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J_D_GlassPost at 2010-5-20 20:45 | Only View Author

[Books] Punk Like Me

lesbian

Book Details

ISBN-10: 1933110406
Paperback: 240
ISBN-13: 978-1933110400
Publisher: BoldStrokesBooks;2ndedition(May1,2006)
Language: English
Book Dimensions: 8.4x5.6x0.9inches
Shipping Weight: 10.6ounces

Book Editorial Reviews:

Punk Like Me---

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Author's Note

As strange as this may sound, please don't buy this pink/purple cover version of this book - it's not the real-deal. The publisher has never sent any royalties on this although managing somehow to continuously sell it guilt free. If you're looking for the "real" version, you want the one published by BOLD STROKES BOOKS - and the cover is definitely different.
Thanks for your help with this!
JD Glass

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[Books] Punk Like Me Rating:8 Points
Best:10 Points
Votes:100 People
Count:8 Reviews

Favor

2^#

JemPost at 2010-5-22 18:21 | Only View Author

Up all night
I stayed up all night to read this - the first time on-line, the second as soon as I got the book in my sweaty little hands!
JD Glass delivers a one-two punch in print - Nina is smart, doesn't know she's sexy, and is just way too cool - and she doesn't know that either.Her brother Nicky is everything you want your brother to be, and the girls Nina knows are the ones you've met - the nice ones, the bitchy ones, and the too cool for words ones.
As I read this, I felt Nina's struggle to figure out how she feels about everything - from her best friend, to her burgeoning identity and her struggle to remain ethically true to herself - wow.
JD Glass takes you on the ride, Nina tells the story, but you feel like you're living it - and if Nina's experience wasn't yours (or very close to it), believe me - it's definitely someone you know.
Get this book because you want to laugh, get it because you want to cry, get it because the good guy, um gal, doesn't finish "first," but finishes with guts and grace and dignity.Should be on the shelf of anyone coming out, who wants to come out, came out a long time ago, or knows someone "going through it."You will be glad you did.

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3^#

K_IssermanPost at 2010-5-24 15:56 | Only View Author

Genius, Life -Affirming

If you only read one book in the next six months, let Punk Like Me by JD Glass be that book. It is different. It is engaging. It is life-affirming. Frankly, it is genius.

Punk Like Me cannot be easily dismissed as another coming out story. While on the surface it is about Nina Boyd, a young woman recalling her first experiences at finding love, it really is about much more.Imagine having your first sexual experience and not being able to share it with anyone, even your friends. Imagine falling in love for the first time and not being able to tell anyone even your parents and siblings. Imagine having all of these feelings as a teenager bottled up inside you and no outlet for you to express them. This is what it means to be a young gay or lesbian in America. But instead of feeling sorry for this young woman, we are uplifted by how Nina battles against all odds to remain true to herself as well as those around her. She is gutsy, smart and boldly honest.

Nina recounts how she doesn't even think of following the easy path and lying to her parents, teachers and friends. Glass illustrates vividly the price that Nina pays for following her heart. With Punk Like Me we feel many emotions along with Nina, but the one we feel the most is pride and hope. Because every day there are young gays and lesbians fighting to find themselves and fit into a world that can be cold, cruel and unforgiving. This is our future standing tall and, most of the time, alone, and this is the impact of this story.At a minimum it compels us to listen and to remember. Glass wants us to take notice. Nina's story is a powerful message that reminds us of our responsibilities, and she does this without preaching or shoving it down our throats.

Glass writes in the first person which creates an effective bond with the reader. Her rhythmic writing style, laced with humor, makes it easy for us to glide through the pages effortlessly, absorbing the full measure of Punk Like Me. This is a rare book in that it has a soul; one that is laid bare for all to see. We owe it ourselves to read this book, but more importantly we owe to our future.

