Tales of a Punk Rock Nothing (Paperback)

~ Abram Shalom Himelstein (Author), Jamie Schweser (Author)
Key Phrases: riot grrrl, punk scene, Food Not Bombs, Elliot Rosenberg, King's Castle (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The story is fun and engaging and will ring true to anyone who has ever spent any time debating the ethics of eating honey." -- Jessamyn, December 31, 2000

Product Description

A novel about a young Jewish punk who moves from a small town in Tennessee to Washington DC in the early 90's. A tale of militant vegetarians, riot grrrls, and manifesto-writing shoplifters who live together, rock together, and publish zines together. The story is told through journal entries, zines, and letters.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: New Mouth for the Dirty South; 2 edition (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966646908
• ISBN-13: 978-0966646900
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #826,926 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining yes, and also an engaging critique of punk, September 16, 2000

By	Quickhappy "quickhappy" (Big city, big country) - See all my reviews

This is a fast-paced, gripping story; fun and true. As a member of the Seattle anarcho-punk scene during the same years (early-mid 1990s), I can say that the authors got it right. And they take you along on the ride, in the back of dirty vans, in punk shared houses, in trips to steal from K-mart. Yeah--it does read like a zine, but (A) that's a good thing and (B) it reads like a really good zine. But Schweser and Himelstein give us more than just a novel about DC punk life, they also critique it from within; showing its weaknesses and hypocrisies. They give particular attention to challenging a rabid, angst-ridden riot grrl, who's breed of feminism is uncomfortable with the world. The critique is weakened in its caricature, but it does raise some interesting questions about one narrow type of feminism, political intolerance, and fun in the punk scene. Hopefully some good discussions will be inspired by this book, which tells a lively tale, states its beefs, and celebrates the creativity and autonomy of anarcho-punk.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DIY Success, July 17, 2000

By	A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a fairly cute and telling fictional journal/scrapbook of a New Orleans punk who, instead of going to college, decides to move to Washington, D.C. and live a more "punk" life. Elliot's two years in D.C. unfold in a series of letters to his former girlfriend, letters to his little sister back home, journal entries, and three issues of "Mindcleaner" a 'zine he starts. Elliot's punk experience runs the gamut, from living in the Positive Force house, a hazy relationship with a riot grrrrl, working in a health food store at Dupont Circle, trying to organize a collective, moving to Mt. Pleasant, and of course, being in a band and putting out a record. I believe the book is pretty much based on the co-author's experiences in moving to D.C. and I suppose it captures/satirizes a lot of the D.C. "scene" pretty accurately. Although the names have been changed, plenty of D.C. bands (Fugazi, Nation of Ulysses) and scenesters will be recognizable to people in the know. The book works better as a rabid cry to "do something" instead of posing--an aim that is always laudable. It's critique/satire of the D.C. scene gets a little stale by the end, it seems to me like a lot of Elliot's disillusionment stems from idealized expectations about D.C.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This IS punk rock., June 23, 1999

By A Customer

Anyone can play punk rock - well not everyone can OFF tune their guitars quite so - but anyone can play it. But only geniuses like these two authors can write punk rock.

In some sense punk is about reinventing oneself and the medium of one's expression. (Is Dylan the ultimate punk?) This story is about a young boy from a small town who reinvents himself - expresses his true self - by going to the big city (Washington, DC) and immersing himself in a sociogroup with ideals/goals he shares. The brilliant insights come when he realizes that being Jewish and from a small town are as much a part of who he is as his ideals. We see real insight into the human condition where the hero wrestles with his mixed inner voices, peeling away the layers to what is truly important about us, and what defines who each of us is.

We wait for more books from these obviously talented writers. I hope their angst continues, and they produce more fodder for all of us wrestling with these essential questions of identity and self.