book data
1,298 ratings,
3.59
average rating, 200 reviews
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published
September 1st 2004
by Akashic Books
binding
Paperback, 290 pages
isbn
188845170X
(isbn13: 9781888451702)
description
Hairstyles is an honest depiction of growing up punk on Chicago's south side: a study in the demons of racial intolerance, Catholic school conformism
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1,737)
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avg 3.59
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in December, 2007
(My full review of this book is much longer than GoodReads' word-count limits. Find the entire essay at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com].)
So a big confession before anything else -- that I went into this book really wanting to like author Joe Meno. And of course part of why I want to like him is because he's a Chicago writer, one of the more high-profile writers in Chicago right now in fact, who has won the prestigious Nelson Algren award in the pas...more
So a big confession before anything else -- that I went into this book really wanting to like author Joe Meno. And of course part of why I want to like him is because he's a Chicago writer, one of the more high-profile writers in Chicago right now in fact, who has won the prestigious Nelson Algren award in the pas...more
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Read in July, 2008
Imogen liked it so I liked it (coz I am a convictionless little bastard most of the time when it comes to Art and can easily be swayed in any ol' goddamn direction or other by any ol' goddamn random-ass espousal or denunciation from someone I love or loath). But I think I wouldn't have otherwise. Mainly coz of how I am also MEAN and tend to have the least room in my heart for that which reminds me most ably of myself.
Certainly there were parts where the narrator's voice was angsty ...more
Certainly there were parts where the narrator's voice was angsty ...more
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Read in May, 2006
recommends it for:
Punk-rock misfits who don't give you the juicy details
I enjoyed reading this book, but it felt a little simplistic to me. Meno uses language throughout that is very typical of a teenager (like, I mean, maybe, etc) which is fine and doesn’t really bother me but I could see some people getting annoyed. It’s a definite voice technique and if you stripped that away, what would you have? But I like the way the chapters are very short and just move from scene to scene. And the kid is overall very likable. And there’s some good points to be made abo...more
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Read in October, 2007
I truly wanted to love this book because I read The Boy Detective Fails Again by Meno first. I adore that book--it's one of my favorites. This one was disappointing, to say the least.
The first 200 pages were filled with a lot of teenage-boy angst and the nothing that is a high schooler's life. Many of my favorite books are books within which nothing really happens, so this wouldn't have phased me if the "nothing" that happened actually seemed to be moving toward "so...more
The first 200 pages were filled with a lot of teenage-boy angst and the nothing that is a high schooler's life. Many of my favorite books are books within which nothing really happens, so this wouldn't have phased me if the "nothing" that happened actually seemed to be moving toward "so...more
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Any book that assaults your dad with Misfits lyrics and pranks the school bully with photos of kitty cats with X's on their eyes and pleas to be kind because "everytime you're mean one of us dies" is pretty much one of the greatest punk high school kid coming of age stories ever.... "I ain't no Goddamn son of a bitch!"
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
punks!
damn! i really like this book. a sort-of love story from the pov of a sort of metalhead-punk rock boy at a catholic boys school, the 'fat' girl he's in love with, his assorted friends getting high and drinking shitty beer in the basement, divorcing parents, and generally coming of age.
there are two moments that I especially love, his describing a girl as something like 'mean and sour looking, like she'd just make out with you because she's bored' and his feeling after going to his first s...more
there are two moments that I especially love, his describing a girl as something like 'mean and sour looking, like she'd just make out with you because she's bored' and his feeling after going to his first s...more
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bookshelves:
1980s,
1990s,
angst,
chicago,
coming-of-age,
ennui,
generation-x,
high-school,
punk-scene,
realistic,
relationships,
young-adult-fiction
Read in April, 2005
I have the weirdest sensation that I’ve already read this…This was entertaining and kind of fluffy high school relationship stuff. You’ve seen all of these characters before, and they’re not all that distinguished here, but Joe Meno does really have the language down, and the sense of time. If you grew up in that era, you’ll feel right at home…and maybe anyone growing up at all would be able to relate to the constant flow of profanity that doesn’t even have any real purpose excep...more
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Read in October, 2005
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Read in December, 2008
recommended to Amanda by:
gibbierecommends it for: angsty folk
For being written by a creative writing professor, this book is overwhelmingly stereotypical. The rebel girl who dyes her hair pink; the twenty-something who can't get away from high school; the boy with his constant erections and lascivious thoughts who really just wants some confidence. And everyone hates their parents (who likewise have stereotypical issues). While I agree that we all go through a lot of the same things in adolescence, sometimes I just wanted to slap the narrator and yell ge...more
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Read in May, 2009
"Hairstyles of the Damned" -Joe Meno (2004)
For a work of fiction, this story reads much like a memoir, which is what I liked about it. The characters were interesting and developed in such an unconventional way, but I really liked the whole vibe I got reading this book, the references to mixtapes and the detail of what characters do and think and feel, good and bad. I admit the story began a bit slow, but about halfway through, the story caught up with itself and began to pro...more
