age and the search for self-identity. DeGrazia deals with a fascinating sub-culture, and only romanticizes it as a necessary means of exploring his main character's own idealistic confusion of rising up from a shattered domestic adolescence. DeGrazia's prose is artistically acheived in that he uses skinhead street culture as a deeper metaphor for growing up. The book moves quick and is difficult to put down. Looking forward to the next book from a talented young writer . . .

I must confess I hesitated a bit before reading American Skin once I learned it dealt with skinheads. Almost everything that has been written on so-called subcultures has done nothing but exploiting and overseeing the individuals involved, turning it into nothing but a plastic, consumable fad ready for MTV.

American Skin was a wonderful surprise. Not only the author shows strong knowledge of the subject but he goes way beyond the surface, developing completely three-dimensional characters who are definitely not your pre-judged, fabricated skinhead.

The plot flows in a subtle matter; it's raw and real, but yet very delicate. The conflicts are complex and the feelings deep.

American Skin is not about exploitation of trendy suburbanites; it's about search and closure, twist of time and space, and mostly, it's about human nature.

DeGrazia's American Skin was as inspirational as it was inspired. To think that a novel told in a contemporary voice, dealing with a contemporary subject, with flawed heroes, could be so expertly told was incredibly refreshing. As a young writer, I applaud DeGrazia for his fearless telling of this heartbreaking story with a straight forward, yet lyrical and compelling, voice. I would recommend this book to everyone.

I was a skinhead. I'm not proud of that fact. But I am not ashamed of it either. This book doesn't judge. It just tells a great story. Near as I can tell this book is exactly the same as the English version, except for the cover and the questions in the back. I think if one of the original skinheads from the 1960's could be time-transported to a present-day American ska show, he would feel like Mel Gibson's character in Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome, and be all weirded out by the fact that some kids wanting something to believe in had made him into some kind of god. The whole skinhead thing in this book seems to be a metaphor for our whole generation's search for direction. I usually only like old books. This isn't some disposable junk food book. It's a book my kids will are going to read. Maybe their kids too.