Ballads of Suburbia

Jul 20, 2009 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, signed-books, favorites

This book is powerful. It's been haunting me for days, yes haunting me. After I finished, I couldn't help but sit there in a daze. The first thing that popped into my head was "WOW." Granted my emotions were in complete chaos. This isn't a novel for the faint hearted. This novel is moving, it's upsetting, it's heartbreaking, it's real.

Had I read this before I met Stephanie at ALA, I would have most likely hugged her and cried. She has an amazing talent. AMAZING. Even though I haven't experienced...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Aly (Fantasy4eva) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites, oh-how-the-heart-flutters, big-fat-tears, boys-that-make-me-swoon, dark-and-gritty, i-ache-for-you, crushing-on-the-cover, pleasantly-surprised, you-inspire-me, digging-the-premise, fast-paced-and-engrossing, had-me-at-hello, own, what-a-babe

Kara has returned to Oak Park to confront those she walked away from after overdosing. She wanted a new fresh start, but in order for that to happen, maybe she needs to face those that were a part of her life, one last time.

To be honest, as I read along, I thought to myself, that I really don't think I have ever come across more fucked up characters. I'm being honest here. I mean, they were so reckless and self - destructive that I found it emotionally draining and too painful to just witness....more Kara has returned to Oak Park to confront those she walked away from after overdosing. She wanted a new fresh start, but in order for that to happen, maybe she needs to face those that were a part of her life, one last time.

To be honest, as I read along, I thought to myself, that I really don't think I have ever come across more fucked up characters. I'm being honest here. I mean, they were so reckless and self - destructive that I found it emotionally draining and too painful to just witness. But as things became more bleaker, I knew I had no choice but to wait for it to all go downhill. I mourned every loss. Shed tears. It was incredibly hard for me to just have to watch as characters I grew to care for, fell apart and lost their life. This book portrays perfectly how damaging, lack of communication between parent and child can be. I mean these characters were just children, where were their parents, huh, where were they? Let me tell you now. This is by no means an easy read.

I kept thinking to myself, if this book doesn't make you look away in disgust at the mere mention of drugs, then nothing will. The way that drugs ruins these children's lives is just horrific. Kara was the one I really struggled with though. I thought she was so damn selfish that for the first time, I had no interest in forgiving her. That would change with time, but not until a lot later. Liam was someone I really rooted for. As I watched his life spiral out of control, once again my frustration leaned on his sister Kara. Why had she been so stupid and reckless in allowing her brother to head towards this path when she knew first hand just how awful it was.

Let's talk about Adrian. Definitely made me swoon, but I was always aware of the fact that he had this destructive side to him. It made me weary, but the romantic in me wanted to put all that aside and focus on smexy him. He has the qualities of the bad boy I know and love, but the author is very clear in letting you know that he is far from perfect. He is the - potentially - ruining - your - life sort. On one hand, you want him and Kara to be happy together, but it becomes clear that he is hurting and too damaged to really commit. You hope though. And in the end, after all this time, you want that happy ending so bad. You think, these two have been through hell and somehow dammit they've made it out alive. But reality, guys, is never as simple as that. It's a tough ending. One that really bothered me for a while.

As much as that place caused so much pain, I have such an urge to visit Scoville Park. However, is it even right to lie to myself like that? Do I really think the moment I step foot, that it will have the same vibe, and look the same as it did in the nineties. Do I really think if I ever visit, I'll see the grinning faces of Kara, Cass, Maya, Quentin, Liam and Adrian fooling around. It took a while, but towards the end, I realised that I had really started to care for them, a lot actually. Maybe that's why it's hard to remind yourself that it's fiction at times - especially when you become attached. Gosh I don't know. I just really miss them and Scoville Park.

BALLADS OF SUBURBIA is a tough read. It's unnerving, gritty and quite dark. BUT it's also very thought provoking, hard - hitting and memorable. It really impacted me and left me in thought for a while. It's so tragic, but the full realisation of what they really went through won't hit you until the very end. And when it does, it's haunting and very hard to ignore and move on from. It stays with you.

