85A – Good Review!

It’s about time I got good at self-promotion.

Not obnoxiously so.

But enough to sell the book.

In that spirit, here’s some news:

85A got its first review – and it was good!

4 out of 5 stars from the NY Book Journal – an online journal that celebrates its reputation for “Honest, Scathing, Realistic Reviews”! Maybe I can man up to Michikio Kakutani next! (No, my balls aren’t that big!)

I’ll paste the review below, but first let me point out that 85A is available for pre-order on Amazon and will drop June 15:

Characters:
Seamus is a sad, angry teenager. Upset by the way others treat him, he tries to show them up, but ends up defeated each time. As a character he is recognizable. We have all been there at some point, trying desperately to have people notice our talents, when all they see are our faults. He does everything a teenager would do. Curses every chance he gets, defies those that dare to discipline him and hides his true feelings. While you at times agree with his feelings, you end up wanting to serve as a Big Brother, telling him things will get better. Although you will have to read the book to see if they actually do.

Storyline/Formatting:
The store flows really well. You constantly want to see what Seamus is going to get into or how his mind is going to process events. The way it is written really does get you in the mind frame of an angry, misunderstood teenager, and while a lot of it is pretty heavy in terms of thoughts, it’s spot on. It would be odd to read about an unhappy teen in a rose colored setting. The heavy use of profanity is a bit jarring at first, but as you continue reading it becomes second nature, and at times comical. (You go back to your own teenage years and how you spoke).

Seamus’ parents were written perfectly. In the ’80’s when parents didn’t want to recognize their gay son, blaming them for their own unhappiness was quite common. While upsetting to read about, their depiction stayed true throughout the book.

Language:
This book is NOT for the mild. The language used is pretty extreme.

****

Not to be a diva, but the only thing I don’t like about the NY Book Journal review is that it didn’t touch on the issues of race, class and urban cultures that 85A tackles.

Buy the book, you’ll see!

P.S.: Last night, we saw Green Day’s American Idiot on Broadway.  I’m not a pop-punk fan, but it was a damned good show and I was floored by how many of 85A‘s themes and subject matters resonated with Green Day’s rock opera, which was never an influence. Could this be yet another example of the hundredth monkey effect?

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