Customer Reviews

So Punk Rock: And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother

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Despite his dreams of hipster rock glory, Ari Abramson's band, the Tribe, is more white bread than indie-cred. Made up of four suburban teens from a wealthy Jewish school, their Mötley Crüe is about as hardcore as SAT prep and scripture studies.
But after a one-song gig at a friend's Bar Mitzvah--a ska cover of "Hava Nagilah"--the Tribe's popularity erupts overnight. Now, Ari is forced to navigate a minefield of inflated egos, misplaced romance, and the shallowness of indie-rock elitism. It's a hard lesson in the complex art of playing it cool.
So Punk Rock is one of the funniest books that I have read in a while. Ari is a sweet and naive person. I found his crush on Sari to be predictable. Jonas... really annoyed me. I loved Reena, she was funny and sincere. Yossi was entertaining and unpredictable. The plot was full of twist and turns. Overall it surprised me. Micol Ostow is a great writer. Her book was really original and had a special spark. David Ostow's comics were amazing and the simplicity was great. I really enjoyed this book and you'll love it, if you want a quick laugh.

Ready for a new read? Not sure if you want a regular novel or a graphic novel next? Pick up SO PUNK ROCK (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother), a novel by Micol Ostow with art by David Ostow, and learn how you can rock on - in a totally kosher way, of course.

Ari Abramson wants to be cool. He thinks being in a band will help, so he recruits three other kids from his Jewish day school: his best friend Jonas, who is cool without even trying, a classmate named Yossi because he has drums, and Yossi's younger sister, Reena, who has a surprisingly good singing voice. Together, they form the Tribe. Soon, they can play a ska version of Hava Nagila. Kind of.

So Punk Rock totally rocks. I dig this hybrid novel. It's funny, it's thoughtful, and it's just plain cool. It will definitely appeal to teen guys AND girls. It reads like a 'normal' book, with chapters and Ari's first-person narration, plus it has black-and-white illustrations: sidebars, pictures of the band members, doodles and lists from Ari's notebook when they're trying to come up with band names, and a hilarious glossary.

But don't take my word for it: Read an excerpt from the book and check out some of the illustrations at the website kosherpunkrock.com

The creators of So Punk Rock are siblings. Micol Ostow makes Ari a down-to-Earth every-guy, easy to relate to and befriend, and David Ostow makes art that will catch your eye and crack you up. How cool is it that a brother and sister teamed up to make something like this together? (And can you imagine what might happen if they collaborated on a project with another fantastic sister-brother author-artist team, Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, the creators of the Babymouse graphic novels?) To put it simply, the Ostows rock, and so does So Punk Rock.

And now I'm singing Hava Nagila again...

I was intrigued by the title of the book, and didn't really know much about it when I picked it up. It starts out with black and white "graphic novel" format, but then changes to a traditional book, with occasional (and very amusing) pages of comics inserted from time to time. Readers meet Ari Abramson, a high schooler at Leo R. Gittleman Jewish Day School. He has a "kosher" (cool) friend Jonas (whose cursing is inventively toned down in most cases) and a burning desire to start a band. Yossi is invited to join because he owns a drum set, and Yossi's sister Reena sings. Ari is a good-hearted and typical teen, and the large dose of Jewish culture that is woven into the story really worked well for me. Props to the authors for their helpful "Glossary of Jewish, Musical and Other Esoteric Terms" at the end of the book.

I read YA novels on airplanes or when I'm too tired to concentrate on anything else, in part because a librarian friend keeps recommending good titles and in part because I want to have things to recommend to my kids. So Punk Rock was a good read-- funny, witty graphic novel inserts, and characters that seemed a bit more real than in many from the genre. Despite my having gone through the teen rocker wannabe phase myself over 25 years ago, I could relate to Ari's dreams and insecurities. Most of the characters were pretty easy to map to analogues in my own memories. The only real departure was the socio-economic context and the Jewish setting for the novel, both of which struck me as realistic and interesting. I'd recommend this title to any YA reader interested in a slice-of-life snapshot of this different world and/or anyone with dreams of becoming a rock star at age 16. No real drama or conflict here, other than the typical band tensions and the inner turmoil of a lovelorn teen. But what more do you need, really?

The book combines a graphic novel with a regular novel. The story shows the relationship between four teens who start a band called "The Tribe". The main character Ari Abramson is the mastermind behind the band. He wants to be cool and impress a girl called Sari. He enlists the help of three other students from his Jewish Day school. Jonas is his best friend and has no trouble being cool. Yossi plays the drums and his sister, Reena, who belongs to the school choir will be the singer. They get their chance to show their talents when they play at a friend's Bar Mitzvah. Everyone was so impressed that they became an overnight sensation. Read the book to find out more. You will be very impressed.



