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Red Dirt Rocker

by Jody French (Goodreads Author)

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 21 ratings · 10 reviews

Red Dirt Rocker is a contemporary and inspirational American dream-come-true story geared toward a Young Adult audience. Based, in part, on the true and incredible adventures of teen MTV musician Forrest French, this hip and vibrant page-turner filled with pop culture references will draw the young reader in as they see the story unfold through the eyes of this straight-ed...more

Paperback, 180 pages

Published May 1st 2012 by Neverland Publishing Company, LLC

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Mar 15, 2012 Jody French rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

This is actually my debut young adult novel that was inspired by my son, teen musician, Forrest French, former singer/lead guitarist for Crooked X. The story is based on his family rooted life as a teen student and athlete in a small country town, and his thrilling rocket ride adventures as he becomes an MTV musician and ultimately gets the experience of a lifetime as he travels to Stockholm Sweden to open for legends of rock, KISS. The story is filled with teen angst, romance, pop culture, and...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Erleen (Books For YA!) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Red Dirt Rocker is fun, funny and freakin' awesome. It only took me one day to finish it, I just can't put it down.

I admire Forrest for his outlook in life, the way he handle his problems, the way he strive for his dreams, and the way he did not let fame get into his head. He has a great sense of humor which makes this book so fun to read.

But what I admired about him most is his faith in God.

"... I don't care if I get called Jesus freak or not - my faith in God is my rock."

This is now, official...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 18, 2012 Ali rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, free-on-amazon

Prosecution:
Forrest, while he seemed like a great guy, didn't really seem to have any flaws. Heather ONLY had flaws. Sophie was sweet..but that was it. I just wanted more character development.

Defense:
I'm defending my prosecution. It was told by his mom. His number one fan, his numero uno, the lady who gave birth to him, raised him, washed his underwear. Its understandable that he had no flaws because that's her baby! Heather and Sophie..honestly, what female acts anything but sweet around the...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Harman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was shocked when I finished this book. I never expected it too be this....good. I have no idea why but I didn't I got this book from Jody French herself, thank you Ms. French, and when I got the book it was skinny. Okay, whatever. Skinny books can still be good...at times. Then I looked in side of the book. Holy crap, that is some BIG print. Let me say that I was not so eager too read this book now. I like books with details. Skinny and big print book usually ends up with a 2 or 3 star rating...more I was shocked when I finished this book. I never expected it too be this....good. I have no idea why but I didn't I got this book from Jody French herself, thank you Ms. French, and when I got the book it was skinny. Okay, whatever. Skinny books can still be good...at times. Then I looked in side of the book. Holy crap, that is some BIG print. Let me say that I was not so eager too read this book now. I like books with details. Skinny and big print book usually ends up with a 2 or 3 star rating because they have no detail. So there the book sat on my shelf for days, but my gaze kept on floating back to this book. The synopsis sounded so amazing.

So a couple days ago, I decided I was going to read this book once and for all. I freaking loved it. Forrest is such an amazing guy. I loved how he stayed true to himself. He didn't fall into the lure of alcohol or the chance to be an ass just because he was famous now. That just made me want to meet him and just get to know even more about him. It was sweet how he liked Sophie. It was so adorable to read about him falling for this girl and how he truly liked her.

I absolutely hated Heather. She...she was such a snob! D.J. as well. Though I must say, he has one awesome name. I loved how his mom wanted to capture every single moment of his career. I felt bad for him when he was torn up about not being able to play in the football because he had to go to a concert but I was glad he was following his dreams.

This book was truly enjoyable to read. I am really glad now that I read it. The cover is so cool. I looked up the real Forrest French and I think that he is on the cover. I looked up their music as well, and my oh my are they good. I really enjoyed listening to them. Maybe I'll end up downloading all of their songs, who knows? I had never heard of him before, so when I saw that he was a MTV artist I just had to look him up.

Guys, I really recommend that you guys read this book. I had a lot of fun reading this book. Also, I just want to tell Jody French that she is awesome. This is her first book and it just rocked.

Happy reading! :3(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Kylee rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review along with others can be found on my blog http://babblingofabookaholic.blogspot...

I feel like I've been reading a lot of dystopian and paranormal romance lately and I was in the mood for a really good contemporary, frankly I still am. Anyways, Red Dirt Rocker definitely did it for me! I admit it did have it's flaws but I really did enjoy the story and knowing it was influenced by the authors son was really neat too.

Forrest was definitely swoon worthy and I fell in love with his char...more This review along with others can be found on my blog http://babblingofabookaholic.blogspot...