For a work of fiction, this story reads much like a memoir, which is what I liked about it. The characters were interesting and developed in such an unconventional way, but I really liked the whole vibe I got reading this book, the references to mixtapes and the detail of what characters do and think and feel, good and bad. I admit the story began a bit slow, but about halfway through, the story caught up with itself and began to pro...more
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Read in January, 2005
I couldn't believe my ears when I heard The Misfits coming from the RADIO! Sure enough, it was coming from NPR on a Saturday morning. Meno was promoting this book and the background soundtrack and interview was enough to propel me right to the library (15 minutes!) to check out this book. I read it all that day and found it entertaining while immersing me with nostalgia. The lyrics, the band names, the descriptions of the characters and "shows" in the basement brought back sweet memori...more
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Read in February, 2009
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Read in January, 2009
I was seduced by the atmosphere of the Book Cellar -- you know those little bookstores where the employees scribble their own reviews below books they recommend, and they have their own little theme and serve coffee, this one even has wine -- into buying this book at the rec of an anonymous employee. I mean, the Wine Cellar is cute, accessible, in Lincoln Square in Chicago, and this book is by a Chicago author and takes place in Chicago (albeit the South Side; I'm from a North 'burb). Much like...more
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Read in March, 2007
My favorite thing about this book is that a friend gave it to me for some reason. Brian, the main character, needed to get beat up, maybe not by a bunch of gangbanger or something, at least really beat up in a mosh pit at a Slayer show. Then again, dude probably wouldn't go to a Slayer show cause he sucks. The book is quiet, which is strange since it's about to a punk rocker. Props to Joe Meno for writing a book. It reminded me of rocker kids who have never been kicked in the face at a show beca...more
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in January, 2009
recommends it for:
teenagers, punk-rockers, teenage punk-rockers & teenage punk-rock wannabes
Not only am I not in high school anymore, I am so far from it that there is no point in reading books with main characters in high school. I feel I am a long way off from reading about wrinkled old women, but honestly, this particular book did not do a lot for me, and I loved the other Meno book I had read (The Boy Detective Fails). The prose was a lot more straight-forward in this book, and the plot far less fantastical. While I liked the characters just fine, there wasn't one that compared ...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in October, 2008
Joe Meno's Hairstyles of the Damned, an interesting twist to the common coming of age story, is read through the male perspective of teenage Brian as he struggles between trying to be cool and getting what makes him truly happy: his fiesty best friend Gretchen. The story sees him through quite a few different friends, parental fights, and life situations that are well known the the average youth. What sets this particular book apart is that it takes place in the 90's punk culture of South Chicag...more
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Read in September, 2008
This is the second Joe Meno book I've read, very different from "Bluebirds Used to Croon in the Choir," yet I can easily recommend both.
One of the things I liked about "Hairstyles" was the main character's comments on race and racism. To me, it seemed the author was able to comment on race using a developing, authentic voice of a teen growing up on the south side of Chicago.
I loved how Joe Meno incorporated music throughout the book, and used the trans...more
One of the things I liked about "Hairstyles" was the main character's comments on race and racism. To me, it seemed the author was able to comment on race using a developing, authentic voice of a teen growing up on the south side of Chicago.
I loved how Joe Meno incorporated music throughout the book, and used the trans...more
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recommended to Monique by:
no one but myself.
I like it when the main character (I think his name was Brian Oswald) was at the arcade at the beginning and was talking about how some retarded video game playing genius had probably come and beat his score. I feel like I would say that, maybe, were I in the same situation.
I like it also when Brian Oswald says he doesn't want the pictures from his prom or whatever that climactic dance at the end of the book was called. I don't even remember if he went to the dance, or if he just spent the...more
I like it also when Brian Oswald says he doesn't want the pictures from his prom or whatever that climactic dance at the end of the book was called. I don't even remember if he went to the dance, or if he just spent the...more
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Read in April, 2009
It's all about voice, and it does that well. There are a couple moments when it feels forced and inauthentic, but these are largely overshadowed by the moments that feel natural and heartfelt. The journey of the story feels secondary to the voice, which I guess is as it should be, but I had the feeling that Meno was trying to get a strong, meandering teenage voice AND a substantive character arc. I don't think he succeeded at both, but I enjoyed this and got into it. I wish it had fulfilled a li...more
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Read in January, 2008
Eh... Teens searching for themselves in early 90's Chicago. A weird blend of Nick Hornby ('High Fidelity': The art of making a mix tape) and a John Hughes film (teens in Chicago and "I'm in love with my best friend who has no clue about it.") The book centers on a metal head loser who, as his home and friends breakdown, discovers the Misfits and becomes a punk nihilist and skater. Some of the writing annoyed me (All punctuation and sentence structure be damned!) with long run on senten...more
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