The illustrations placed throughout the book were hilarious. There were some terms in the book that I was not familiar with since I am not of the Jewish faith. The authors provided a glossary that was not only informative but very funny. I usually do not read graphic novels but I did not skip any of graphics that were in the book.
Check out the site [...] to see some of the illustrations and read about the authors.

I picked up this book after reading about it and thinking "Oy vey, that sounds fun!" I wasn't wrong. Not by a long shot. This depiction of the genesis of a high school band called the Tribe is a funny, heartwarming story that will appeal to Jews and non-Jews alike (and even includes a funny glossary for those who need one). Although Ari and his fellow band mates attend a Jewish day school, anyone will be able to relate to the troubles facing the band, from in-fighting to clashes of values and the inevitable egos that come as a result of hitting it big. This book was a lot of fun but did have some deeper issues to keep it from being just fluff. The illustrations also added to the book - some were downright hilarious and although I'm not typically the type to read books of this type, I didn't skip the graphic portions at all. I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5 Stars (of David, of course).

Ari Abramson, has had life his all planned for him for years. But as he approaches his junior year at Leo R. Gittleman High School, a Jewish day school in New Jersey, he realizes that he doesn't want what his parents and his teachers expect of him. He wants to be a rock star. Lofty dream? Yeah, but with it, he sees freedom, respect of his peers, and most of all being noticed by Sari Horowitz. Ari draws together arrogant but handsome and popular Jonas Fein to play bass and pudgy, bookish Yossi Gluck to play drums and who can offer the band the use of his family's indoor racquet ball court to practice in. But there's a catch, Yossi's parents insist that the band include Yossi's little sister, freshman Reena Gluck, who by the way can sing like Nora Jones. Also, Yossi has a number of restrictions on when they practice and where they perform because he's more strict in his practice of Jewish codes than his peers. Oh, and there are a couple of other things: They all need to learn how to play their instruments, and they need to keep all of this from Ari's parents!

The band, called the Tribe, finally manages to pull together a version of "Hava Nagilah," a traditional Jewish folk song, and they play it for a one-song gig at a friend's Bar Mitzvah. The kids are instant hits. But instead of the band bringing all sorts of perks and an entrance to a teenage Nirvana, the kids find themselves dealing with egos, the downside of fame, groupies, and misplaced love, as well as sneaking out, fender-benders, and a bit of underage drinking. They find that being a rock star isn't all it's cracked up to be. But the lessons learned and the friendships the band forges are priceless.

This fun romp through teenage angst and life lessons is presented in So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother by Micol Ostow and illustrated by David Ostow. It is a mix of text and graphic novel illustrations that will make it a big hit with youthful readers. The characters are fresh and ones you don't always see in teenage literature because these are Jewish Conservative students who come from families who observe Jewish religion and culture in varying ways. Though I knew a lot about Jewish practices, I was surprised as how Micol Ostow was able to explain these to readers without going into long discussions. The author also did include an illustrated glossary at the back of the book for further clarification.

I was surprised, though, to find that book was written not by a man, but by a woman, in first person. To some adult readers, this ongoing teenage monolog would be tedious, but I found it true to life and just as applicable to my grand-nephews who are Christian as it would be to other Jewish children.

Young readers will love So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother and might learn a lot about another culture and religion.

Ari Abramson, a high school junior in Jewish day school, forms a band ("The Tribe") in order to become cool and impress his crush, Sari Horowitz. The band's dynamics and progress parallel the growth of relationships and maturation among Ari and his friends. Ultimately, Ari learns that being a mensch and being true to himself is the true cool. The story has many angles of appeal: humor, the music scene, high school politics, a touch of romance, and some satisfying spiritual evolution. The well-written text is realistic and engaging, and is interspersed with cartoon panels that add to both atmosphere and storyline (and are laugh-out-loud funny). Strong language, scenes of underage partying, and irreverent attitudes toward religion may offend some readers, but these elements are integral to the story and provide a foil for Ari's personal growth. The underlying message of the story upholds Jewish values, and the sassy approach is more likely to connect with the book's target audience than a more earnest and respectful story. This fun yet meaty novel will appeal to teens, and might also make an interesting selection for a book discussion group. Highly recommended for ages 14 and up. Heidi Estrin