Emily Black was born for rock and roll. Her father always told her stories about how her parents lived for the music. Music was what took her mother away from her. At least that’s what Emily has always been told.

Emily has never needed her mother. That’s what she’s always told everyone else. But the music written by Emily tells a different story. Emily and her friend Regan have dreams of being rock goddesses. During their high school years they form a punk band. After a crazy escapade, they coerce Tom to join the band as well. The group forms She Laughs, and the rest is history. Or it should be. But everything about Emily always goes back to her mother. And why she left.

The angry bitter songs Emily writes reflect her subconscious desire to mourn for her missing mom. Then, after a nasty break up with her boyfriend Johnny, Emily knows what she must do. She sets off on her own quest to find her mother, who has not wanted to be found for the past 19 years. But Louisa Black has secrets of her own and will do anything she can to prevent anyone else from getting to close to her bad vibes.

Told in a dark woeful manner, Emily must come to terms with her real need for her mother. She’s always been the strong confident one, telling all that she never missed not knowing her mother and that all she’s ever needed is her dad. But as Emily goes from adolescence to adulthood, the hidden desire to know her mother forces its way to the surface, leading Emily on a journey that reveals more about herself than she expected. And her journey may just bring her closer to her mother than she thought possible.

I absolutely loved this story! Ms. Kuehnert writes a powerful story of a young woman trying to be her own person, but always having the specter of her mother’s past hovering over everything she does. Music is infused throughout the entire story and plays an important part in the character development of Emily. I could relate to the musical references in the story and could almost believe that Emily was a real musician, not a character created by Ms. Kuehnert. I was sad to come to the last page, wanting Emily to go on forever.

(Note of advice. The story tends to be a bit graphic with sex and drugs. This is definitely written for the older teen reader.)




***jaglvr*** (USA: PA) (2008/08/19):
I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE by Stephanie Kuehnert
Publication Date: July 2008
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grade 9+
Publisher: Simon & Schuster MTV
Rating: 5 stars & Gold Star

Emily Black was born for rock and roll. Her father always told her stories about how her parents lived for the music. Music was what took her mother away from her. At least that’s what Emily has always been told.

Emily has never needed her mother. That’s what she’s always told everyone else. But the music written by Emily tells a different story. Emily and her friend Regan have dreams of being rock goddesses. During their high school years they form a punk band. After a crazy escapade, they coerce Tom to join the band as well. The group forms She Laughs, and the rest is history. Or it should be. But everything about Emily always goes back to her mother. And why she left.

The angry bitter songs Emily writes reflect her subconscious desire to mourn for her missing mom. Then, after a nasty break up with her boyfriend Johnny, Emily knows what she must do. She sets off on her own quest to find her mother, who has not wanted to be found for the past 19 years. But Louisa Black has secrets of her own and will do anything she can to prevent anyone else from getting to close to her bad vibes.

Told in a dark woeful manner, Emily must come to terms with her real need for her mother. She’s always been the strong confident one, telling all that she never missed not knowing her mother and that all she’s ever needed is her dad. But as Emily goes from adolescence to adulthood, the hidden desire to know her mother forces its way to the surface, leading Emily on a journey that reveals more about herself than she expected. And her journey may just bring her closer to her mother than she thought possible.

I absolutely loved this story! Ms. Kuehnert writes a powerful story of a young woman trying to be her own person, but always having the specter of her mother’s past hovering over everything she does. Music is infused throughout the entire story and plays an important part in the character development of Emily. I could relate to the musical references in the story and could almost believe that Emily was a real musician, not a character created by Ms. Kuehnert. I was sad to come to the last page, wanting Emily to go on forever.

(Note of advice. The story tends to be a bit graphic with sex and drugs. This is definitely written for the older teen reader.)