Customer Reviews

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

When Emily Black was just four months old her mother left her and her dad to follow punk rock. Now Emily is in High School and she is starting a punk rock band of her own with her best friend Regan. She sings and writes the songs with Regan, who is the drummer, and Tom the bass player. They finally get to play at River's Edge, the place where punk rock lovers hang out while watching small town bands rock the stage and also the same stage that Louisa, Emily's mom, saw Emily's dad play for the first time. Everyone loves her lyrics and sound but they don't know the real reason that is behind the word that Emily sings. She hopes that one day her mother will follow the music right back to her and her dad.

This was one cool book. I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone is probably on of the most down-to-earth books I have ever read. It isn't full of fairytales and other. Stephanie did a great job of making the book very realistic. The plot was also great, sometimes something would happen that I never suspected but then there were times when something would happen that I knew was going to happen. Which in some books I don't' like figuring out what is going to happen but I didn't mind it at all in this book. The characters in this book were stupendous; they all had their flaws, which is great because in life everyone has flaws. I also enjoyed how big of a part music plays in the story. Which is probably because I am a big fan of rock but I think every one who reads this book will be able to envision Emily rocking out on the stage, like I did. I also introduced to some great rock bands while reading the wonderful story. I recommend this book to every teen out there, especially if you like listening to rock bands. Also some adults might enjoy the story too.

I don't even know where to begin. Nothing I could say would do this book justice. It's one of the most raw, heartbreaking, and touching novels I've read. Ever. Yikes. The thing I admire the most is that I think the author really wrote from her heart. You can tell just by the way the story is told that she cared deeply about what she was writing about which is the key to any good book; an author who is connected to her story. What's amazing is that this is Stephanie Kuehnert's first novel. How someone can write something this fantastic on her first attempt in the published world is...can I use the word amazing again? The characters are deep, detailed, and flawed. The plot is twisting and you flip the pages to find out what comes next. This book really takes you away into the trying, yet exhilirating world of rock and roll. You feel as if you're going through all of Emily's triumphs and trials with her and rooting for her as she alternately makes it big and falls hard. I think I'm running out of superlatives here. Or maybe I've uses so many that they don't have any meaning any more. But they are all deserved. So let me use a few more here; this book is really amazingly fantastic and you all need to go pick up a copy quickly. Really. :P

For Emily Black, music is everything. It's what made her parents fall in love way back when. It's what her mother Louisa was following when she left baby Emily. It's what Emily has to stay in control of her life. Music draws her from her dreary life in Carlisle, Wisconsin to River's Edge, an abandoned warehouse where rock bands play. River's Edge is where Emily got her fill of sex, drinking, and rock `n' roll, and where her dreams of being a punk rock goddess began. So she and her best friend Regan form a punk band named She Laughs, and Emily can't help but hope that by playing music, she'll bring her mother home.

Soon, her band is swept up in the dangerous world of rock music. Her band has a lot of talent, but so many ups and downs in Emily's life lead her away from the music. There are the bad boyfriends, the death of her grandparents, the involvement with drugs and self-medication, and a year wasted searching for her mother. But eventually Emily finds her way back on track, and her friends are still waiting for her to come back and pick up her guitar. And so she does, because music is all she has.

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone is a beautiful coming-of-age story that I will never forget. Reading along from both Emily's and Louisa's points-of-views was heartbreaking at times, because they've both experienced so much pain in their lives. The story that Stephanie Kuehnert has woven has lessons on everything from friendship, family, love, drugs, and learning to love, or at least accept, the person you are. The story is filled with so much raw emotion, and I nearly cried at the ending because I didn't want the story to be over.

I have to admit that I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone is like no other book I've ever read, and that is definitely a good thing. I've learned so much from this novel that I never would've expected from first glance. It made me want to find my inner punk rocker and scream along to deafening punk music. I promise you won't regret picking up this unforgettable novel. I definitely look forward to more amazing novels from Stephanie Kuehnert.

