Title: Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man’s Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut
Author: Rob Sheffield
Summary: Some bands are for guys. Some bands are for girls. And if you can master talking to girls about those bands, you can figure out why girls are the way they are. Right? In this upbeat and often moving memoir, music writer Sheffield describes growing up in the 1980s and how the music that defined that era also defined his young adulthood – from the powerpop of Madonna to the novelty rap of Young MC to the raw girl-luring power of…Hungry Like the Wolf?
The chapters, each named for a different ’80s song, describe the joy and terror of growing up in a close-knit, girl-dominated Irish Catholic family in Boston and leaving them behind to go to college and get a job, all the while learning to be who you are, even if you are a guy who loves a band like Duran Duran. You might not catch all the references and you may have no idea what a Walkman is, but this coming of age story will leave you smiling – and maybe you’ll even hum along in the car when your parents put on their own ’80s favorites.
Who will like this book?: Mature readers who love nothing more than discovering a new band. Any guy with bossy sisters. Or cool sisters. Anyone who has fantasized about driving an ice cream truck in the summer.
If you like this, try this: Sheffield’s first memoir, Love is a Mix Tape. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. So Punk Rock (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow.
Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian