Hairstyles of the Damned

I only bought this book because it was on the 20% rack at Barnes and Noble, and it had a cool cover. But I'm so glad I did. I didn't grow up punk or in Chicago, but I still related to the struggles these kids faced in trying to (not so) simply grow up. It's one of those books that you want to read cover to cover in one day. I loved the unique writing style and voice. It's hard not to fall in love with these characters. It made me laugh out loud, and it, at times, made me want to cry. Most of all, it left me thinking. I highly recommend it.

Brian Oswald is a junior at an all boys Catholic high school, and his best friend, Gretchen, is a slightly overweight punk girl with dyed pink hair. Brian's parents are going through a slow but steady separation while Gretchen's mother is recently deceased. Both live in a town in Chicago that is still dealing with fairly severe segregation issues. Both are attempting to find their way through the various labyrinthine perils that make up the high school experience for most kids. Both want desperately to belong and feel cared for, traipsing around wearing a façade in order to be accepted, making sure they fit neatly into little niches. And yet both are also struggling to grasp their own individual identities. Like most students, music is a huge part of Brian and Gretchen's lives. Brian loves metal and rock music, while Gretchen is "into" the punk scene. Brian's life unfolds in front of him like the meticulously arranged order of lyrical songs on a mixed tape. If only the events within life itself were so meticulously arranged... Sounds like the typical plot for a plethora of novels based on adolescence, insecurity, and discovering what it truly means to be oneself, right? True enough. However, Joe Meno accomplishes this task with an incredibly authentic flair, drawing the reader back to when he/she was in high school and forcing his readers to take a trip down memory lane. From the music and clothing styles, down to the slang and manners of speech, Meno captures the true essence of what it meant to be a high school student in the 90's, and what it still means. However, the lessons presented herein are easily applicable, and the text easily accessible, to those of any generation. There are many lessons to be learned in high school that go far beyond proper grammar, memorizing constitutional amendments, and how to be stylish within one's clique, and Meno reminds us of this fact with brutally accurate honesty. Hairstyles of the Damned is fun, witty, memorable, and at times subtly profound. The characters are astonishingly well-crafted and loveable. I don't often read books more than once, but this is one I just might find time to read again in the future. I loved this book! Very highly recommended. "You think you're so individualistic, but you're not. You guys...you're like the anti-snob snobs" (Meno, 259).

"Hairstyles of the Damned" presents some of most real, most vivid characters I've read in any recent novel: Brian, a funny, lonely, metalhead in love with his best friend, Gretchen, a punk girl who beats other girls up, and who just happens to be overweight. From its realistic depiction of growing up, going through sex and your parent's divorce and finding out about bands whose music changes your life, this book was both hilarious and sad, the kind of stuff I like.

I hate to say this, but Joe Meno's Hairstyles of the Damned just might have surpassed Arthur Nersessian's The F____-Up as my favorite novel published by that greatest and gutsiest of small presses, Akashic Books. This is no small feat considering that Akashic also publishes two of my own books, Las Cucarachas and Boy Genius. That said, (enough plug for me), Hairstyles is an utterly delightful riot and I'm so glad that my publisher recommended it to me to read (he mentioned that the book featured irreverent kids as does mine.) It's true the book doesn't have much plot in the conventional sense, but who cares when it can make you feel and care so much for its characters? Not a single moment or character in this book rings false. What's more, even the tiniest supporting character is drawn with the perfect detail that captures who they are. This is especially the case for the adult characters in the book. Anyone who is interested in learning how to write novels can learn a great deal from this book. The book may appear to some to be just the ramblings of an adolescent, but boy is it well crafted. Particularly memorable is Gretchen, the girl who is best friends with the protagonist. This book makes you remember just how intense everything feels when you are young. It's quite a formidable book with a unique voice that forces you to read on. I so regret that I couldn't make it to Meno's reading in New York. This is a truly great and original book that makes other books by writers of Meno's generation seem tame and frivolous.

I picked up this book because the cover really appealed to me--but little did I know that what was inside was going to feel so much like my own life. From the language (spot on) to the places (so real) to the situations (just right), Hairstyles of the Damned reads like your high school experience. That is, if your high school experience was being the person that didn't fit in, and wanted nothing more than to do just that. There are parts in this book that are almost hard to read it's so much a slice of teen expereince. I think this book is perfect for those of us that lived through it AND for those that are just living through it now. If I was 16, I would read this book 1000 times and every time it would feel just right.