Books

“A room without books is like a body without a soul” – Cicero

We’re Not Here to Entertain: Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and THE REAL CULTURE WAR of 1980s America

. Kevin Mattson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021. 291 pp.

Some say the punk movement went dormant in the 1980s, emerging in the mid-1990s as a poppier, surf’s up! version of a gritty underground snarl not heard since the death of Sid Vicious in 1979. It’s no wonder the radio-friendly hits of Offspring and Green Day were met with shock and horror by those who thought punk was dead. So, what exactly happened to punk during the 1980s? […]

THE ART OF ASKING, OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LET PEOPLE HELP

. Amanda Palmer. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2014. 336 PP.

Part road map, part memoir, “The Art of Asking” follows Palmer on her quest to become a full-fledged career woman in the alternative arts scene. Through a meandering series of vignettes and stories, she has created a field guide for anyone with a desire to break out of the mold and chase a dream, a promotion, a career change, or a hobby. […]