It's an amazing read. A must read. (less)

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Jan 12, 2012 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-favorites

Ballads of Suburbia has me feeling exactly as I did after How To Kill A Rock Star, as in geez.. do I hate it or I love it? I was sucked in that’s for sure. Kara’s story is depressing and sad; the all of those others around her were equally so. One would think that stories such as the ones found here have been done to death already. Starting with the ordinary day to day of family drama, moving on teenage angst of being friendless and placeless, then the getting out of one’s shell, to finding one’...more Ballads of Suburbia has me feeling exactly as I did after How To Kill A Rock Star, as in geez.. do I hate it or I love it? I was sucked in that’s for sure. Kara’s story is depressing and sad; the all of those others around her were equally so. One would think that stories such as the ones found here have been done to death already. Starting with the ordinary day to day of family drama, moving on teenage angst of being friendless and placeless, then the getting out of one’s shell, to finding one’s people and finding one’s own thing like drugs (a lot of drugs) and music. Her story went up then down then down then down. YET, here I am still thinking about it.

I enjoyed the idea of each person having a story to share, a ballad (as the title offers) about something in their past explaining some of why they'd ended up as they were. They each had their own drama. And while normally, I’d be rolling my eyes over their ‘woe is me, my dad is an ass, or my brother’s abandoned me, or my parents have split… so my life-is-shit schtick (that all of them had going), I read and bought the drama (some more than others, but I bought the drama nonetheless.)

The biggest negative I encountered was how out of place a mature observation seemed to come up out of nowhere, where one of them would for one reason or another wisened up and said they were going down a bad path because otherwise, all of them went with things with little complaint (some happily even.) It just seemed so out of the blue and out of place with all the angsting.

It’s very angst filled and all of them could be very self-absorbed… Yet together, sometimes they could be ~~better,~~ ~~not so alone,~~ less unhappy about what they had to deal with, but they just never became 'good,' more often they simply dragged each other down. Each person in this is far from perfect, but I choked up for some, wanted something a little different for each of them. It’s definitely not a happy story, given the very few happy moments in it, but I shock myself in admitting that I’ve committed a major book no-no because by the books end… I’d found I’d dog-eared a couple (heck, more than a couple) of pages in it.

A steady climb from 1 to 4 of 5.
(Now, I wonder where I can get a copy of I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone. I’d gladly swap my copy of this for that one.)
(less)

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Nov 14, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Ms. Kuehnert has written another powerful and hard-hitting novel to follow up her stunning debut, I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE.

Kara is friendless when her BFF Stacey has to move to another less expensive suburb of Chicago. So when new girl Maya enters Chemistry class and sits down beside her, she's excited to see a kindred soul. Soon the two take to hanging out after school in Scoville Park. Maya is everything Kara isn't, first and foremost outgoing. Maya ju...more Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Ms. Kuehnert has written another powerful and hard-hitting novel to follow up her stunning debut, I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE.

Kara is friendless when her BFF Stacey has to move to another less expensive suburb of Chicago. So when new girl Maya enters Chemistry class and sits down beside her, she's excited to see a kindred soul. Soon the two take to hanging out after school in Scoville Park. Maya is everything Kara isn't, first and foremost outgoing. Maya jumps right in and creates a spot for them with the gang at Scoville. It isn't until Kara becomes associated with fire that she truly feels she's part of the crowd.

Kara uses Scoville to help escape life at home. Her parents are constantly at odds and her younger brother, Liam, is as desperate for attention as Kara is. She begins to bring Liam with her to Scoville and he soon becomes another member of the group.

BALLADS OF SUBURBIA explores Kara's connections with the others that hang out at Scoville. These kids know how to party, and slowly Kara gets sucked into the world of drugs by those around here. She's attracted to bad boy Adrian and is told that he must really like her because he treats her differently than all the other girls. But she knows she should be with Christian, the good guy. It isn't until Christian turns dark that Kara's world truly blows up. Friendships are tested and emotions flare.

Interspersed throughout the novel, Ms. Kuehnert inserts the "ballads" of various characters. Adrian has in his possession a journal that anyone can read, with the condition that you must first write your own story. Kara can never bring herself to write her story, even when tragedy hits...more than once. It isn't until Kara ventures home after escaping the negativity of Oak Park that life comes full circle for Kara.

