Checker and the Derailleurs

I just finished reading this book again, it's been a while. I forgot how good this book can make me feel. It reveals simple truths about life and human nature that should be obvious, but never are. Pain is as much a part of life as pleasure, and you must keep the two together. To quote the book, "You eat your pain. It is like cake, it is like butter. It is life as much as good times by river. You go to bed with your pain like woman. You laugh with your pain like old friend."What other book ever taught me so much about noticing the beauty in the small, normal things; to recognize and be in awe of colors, sounds and sensations? I was hooked from the first few pages, when Shriver likens the band's music to a lava flow; a shock of recognition went through me. And what other book could so perfectly capture the necessary mixture of emotions that a group of 19 year olds feel, yet make it relate to anyone, of any age? This book makes me feel more alive every time I read it, it is my therapy. I notice that this book is out of print, it doesn't matter. SOMEONE has a copy, somewhere. FIND IT. READ IT.

I was given this book years ago, and now that I have a chance to review it, I feel I must. Wonderful story, detailed characters. I read this book at least once a month, and still can't get enough of it. I have found a new literary goddess. READ THIS BOOK!!

The clear, brilliant prose of Checker and the Derailleurs is the icing on a cake stuffed with great characters, nifty dialogue, and a plot in which things actually happen. I secretly hope that my friends never read this book, for fear that they will realize that all my best lines are stolen from it.

A book about a talented drummer and the band that he pulls together with his talent. There are more important characters in this book than the others that Ms. Shriver has written (which I also recommend highly) and consequently the attention is not as tightly focused in Checker & the Derailleurs. Again a good book exploring the ideas of youth and interpersonal interactions. As with all her books it wasn't one I could read all in one sitting, I had to put it down once every few chapters to digest and savor the prose