Emily Black's mother left her and her father when Emily was only four months old. Even though she hasn't had her mother, she's had her mom's best friend Molly, Molly's daughter Reagen (who also happens to be Emily's best friend) and of course her father. Then there is punk rock, which seems to just run in Emily's blood. He mother claimed to have left to follow it, and it's what brought her parents together.

Now Emily's grown up and has a band of her own. Along with Reagen and Reagen's boyfriend Tom, She Laughs is born. While the band sky rockets, Emily secretly hopes that her punk rock music will bring her mother back to her. Even though life may seem great at times, Emily takes the wildest ride of her life with all the classic ups and downs of a crazy roller coaster.

This book was beyond spectacular. I was definitely expecting a great book, but nothing as utterly amazing as I was presented. Now I must first start with the characters. Emily was by far my favorite. I felt like I could really connect and relate to her, even though I'm not into sex, drugs and rock & roll, I still felt like we shared something! Her emotion seeped through every page and she was just so real. I cannot even imagine what it would be like not to have a mother and growing up without that ever lasting best friend. It was also really cool that we share the same birthday!! Stephanie Kuehnert also did a great job creating her supporting characters. Reagen, Tom and Emily's dad all had such life to them. They didn't feel like they just faded into the background like some characters tend to, they popped right out of the book. Then there's the time period. I loved how the book was set during the late `80s to late `90s, as it's something completely different. It suits the book perfectly. Finally, I must address Stephanie Kuehnert's writing style. I felt like she delivered the story point blank, but with enough detail to hold my interest. It is still hard to believe that this is her first novel, as it was one of the most poignant and incredible books I have ever read. I certainly hope that Ms. Kuehnert will continue writing as she definitely has an amazing talent! I highly recommend this book to everyone and anyone as it brings together the awesome world of music and reality to form a phenomenal story.

Anyone who listens to and loves the Hold Steady's apocryphal tales of Holly and her crash n' burn and subsequent redemption will appreciate Stephanie Kuehnert story of Emily Black. The book is laced up with tight with strong girl characters, music references, Chicago references and a classic rock n' roll narrative.

This is a great books for young adults over the age of fourteen. It's a strikingly honest story about a girl, her search for her true self, and her passion for music. The characters are well-rounded, flawed, and tangible. I highly recommend this debut novel.

I bought this book as a "light read" for a recent trip to London when I knew my attention span would be minimal. I was happily surprised to find myself instantly immersed in the story and the characters. The careful attention to music business details and the very sympathetic characters kept me reading even after I arrived back home. As someone who worked in the music industry at the height of punk rock, I was drawn to this story...I know it is meant as a book for teenaged girls (and believe me I am LONG past that) but I never felt the book was pandering to a younger audience. Intelligently written and oddly factual I liked it alot...good for a bright teen...yes. Good for anyone who loves a rock n roll fable with a sort of happy ending...absolutely.

IWBYJR is one of the best first novels I've read in years. It's a bit racy, exciting, punk-rocktastic and perfect for a day when you want to distract yourself from life. I loved it.

Title: I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

Author: Stephanie Kuehnert

Rating: 4.9999/5

Good:

This book was a real page-turner... after it got past the initial introductory chapter, I was hooked. It was so open and honest and real... there was no sugar-coating, and there was no corny statements or making things seem like they will get better when it's so obvious that it won't. Everything in this book is realistic, and I absolutely love that. The story was interesting, and Emily Black as a character was so interesting and different from anyone I've ever read about.


Bad:

Okay, the first chapter... it bothered me. Starting with the beginning, it didn't jump right into the story... it was an introduction of what happened before. I love learning the backstory, in fact I prefer it, but I've never been a huge fan of detailed descriptions right in the beginning. I suppose this is my own personal preference, but it still bothered me (which is why the book didn't get a perfect 5). However, I must say, the first chapter could have been so much worse... the introduction fit this book better than it would fit another kind of book. So it really isn't a huge problem... just one tiny detail that I could forget about easily as the book progressed.

Stephanie Kuehnert writes with dramatic flare and all the right beats, as she spins a story with punk rock lyrics, big dreams, and one girl not afraid to reach out to her lost mother through music, while enduring intense journeys in between. A debut like an unforgettable song, you'll want to read I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE again and again.