BALLADS OF SUBURBIA is a dark, desperate look at teenage life in the suburbs in the early 1990s. Ms. Kuehnert gets right to the heart of the teenage angst and struggles to fit in to any crowd. Though a bleak look, the ending leaves the reader filled with hope at the future Kara is trying to create for herself.(less)

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Sep 07, 2011 Alexa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, 2011-reads, new-adult

4.5 stars

Man, it's just effed up. I cried like twice.
I've had a copy of this book for almost a year now, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. I've never done drugs and I don't drink; however, I'm surprised how I felt like I could relate to some of these characters in a way. And I think that there is something that everyone can relate to in these characters. Stephanie Kuehnert did such a great job on them and their stories.
Ballads of Suburbia is filled with friendships, anger, sadness...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Good Golly Miss Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Generally, there are two main stereotypes that seem to cause havoc in any teen drama. The rockers who delve into drugs or the cheer squad who thrive on cruelty, well Ballads of Suburbia realistically looks into the lives of the former with Kara as our tour guide.

I can safely say, I've never read a book like this before but I guess it would fit in the same vein as Go Ask Alice or an Ellen Hopkins novel for all the eye-opening drug and alcohol abuse among other things and I'm sure anyone with divo...more

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Aug 20, 2009 Sonia Reppe rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who did drugs in Scoville Park

Shelves: coming-of-age, midwest

I wanted to read this because it's about teenagers in the early 90's in Oak Park, IL, my hometown, where I went to high school in the early 90's so...I thought I would enjoy the references to Oak Park, which I did...and I have to say that was the best thing about the book for me.

Kuehnert's protagonist, Kara, is rebellious, delinquent and does drugs: basically she's messed up. She cuts herself— which Kuehnert admits to doing in her school days— and she hangs out in Scoville park, getting high. I...more I wanted to read this because it's about teenagers in the early 90's in Oak Park, IL, my hometown, where I went to high school in the early 90's so...I thought I would enjoy the references to Oak Park, which I did...and I have to say that was the best thing about the book for me.

Kuehnert's protagonist, Kara, is rebellious, delinquent and does drugs: basically she's messed up. She cuts herself— which Kuehnert admits to doing in her school days— and she hangs out in Scoville park, getting high. I did know people who were just like the protagonist kara. And I appreciate that Kuehnert brings the character to a turn-around, coming clean and dealing with her self-abuse in the end.

But, the book was disappointing for a number of reasons: one, because it did not have the momentum of her first novel. The characters do heroin, and they fall asleep; then they wake up, do more, and fall asleep again; and then they wake up and guess what they do again? I guess this is what happens when you do heroin—I don't know. But it doesn't make for fun reading.

Two, I don't mind reading about sad, heavy, situations and tragic outcomes if it's written in a way that inspires sympathy, but I couldn't sympathize with these characters because most of the narrative reads like a note passed in study hall: It was like, who's spreading rumors about whom, who's "going out" with who, who's mad at who, and then how Kara can't deal with it, so she cuts herself and does harder and harder drugs.
"Maya's eyes danced. 'Christian's been pining for you. Apparently he was worried I'd be upset about it, but I think it's perfect. You're my girl best friend; he's my guy best friend. I told him I'd give you his number and that if you hadn't given up on men, maybe you'd call.'
'What? You're trying to set us up?' I sputtered, horrified. So horrified I was blushing. Had she known I once had a crush on him back when I'd visited Scoville with Stacey?
'Christian's a really sweet guy, Kara.' Maya said, growing serious. 'And you deserve a guy like that after the crap Adrian put you through.'
"Adrian didn't put me through anything. We had a fling and the fling is over," I sapped defensively. It was easier to pretend I hadn't had any real feelings for him. 'And I'm not interested in getting involved with anyone right now, particularly not your ex.'
'I don't even consider Christian my ex. We're friends. That's all we ever were. And I want him to be happy. You guys would make each other happy."
(Just in case you didn't get that, Christian used to like Maya, but Maya couldn't deal with a relationship, so now they're just friends, and Christian likes Kara now. Kara used to go out with Adrian, but he totally dissed her, so Maya wants to set her up with Christian. And just to fill you in, Kara and Christian do start going together, but Kara still likes Adrian, but she also likes Christian. This is too much for her, so she does drugs).