I feel like I've been reading a lot of dystopian and paranormal romance lately and I was in the mood for a really good contemporary, frankly I still am. Anyways, Red Dirt Rocker definitely did it for me! I admit it did have it's flaws but I really did enjoy the story and knowing it was influenced by the authors son was really neat too.

Forrest was definitely swoon worthy and I fell in love with his character. I love band boys, he is super sweet and likable as a person, and super hot. I really enjoyed watching his dreams come true throughout this book. He had to make quiet a few really difficult decisions, worrying what his father and others would think of him just picking up and leaving to go follow his music dreams. I felt so proud of him as a character, even though he was afraid he overcame his fears and did what he believed was best for him! I found it ironic that he was dating the head cheerleader/mean girl of the school. It was just a bit unusual because usually it's the QB and the head cheerleader but I liked how it was different in Red Dirt Rocker. I felt so bad for sweet Forrest when he was having a hard time trying to shake Heather, the head cheerleader, off. It's like she was this awful hateful pest that wouldn't leave even though she obviously didn't really care for Forrest. Sophie, Forrest's other love interest, was so sweet and I could honestly see myself being friends with her in real life. I wish we could have seen more of Sophie and Forrest's relationship unfold because they were perfect for each other. I really liked Forrest's sister, she was a fun spunky back up character and I love who she ended up with in the end!! Last but definitely not least, Forrest's parents. Forrest's Mom was sweet as pie, she was the cutest thing ever and I love how close Forrest and her were. I really enjoyed seeing Forrest's relationship with his father grow in this book, it was a very sweet moment when his dad accepted all of his hobby's.

Having said that, the plot of this book was laid out well enough but I feel as if it was just cut off. Maybe it's just because I wanted to know more of what happened to all of the characters. It's like two relationships just started blooming and then the book ended. Although I had a few issues with this book I still enjoyed this fun, quick read and hope you all give it a chance and pick it up some day. (less)

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Jul 21, 2012 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars

When you're reading a book you always look for that awesome connection with it. But that connection can come in so many different ways. Red Dirt Rocker is an amazing book, and it's truly an inspiration for young and older readers alike. When I was contacted by Jody, she had explained how this story was about her son and I found myself really interested in reading his story after having read the description of the book. I didn't know what to expect, because honestly you don't see Young Adult book...more When you're reading a book you always look for that awesome connection with it. But that connection can come in so many different ways. Red Dirt Rocker is an amazing book, and it's truly an inspiration for young and older readers alike. When I was contacted by Jody, she had explained how this story was about her son and I found myself really interested in reading his story after having read the description of the book. I didn't know what to expect, because honestly you don't see Young Adult books like this every day.

As you would expect since this book is inspired by actual events, it feels extremely real. Everything about it, it's not like you're reading a biography though. I will admit that I had thought it might feel a little like that, but it doesn't. It has the life and fun feeling that you'd expect to see in your average Young Adult contemporary novel that is completely fictional. I think it's awesome that his mom wrote this book, and I imagine he played a huge part in helping write it. I just think it's so awesome that she was able to turn his story into a book that could be used to inspire teens and adults to not give up on their dreams and goals.

While this book is based on actual events that happened to Forrest, some of the characters, band name and other things are made up for the purpose of the book and also other reasons. But all of the major events that take place throughout the book, and all of them are quite incredible especially considering how young he was at the time. And just as it says at the the end of the synopsis, I think that it was so great that Forrest really didn't let everything that was going on get to his head. I actually found myself really impressed with how he handled certain situations throughout the book. I don't know if all of the minor things were all factual or not, but regardless of that he really had a great attitude about everything, which is something you don't really see to often with people that get that kind of attention at that age.

I've been following this book on Goodreads since I had spoke to Jody, and I really think it deserves so much more attention than it's getting now. I love coming across books like this, and it feels great to be able to get the word out there for people to check them out. This is honestly a book that I think any Young Adult book reader can enjoy and relate to. Everyone has dreams and goals they want to accomplish, and the hurtles you have to jump over to get there. And it's great to be able to read such an awesome story about a great person that was able to accomplish so much.