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4^#

K_JohnsonPost at 2010-5-26 13:32 | Only View Author

Teen Angst - Coming Out to One's Self

If there is one thing that bothers me, it's when a book's back cover doesn't accurately describe the story inside.Such is the case with `Punk Like Me,' but the story is so engaging and enjoyable, I'll forgive the publisher... this time.

The cover describes a story about Nina, a 21-year-old musician, and her prowess with women.The book is actually about a teenaged Nina, her struggle with her feelings for friend Kerry, and her tribulations after her parents find out she's a lesbian.This coming-of-age story is simultaneously heartwarming, heartbreaking, and enraging.

Nina is such a believable character it's almost scary.She reminds me of friends from high school and is one of the many gay and lesbian teens who struggle daily with their fundamental selves.Nina deals with her growing feelings for Kerry, her best friend.Kerry seemingly returns Nina's feelings and willingly takes their physical relationship to the next level.This confuses Nina even more, as she tries to reconcile her parents' strong moral stance against homosexuality with her new feelings.Worst of all, Nina has no one to turn to as a mentor and relies only on an older friend after her parents learn her new, "unforgivable" secret.

This book is truly for the strong of heart.As a lesbian who fought nature for several years before giving in, and as a mother, it truly disturbs me that there are so few places for our young people to turn.This book is a genuinely solid place to start.It's even better than books like `Deliver Us From Evie' and `Keeping You A Secret.'I'm looking forward to the sequel which is due out soon.

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5^#

JoyceMcNeilPost at 2010-5-28 11:08 | Only View Author

A Very Dramatic, Intense Story!

The cover of Punk Like Me contains the words; "A coming of age story, a love story...a brave, brilliant story of strength and self-discovery." The story contained within the pages of this book is truly a tribute to that statement. Coming of age is sometimes a very tough road to travel.

Nina is young, energetic and in high school. Going through high school is a unique experience in itself. There are classes, sports to participate in, teachers to antagonize and a boy to date...if that's what you want.Nina has always known what she wants and where she wants to go so why is there suddenly a question of just where that is?Kerry is Nina's best friend and a contributing factor to the unexpected question. What happens between the two girls to even pose such a question?

Suddenly Nina`s running a fight for survival each and every day so imagine what happens when that fight hits close to home...really close. Seems Nina's mother isn't too happy with the news of who her daughter has become. However, her mother's reaction is something that Nina would have never seen coming...not in a million years.Betrayed by those she thought loved her the most, and the loss of the life she has always known hits hard. It's a tragedy no child should ever have to suffer.Will she survive the loss? Will her friends, one friend in particular, come to her aid or betray her like everyone else?

Times goes by, friends have come and gone, Nina has gone on with her life. Just as she figures she has it all sorted out, an old acquaintance returns.A friend who was once a bright spot in Nina's world...Samantha. A friend who was there for her when everyone else had abandoned her. Samantha, once a girl, now a woman offering Nina a future...if she'll accept it.

JD Glass has given readers an intensely dramatic offering in her first book.There is a wide range of emotions that will be experienced while reading: amusement at teenage antics, amazement, anger, and disbelief as well as admiration for the character's courage.JD's next offering, Punk and Zen continues Nina's story and is certain to be as intense, as dramatic, as much of a terrific read as Punk Like Me.

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6^#

E_B_MULLIGANPost at 2010-5-30 08:44 | Only View Author

Fabulous coming of age novel

Well deserved Lambda Literary Award finalist.

I don't think enough is said about the humor in this novel.The humor is hip and human. I don't want to give anything of the plot away but to say the highs are joyful.I have friend in their 60's who thought this was the one of the best books they have read.

I learned so much about the punk mentality of teenagers, this broke every stereotype I held.Nina is a fabulous character.Everyone would be lucky to have a daughter like Nina - she is a good kid. Excellent and engaging writing, I was totally invested in 15 year old Nina and those who filled her world.Her Youthful experiences were so true to life!This author completely knows the values and mind set of Nina and her age group.