Three, it doesn't give a well-rounded (fair/truthful) glimpse of Oak Park in that time period. All of the characters are the same. They're punks, all into the same scene. They come from the same upper-middle class social-economic background, are mad at life, dye their hair, get high, get drunk, throw up and act like punks (except for the parents who were minor, minor characters) and it got really repetitive. OK, the book is marketed as a "punk ballad," but it opens with a topographical view of Oak Park, and it's based on Kuehner's high school experience—wasn't there more to it than that? Only one scene takes place in the actual high school, in the locker room before the P.E. swimming class. (I got a chuckle recalling the "standard mauve swimming getup" that OPRF HS used to issue out). I was expecting more of a coming-of-age something or other. I don't know—I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had been part of the druggie crowd that hung out at Scoville Park. I would have liked to see more of Oak Park represented.

I like Kuehnert's writing, sometimes. Some would say there were too many characters in this book, and they would be right. Some would criticize that it's written like a YA novel but the content is way too mature for young adults (teenagers) and they would be right, too. It's an MTV book so take it for what you will. Or don't take it at all. (less)

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Aug 28, 2009 BOOK BUTTERFLY rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ballads of Suburbia is a novel not for the faint of heart. It’s upsetting, haunting but also incredibly beautiful. Before I started this novel, I admit I was a little leery of it. I was afraid I’d begin reading and feel judgmental toward the characters and turned off by the drug use. While this was not an easy novel to dive into and at times really choked up, I never felt like I didn’t want to continue reading. The end, while sad, was also uplifting and inspirational. Any writer who can take a b...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars

2 stars for the 1st half, 4 stars for the 2nd half.

the first few choruses & verses were very quick, and i enjoyed them, but it was voyeuristic pleasure. i loved the concept of ballads (the story behind who you've become) smashed into the concept of suburbia (put on a smile, leave that baggage at the door), but i thought that the author failed to follow up on it because of lackluster writing & not-so-compelling characters (except for liam).

then christian & everything else happened, an...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Debasmita rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ballads of Suburbia is one of the best books I have read in recent times! The blurb doesn't do it much justice. The book is so much more than that. It speaks about the lives of kids,coming from varied pedigrees and family backgrounds,all residing in Oak Park and how situations and circumstances lead them to do drugs and bring them out of the habit or engulf them. It is a very compelling book that commands soul searching.

Though Kara is the protagonist the book also focuses on the lives of the fri...more

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Feb 05, 2011 cecilia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: yellow-covers, locations-covers, favorite-covers

I seriously loved I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone (review here), but my reaction after reading Ballads Of Suburbia makes Stephanie Kuehnert's debut a silly infatuation. Seriously. Stephanie has taken the rockstar elements of I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone and brought it to new heights in this latest release as her teenaged characters poured their heart and soul into music and drugs as a way to replace the hopelessness that they face every day. If I had to describe Ballads Of Suburbia using one word, it...more I seriously loved I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone (review here), but my reaction after reading Ballads Of Suburbia makes Stephanie Kuehnert's debut a silly infatuation. Seriously. Stephanie has taken the rockstar elements of I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone and brought it to new heights in this latest release as her teenaged characters poured their heart and soul into music and drugs as a way to replace the hopelessness that they face every day. If I had to describe Ballads Of Suburbia using one word, it would be Raw with a capital R. Filled to the brink on emotions, I found the "ballads" (confessions) of each character powerful and believably honest.

Kara proves to be such a heartbreakingly shy main character who has to find her backbone and learn not depend on a razor blade, pot, parents, best friends who ditch you or don't take your side, and most importantly anyone with a Y chromosome (including those who say "I love you" but hurt you; and those who don't say it back when you do). It was rewarding to watch her gain confidence, then lose it, only to bounce back stronger, then lose it even harder, and finally finally manage to climb out from rock bottom.

What is more amazing is when I realized that her climb has only begun - she may have won the battle, but the war is far from over. Every day, every second, she has to make a conscious effort to not fall back into old patterns - and when she returns to her hometown, seeing her old friends up to their old tricks test her resolve.

Ballads Of Suburbia has a more serious vibe than I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, and it felt so beautifully real that I never knew what to expect, sometimes fearing that Kara was in way over her head, upset when the boys acted stupid (will they never learn?!), and holding my breath as life unfolded into utter chaos. Readers of the debut will surely find Ballads Of Suburbia to far exceed all expectations already set by I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone and for the next Stephanie Kuehnert project (which, for the record, sounds amazing - and I love the working title: Anarchists, Soap Stars, And Regulars, though it will probably change).

