Review: Hairstyles of The Damned by Joe Meno

Cover Source: GoodReads.com

Title: Hairstyles of The Damned

Author: Joe Meno

Series: 

Version Reviewed: Finished, Paperback

Website: www.joemeno.com

GoodReads Summary:

Hairstyles is an honest depiction of growing up punk on Chicago’s south side: a study in the demons of racial intolerance, Catholic school conformism and class repression. It is the story of the riotous exploits of Brian, a high school burnout, and his best friend Gretchen, a punk rock girl fond of brawling.

I loved this book. It had me interested from the very first page. It's a different type of book than I would normally read, but hey, sometimes when you read out of your comfort zone, you find awesome books! This was definitely one of those cases. I'm sad that I borrowed this novel from a friend my mine and my husbands. I may possibly buy this book in the future.

Hairstyles of the Damned is an honest, real look at adolescence and the trials and tribulations that a teenager goes through in daily life. It is set in the early 1990's, which is a neat setting as we get to learn more about teen life and the thinkings of a lost kid finding his way through school, music, and the punk scene.

The characters in the novel, mainly Brian Oswald, are true representations of what teenagers are like, how they think, speak, and act. Nothing is held back from the readers. The insecurities, embarrassing thoughts, shallow-ness, and hurt, real thoughts, not buttered-up images of what a teenager should be like you would normally read. It's honest and straight forward on how teenagers really are, have always been, and will always be.

There's a lot questionable situations in this novel, a lot of language, and more than enough of sexual confrontation. Some may see that as a bad thing, but for what this novel stands for, it really works. I didn't mind all the bad things because it was true. That's how human beings are, even if we don't want to always admit it.

This book is a good read for any of you that want a real, honest, raw look at young adult life.

Also, on a final note, I've seen some things around the internet that imply that Hairstyles of the Damned is being made into a movie. This is definitely a movie that I would watch and I will update in the future if I find any new information on this. 

Memorable Quotes:

"It would always be a put-on, high school or not, for the whole rest of the world, for the rest of our lives. You couldn't ever guess who someone was by the way they looked because, good or bad, the way they looked was always just a costume or an act. It was Halloween everyday, for most people anyway, just to feel like they weren't alone, to belong, just to keep being happy maybe."

Favorite Character:
Rating: 4 Stars.

*This book was borrowed from a friend.