I really hope that you will check out this book after you've read this review. It was a great change of pace for me from everything else I had been reading, and I think it just deserves so much more attention than it's getting at the moment. I'd love to hear if you plan to try and get this book, and what you think of the story from what you've read in the synopsis and my review. And if you've read it, I would love to hear what you thought about it.
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Aug 01, 2012 Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copy

This is a young boy’s story written by his mother and is based on real events. [Some names have been changed and made up for the sake of the book] Forrest French is a teen MTV Musician who dreams of making it in the world of music and this is his story – his journey. Narrated in first person, the story portrays Forrest as a young boy from a small southern town. He is like any other boy of his age. He goes to school, is an athlete, harassed by a bully and mystified about romantic relationship. So...more This is a young boy’s story written by his mother and is based on real events. [Some names have been changed and made up for the sake of the book] Forrest French is a teen MTV Musician who dreams of making it in the world of music and this is his story – his journey. Narrated in first person, the story portrays Forrest as a young boy from a small southern town. He is like any other boy of his age. He goes to school, is an athlete, harassed by a bully and mystified about romantic relationship. Sounds like an average teenager, right? Well, Forrest is different because of his dreams, his guts to chase those dreams at such a young age and because of his faith in his dreams, his family and in God. Follow his journey through this novel. Live through the ups-and-downs of his life. Feel his emotions and revel at his decisions.

This book deals with a lot of things. Whether it is about a small town life or bullying or teenage romance or the hurdles that an aspiring musician has to face, there’s a lot a reader can take away from this book. Then there’s this whole angle about how big a role family can play in an individual’s life. Forrest’s family – mother, father and sister has been a great influence on his life. I felt that Forrest’s decisions were a reflection on exactly that. Plus, it’s hard to really overlook the fact that they have supported him throughout, each in their own way, resulting in how this journey has turned out to be. Also, there is this ‘hope’ in the book that people need not necessarily get involved in drugs to lead the stressful and glamorous life that those in this industry lead. Drug scandal dogs almost everyone in this industry and we have come to accept it as a way of that lifestyle – but this book brings hope that it doesn’t have to be that way. But the biggest message that this book delivers is that having dreams and chasing them is the best thing that a person can do. Those dreams may come true – or may not. But either way, it sort of shapes up our life and strengthens us. It is better to dream and chase a dream than never to dream at all.

As a mother and as the author, Jody French definitely deserves a lot of credit. Her influence and her actions have a great impact on Forrest and for her to tell her son’s story to the world – it’s just amazing. The story has great potential to touch a lot of lives in a positive way. Though this book is categorized as ‘contemporary and inspirational American dream-come-true story geared toward a Young Adult audience’ – I recommend it to people of all ages. If you are a teenager / YA, read this book and you will be able to relate to it even if you are not a musician – dream and aspire! If you think you are too old to be considered as YA, then let this book take you back to those golden moments of your life. It’s never too late to dream a new dream either!
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Oct 05, 2012 Jessica Schira rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-challenge

This was a reading group selection, and well, after reading it, I don't know what to think.

I love stories with musicians, especially guitar players, so I expected to love this book. However, I never felt like I connected to the prose. I never lost myself in Forrest's world, I always knew I was reading a book.

It reads fast, it took me less than an hour to read it, and the characters are likeable. But there really isn't a plot, mostly because wavers between novel and biography, and if pressed, I...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Jennifer Pittman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good simple read. Can be enjoyed by many ages.

Full review can be found at http://www.barefootdokusha.com/2012/0...

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Sep 20, 2012 Jordan Kerr rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved this book!!! The only thing I would have changed is I wanted it to be longer!! I wanted more!!!

1 like · like · see review

Jun 09, 2013 Joss G rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 30, 2013 Libby marked it as to-read

May 03, 2013 Adriana marked it as purchased · review of another edition

Apr 08, 2013 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mar 10, 2013 Kayla marked it as to-read

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Jan 13, 2013 Sudeshna rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Jan 04, 2013 Jen marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Dec 10, 2012 Esme rated it 1 of 5 stars

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♥Teen Romance♥: Q&a with Jody French, author of Red Dirt Rocker, and Forrest French, her rocker son!	1	9	Nov 15, 2012 07:21pm
♥Teen Romance♥: October AOTM Giveaway!	25	60	Oct 06, 2012 04:12am
The Indie Exchang...: Kindle Giveaway	1	13	Sep 14, 2012 10:53am
Red Dirt Rocker~	1	2	Jun 11, 2012 08:03pm
Red Dirt Rocker	1	3	Jun 08, 2012 11:08am

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About Jody French

Hailing from the small farming and ranching community of Coweta, Oklahoma, author and substitute teacher Jody French began her life traveling the United States with her mother, who was in the race horse training industry. As an adult, Jody had the privilege to continue her travels in the U.S. and Canada as she chaperoned and tutored her son, teen musician and MTV artist Forrest French. Jody’s love...more

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