So Punk Rock: And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother

So Punk Rock! (Hilarious Book!)

I really enjoyed reading this book. This book is also somewhat of a Graphic Novel, the author's brother- David Ostow, did the drawings for this book and they are so good! And VERY FUNNY! So Punk Rock is filled with lots of humor and teenage angst. Ari (our protagonist) is tired of rules and abiding to them. He dreams of having his own band and rocking out- Punk Rock style. SAT's seem to be far away but for Ari's parents, its never to early to start practicing and putting dedication into studying. A must to enter the college of their choice-Brandeis. Not to mention the fact that he attends a wealthy Jewish school, where there are more "Holy Rules" to abide.

In order to break free, Ari forms a band "The Tribe" which consists of his High-Ego best friend Jonas, the quiet and religious Yossi, and Reena- the down-to-earth chick who can sing.As the bands career "takes off" many things occur all at once. Fights between friends, heart aches, misplacements, parties and Calculus Finals! You'll take a look inside the experience of attending a Jewish School- as told from experience from Micol Ostow. You don't have to be Jewish to understand certain terms or phrases that are said throughout the book. You'll definetely understand them! A rush out ride- filled with many laughs and sarcasm. For anyone who loves graphic novels or fun filled reads. I definetly recommend this book for you!

Janie Franz, Midwest Book Review

Ari Abramson, has had life his all planned for him for years. But as he approaches his junior year at Leo R. Gittleman High School, a Jewish day school in New Jersey, he realizes that he doesn't want what his parents and his teachers expect of him. He wants to be a rock star. Lofty dream? Yeah, but with it, he sees freedom, respect of his peers, and most of all being noticed by Sari Horowitz. Ari draws together arrogant but handsome and popular Jonas Fein to play bass and pudgy, bookish Yossi Gluck to play drums and who can offer the band the use of his family's indoor racquet ball court to practice in. But there's a catch, Yossi's parents insist that the band include Yossi's little sister, freshman Reena Gluck, who by the way can sing like Nora Jones. Also, Yossi has a number of restrictions on when they practice and where they perform because he's more strict in his practice of Jewish codes than his peers. Oh, and there are a couple of other things: They all need to learn how to play their instruments, and they need to keep all of this from Ari's parents!

The band, called the Tribe, finally manages to pull together a version of "Hava Nagilah," a traditional Jewish folk song, and they play it for a one-song gig at a friend's Bar Mitzvah. The kids are instant hits. But instead of the band bringing all sorts of perks and an entrance to a teenage Nirvana, the kids find themselves dealing with egos, the downside of fame, groupies, and misplaced love, as well as sneaking out, fender-benders, and a bit of underage drinking. They find that being a rock star isn't all it's cracked up to be. But the lessons learned and the friendships the band forges are priceless.

This fun romp through teenage angst and life lessons is presented in So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother by Micol Ostow and illustrated by David Ostow. It is a mix of text and graphic novel illustrations that will make it a big hit with youthful readers. The characters are fresh and ones you don't always see in teenage literature because these are Jewish Conservative students who come from families who observe Jewish religion and culture in varying ways. Though I knew a lot about Jewish practices, I was surprised as how Micol Ostow was able to explain these to readers without going into long discussions. The author also did include an illustrated glossary at the back of the book for further clarification.

I was surprised, though, to find that book was written not by a man, but by a woman, in first person. To some adult readers, this ongoing teenage monolog would be tedious, but I found it true to life and just as applicable to my grand-nephews who are Christian as it would be to other Jewish children.

Young readers will love So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother and might learn a lot about another culture and religion.

Music Rebellion

Ari Abramson, has had life his all planned for him for years. But as he approaches his junior year at Leo R. Gittleman High School, a Jewish day school in New Jersey, he realizes that he doesn't want what his parents and his teachers expect of him. He wants to be a rock star.

The band, called the Tribe, that he pulls together finally manages to nail a rock version of "Hava Nagilah," a traditional Jewish folk song, and they play it for a one-song gig at a friend's Bar Mitzvah. The kids are instant hits. But instead of the band bringing all sorts of perks and an entrance to a teenage Nirvana, the kids find themselves dealing with egos, the downside of fame, groupies, and misplaced love, as well as sneaking out, fender-benders, and a bit of underage drinking. They find that being a rock star isn't all it's cracked up to be. But the lessons learned and the friendships the band forges are priceless.

This fun romp through teenage angst and life lessons is presented in So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother by Micol Ostow and illustrated by David Ostow. It is a mix of text and graphic novel illustrations that will make it a big hit with youthful readers. The characters are fresh and ones you don't always see in teenage literature because these are Jewish Conservative students who come from families who observe Jewish religion and culture in varying ways. Though I knew a lot about Jewish practices, I was surprised as how Micol Ostow was able to explain these to readers without going into long discussions. The author also did include an illustrated glossary at the back of the book for further clarification.

I was surprised, though, to find that book was written not by a man, but by a woman, in first person. To some adult readers, this ongoing teenage monolog would be tedious, but I found it true to life and just as applicable to my grand-nephews who are Christian as it would be to other Jewish children.

Young readers will love So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother and might learn a lot about another culture and religion.

This book is strictly kosher!

I picked up this book after reading about it and thinking "Oy vey, that sounds fun!" I wasn't wrong. Not by a long shot. This depiction of the genesis of a high school band called the Tribe is a funny, heartwarming story that will appeal to Jews and non-Jews alike (and even includes a funny glossary for those who need one). Although Ari and his fellow band mates attend a Jewish day school, anyone will be able to relate to the troubles facing the band, from in-fighting to clashes of values and the inevitable egos that come as a result of hitting it big. This book was a lot of fun but did have some deeper issues to keep it from being just fluff. The illustrations also added to the book - some were downright hilarious and although I'm not typically the type to read books of this type, I didn't skip the graphic portions at all. I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5 Stars (of David, of course).

No text was provided for this review.