American Skin

When I read American Skin almost a year ago, the book was only published in England. Since then it has gone on to some success over here in the States. For the most part it has even been accepted by the mysterious but often cruel world of literary criticism. I have read quite a few positive reviews of the book and what i don't understand - what i will never understand - is why these people who obviously dig the book don't seem to really get it. It is not a Skinhead Bible, nor is it a graphically violent book, nor should it be compared to teenager fight flicks like Rumblefish and The Wild One - it is not even about skinheads really. American Skin is about a person - a young guy trying to figure things out - a young guy trying so desperately to make a go of it but not really knowing how to and yes, he happens to be a skinhead on occasion but so what - that is not what sticks with you after reading this book. At it's heart, American Skin is a beautiful story of one man's transgression and growth - sure Alex Verdi hangs and rumbles with skins - sure he does jailtime - but the physical conflict that often tends to follow Verdi around seems like jello when put up against the character's internal struggles that Degrazia displays with frighteningly wonderful words. Ultimately, the book explores the duality of Verdi the young man - it displays his many sides - sides that are strangling and saving each other all at once - it is this complexity and Degrazia's courage to explore it that make this book a triumph. Is it a perfect book? No. Is Degrazia a perfect writer? No. Is Alex Verdi a perfect character? No - and that is what makes him interesting. That said I don't think literary perfection is what the writer had in mind when this book written. Really all i think he had in mind was telling the story of Alex Verdi - plain and sample - but plain and simple this book is not. As new faces in American Lit go Degrazia may or may not own the palace someday but his first novel will certainly be looked upon as a vital brick in its foundation - along with Fight Club and American Psycho - a book that cleared the path for others - that cleared the path for change. So should you read this book if you are looking for "an actual piece of LITERATURE about the skin or the punk scene?" Hell no. Should you read this book if you are looking for an actual piece of LITERATURE about the complexities of humanity? Should you read this book if you are looking for an actual piece of LITERATURE that captures life's ugliness and beauty all at once? Hell yes. You should read it and then you should read it again. And to that anonymous, but rather venomous reader/reviewer in San Francisco, CA (we know it's you Eddie Norton,Jr!) -- since you are so into "scenes" and "culture" all i have for you is a quote from a beloved culural phenomenon, ESPN's Stuart Scott -- and since you are an admitted reader of the the worst of Anne Rice i figured you would appreciate good ol' Stu's advice when he

I grew up in the time and place of this book-- and man-- does this guy know how to write. He nailed the mood-- the feelings of desperation that swirled around in those days. It seemed like nobody who hung out around Clark and Belmont had it together-- bad families--real poor-- parents on booze-- whatever. But everybody clung to each other for a sense that they belonged to something. I feel like I knew every single one of these characters in the book-- even though I know this is plainly a fictional account of a very true movement-- and dead on about the skins-- the good, the bad and the ambivalent. It's a complex thing all of it-- and De Grazia tells it just right. The guy knows what he's writing about-- in the past many things written about skinheads have been a sick sorry excuse for the truth. Thanks for telling the truth.

I work at an independent bookstore in Washington D.C. Between the years 1980 and 1995 I was a full-fledged rude (anti-racist) skin. During that time I lived and worked in D.C.,N.Y.C.and Boston. I witnessed many scenes from the milieu which Mr. De Grazia describes in American Skin.I commend Mr.De Grazia for his faithful and unstinting depiction of that time and culture. Beyond getting the details right,Mr.De Grazia has revealed some of the emotional truths inherent to the culture.When I first saw American Skin,I was, to be frank,skeptical of its contents.The cover design,a pastiche of the collages of Romare Bearden intrigued me.On the other hand, I was jaded by long experience of reading sensational, slanted journalistic explorations of the skinhead phenomena and I assumed that the author of American Skin would follow suit.As I scanned the first two chapters (on company time,naturally)I was quickly disabused of this notion. The voice of Alex Verdi resonated from page one. His is a heroic tale,filled with the mystery and tragedy and joy of life.Don De Grazia,I hail thee!

I don't know exactly how to put my thoughts about this book into words. All I can say is that it is perhaps one of the most powerful novels I have ever read. Some parts of the book were quite funny, some brutally tragic, and others were inspiring. I'm a fan of the "coming-of-age" genre, but usually in the form of non-fiction memoirs. However, this book read like an honest and intimate account of a real young man's life. I highly reccomend American Skin and I look forward to Don De Grazia's next work.

This is an incredible narrative. At first the straightforward style startled me, but as the story progressed I could see that Alex's voice fit perfectly with the intesity of the plot. I felt like he was sitting next to me telling the story the whole time. If you are like me and you don't know anything about skinhead culture, this book is particularly intersting, because it presents an alternative to the neo-nazism that I'd assumed to be synonymous with skinheads. Another wake up call was the extremely personal account of life in prison. I was horrified by the ideological sacrifices as much as if not more than the physical dangers. Technically, Mr. De Grazia astounded me, with his ability to create complete characters who had their own interpretations of just about everything, using a minimal amount of words. If you like action with ideas behind it, read this book!