If you enjoyed this novel the author has two other novels -

Punk and Zen

Red Light

From the publisher's website -A coming of age story, a love story...a brave, brilliant story of strength and self-discovery. Twenty-one year old Nina writes lyrics and plays guitar in the rock band, Adam's Rib, and she doesn't always play by the rules. And, oh yeah--she has a way with the girls. Even her brother Nicky's girlfriends think she's hot. But the road to CBGBs in the East Village where Blondie and Joan Jett and the Indigo Girls stomped, sweated, and dreamed hasn't always been easy. In fact, it was damn hard. There were plenty of roadblocks in her way--her own fears about being different, and the nuns, and the parents who didn't get it, just to name a few. But then there was Kerry. Her more than best friend Kerry--who made it impossible for Nina not to be tough, not to be honest, not to stand by what she knew was right--not to be...Punk.

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7^#

B_RabkebPost at 2010-6-1 06:20 | Only View Author

A little too much reality for me
I'm of two minds about this book. On the one, I think that the voice of the narrative is refreshingly original, or at least different than a lot of fiction out there. On the other, I have a minor pet peeve about starting a book at the end, then flashing back for no real reason (like a foregone conclusion, or skips back and forth in time to support the actions of certain characters, etc.), and the characters experiences a bit too much pain for this to be strictly an entertaining read.

But there are places for that type of fiction too. And while I praised the voice above, at times it seemed too affected for me, a little too much like "Rose of No Man's Land", another book I guess I didn't quite "get". The character was ultimately admirable in how she handled harsh events, and stayed true to herself despite some pretty steep odds, but too many times seemed to do and be things just to get a reaction. That's part of growing up I suppose.

I think that a lot of people will be interested in this book for its differences, and just as many will be put off by them. If you don't mind a bit of a mess, and don't mind disliking some of the main characters, I'd say you're the former, and should give it a shot.

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8^#

wildlxPost at 2010-6-3 03:56 | Only View Author

Predictable and full of clichés
From the Book Cover:
Twenty-one year old Nina writes lyrics and plays guitar in the rock band, Adam's Rib, and she doesn't always play by the rules. And, oh yeah--she has a way with the girls. Even her brother Nicky's girlfriends think she's hot. But the road to CBGBs in the East Village where Blondie and Joan Jett and the Indigo Girls stomped, sweated, and dreamed hasn't always been easy. In fact, it was damn hard. There were plenty of roadblocks in her way--her own fears about being different, and the nuns, and the parents who didn't get it, just to name a few. But then there was Kerry. Her more than best friend Kerry--who made it impossible for Nina not to be tough, not to be honest, not to stand by what she knew was right--not to be...Punk.

I must confess that when "Punk Like Me" was published I was not that interested in the book, considering the book description made by the publisher. However, the fact that it was a finalist for a Lambda Award in Lesbian Fiction made me buy the book. The book description is misleading, since "Punk Like Me" deals not with an already grown-up person but with a sixteen-year old Nina and how the discovery of her lesbianism impacted her life. The book is written as a first person narrative, and that should help to connect the main character with the reader. However, Nina surfaces as a two-dimensional character and a superficial person who likes to play the apparent rebel. Even her being punk looks more like a way of being trendy than resulting from a real analysis and rejection of societal values. This is made quite obvious from her concomitant wish to continue her studies after finishing high school in a military academy. And it is also emphasized in the way that JD Glass deals with the subject of being punk in the book, i.e. en passant.
The story was quite predictable, and even in the middle of dramatic events such as those occurring in the last part of the book it is difficult to empathize with Nina. This is probably due to the overdose of clichés, both in terms of events and of rhetoric from Nina.
JD Glass spend too much of the book detailing events and too less developing her characters and giving them depth. The result is a book that will be easily forgotten by its readers. For a good and unforgettable coming of age book, try Jeanette Winterson's Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit.

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