The cover is a little quirky - that smile on the duck borders on Joker-spooky - but I think it totally goes well with the story since Kara and her friends frequently met at the park. Ironically, not to play on the playground, but play with other things of an addictive sort. If you feel like you don't know what the story is about from the cover or the book summary, don't be alarmed. Both are merely tips of the iceberg. To be honest, my own summary above hardly does Ballads Of Suburbia any justice. Trust me when I say that whatever you find within that iceberg will make you glad that you took that leap of faith!

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway!), Ballads Of Suburbia makes it official: Stephanie Kuehnert is a literary goddess of rock music and soul!(less)

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Dec 05, 2010 Jenni Lou rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert is a good and swift read and reminiscent of many a coming-of-age story, perhaps most notably of which is Joe Meno’s Hairstyles of the Damned. But that may be a bit of a poetic comparison. As it turns out the author openly admits to being inspired by Meno, who was once her college fiction writing professor. In fact, it was because he played some Johnny Cash ballads in class to illustrate how a story is told through song that Kuehnert essentially wrote thi...more Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert is a good and swift read and reminiscent of many a coming-of-age story, perhaps most notably of which is Joe Meno’s Hairstyles of the Damned. But that may be a bit of a poetic comparison. As it turns out the author openly admits to being inspired by Meno, who was once her college fiction writing professor. In fact, it was because he played some Johnny Cash ballads in class to illustrate how a story is told through song that Kuehnert essentially wrote this second novel. (Her first is entitled I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone. I looked for this but it was not available in store so I picked up this book instead.) Initially I bought this book because I enjoy coming across novels written by authors of my Alma mater, Columbia College Chicago, where I also studied Fiction Writing–I was never quite able to get into Meno’s class as those seats where in demand and filled up fast!–but it also sounded very interesting and I love coming-of-age stories so I decided to give it a go. A description:

Ballads of Suburbia is a highly identifiable book for me. In several ways. [1] It takes place where I spent my adolescence. The town of Oak Park, IL is very close to me and the author even uses places I am familiar with, such the Fireside Bowl (which was a place where punk shows were put on), the World Music Theater (which since has changed to Tweeter Center then the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater–thanks for that stupid name and fuck you, corporate America) and “Punk Rock Denny’s” (which is familiar to me because I worked for years at another Denny’s and that one often came into conversation.) [2] The characters in the book are very much like the kind of friends I had. That was my scene. Those were my friends. The punks, the skaters, the stoners, the metalheads (and even a few hippies too.) [3] More than anything this novel is an examination of the suburban teenage drug culture, a subject I am quite tuned into.

Overall, a thumbs up. Kara is a clearly defined protagonist and a relate-able one as well. She suffers from an extreme case of the teenage condition, if you know what I mean. She is wounded and pained and filled with that oh-so-ubiquitous teenage angst that fills books and diaries and journals across the globe. She’s a cutter. She slices into her skin and uses that release of numbness it gives her as a coping mechanism to deal with family problems and friend and boy drama. (I don’t mean to make her form of medication seem trite or illogical, it’s just that even after having read the book, I still don’t understand the phenomena behind cutting. Perhaps that is meant only for those who have done it to truly comprehend.)

Eventually Kara’s search for catharsis leads her into a dangerous path toward drug addiction. And she’s not the only one. Characters in this novel latch on to various substances: alcohol, pot, acid, heroin, crystal meth, ecstacy. And these drug habits are represented in a rather true to life way. From the mother who smokes pot with her daughter to the boyfriend that doesn’t try hard enough to stop his girl from using heroin, even though he claims he wishes for her not to. The only time the drug use seemed a bit exaggerated to me was with one character who dropped acid consistently for a very long time. Like a week or two. That’s a long time to be tripping. Though for the character, acid was a way of calming her and issuing her equilibrium. I can understand that to an extent; I–no matter what drugs, or alcohol for that matter, I was on–was always able to maintain a collected-ness about myself. I always had my feet planted in reality. And I promise you, while using any kind of hallucinogen albeit, acid, mescalin, mushrooms, or otherwise, you gotta be able to identify reality while you’re high. That’s why people have “bad trips” and freak-outs. So how this girl was able to be under acid’s influence for so long and still behave and function normally makes little sense to me. Plus, acid makes you lively and awake. It’s difficult to sleep. And when the drug starts to fade there is the “come down” period that has the possibility to destroy you and burn you into into depression until the effects dissipate. It’s odd to me–and those who aren’t familiar with drugs may not understand–that Kara has a fear of dropping of acid yet has no qualms about snorting heroin. For me, heroin was the invisible line I would not cross. It scared me, especially seeing how it affected other people and the problems and habits it formed in them. Anyway, that is clearly way more than anyone cares to read about my youth experiences with drugs. :razz:

So, in short, a good book. And it makes me curious to read her debut novel.(less)

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Sep 11, 2010 YA Reads Book Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

The blurb featured above doesn’t even come close to doing Ballads of Suburbia justice. This is not your regular dose of girl-meets-bad boy-but-finds-her-way-back-to-the-right-side-of-the-tracks kind of YA fiction. There is nothing censored, dusted over, or left out of this novel. I’m not even really sure you could classify this one as YA. Having said that, I think its something all angsty teens should read, and not because it has a ‘drugs are bad’ message, although it does, in a round about kind...more The blurb featured above doesn’t even come close to doing Ballads of Suburbia justice. This is not your regular dose of girl-meets-bad boy-but-finds-her-way-back-to-the-right-side-of-the-tracks kind of YA fiction. There is nothing censored, dusted over, or left out of this novel. I’m not even really sure you could classify this one as YA. Having said that, I think its something all angsty teens should read, and not because it has a ‘drugs are bad’ message, although it does, in a round about kind of way. Mostly, because it’s so real and I reckon there is a whole bunch of teens wandering around suburbs just like Oak Park, feeling just like Kara does, thinking there’s no escape. Ballads is a tale about choices and how those choices can affect us for the rest of our days.

Kara’s decent into darkness essentially starts when her parents split up. They moved to the suburbs so they could live out their happy all-American fantasy of being a perfect family, only it didn’t quite work out that way. Not even close.

Kara is hurting and she’s looking for someone, something to make it all stop. Her quest takes her to fairly innocent places at first. Alcohol, cigarettes, a bit of pot. And it works, for a while, but soon enough, the pain starts to push through the mask and she knows she’s going to need something new.

Enter Adrian. Who needs drugs when you’ve got Adrian? He’s sexy, badass, and he likes Kara. No one has ever liked her before, not in that way. Who wouldn’t be pulled in by his trance? Before long, though, it becomes obvious that Adrian is bad news. He’s into hard drugs and he’s unapologetic about it. Soon the high of being around him isn’t enough either, and Kara jumps on the junkie wagon.

What I loved about Ballads is that the narrative does not, in any way, lay blame on Adrian for Kara’s drug use. Although she goes through some seriously messed stuff, Kara makes a choice, a whole bunch of them actually, and the narrative recognises that the reason Kara becomes addicted to heroine is because she allowed herself to. She didn’t need Adrian’s influence – hell some could argue that he didn’t ever actually influence her to use, but he certainly never tried to stop her – her pain and despair was so great that if she hadn’t gotten it from Adrian, I’m certain she would have found it elsewhere.

Kara’s problems essentially started at home, though I don’t entirely believe its fair to blame her problems on her parents, either. For me, it seemed that Kara is the kind of girl that was always going to at least dabble in illicit substances. Would she have taken it to such extremes if her family life had been more stable? Who knows. It’s impossible to say, but there are plenty of kids from well adjusted families that end up as heroine junkies. For some, I think it comes from within. Ballads acknowledges this and lays it all out on the table, judgment free. I bet that every single person will take something different from this novel, and that’s why I think everyone should read it.

This one comes with one hell of a warning folks. If you’re looking for something warm and fuzzy, don’t read this book. If you’re looking for a teen romance that takes a walk on the wild side, don’t read this book. If you’re looking for something that ends up all good and well in the end, then don’t read this book. If what you’re looking for is a real life read that will break your heart, fill your eyes with tears, and force you to face the hard questions head on, then this is absolutely, most definitely the book for you. If you’re looking for a book with complex and deep characters, then this is the book for you. If you’re looking for a read that will keep you thinking long after you finish the last word, then Ballads of Suburbia is a must-read for you.

Kara’s tale is a raw, hard-hitting lesson on just how much guts it takes to fight your way from the dark side into the light. Stephanie Kuehnert’s effortless prose and outstanding imagery will leave you standing front and center, right in the middle of all Kara’s chaos.

Be prepared to have your beating heart ripped right out of your chest.(less)

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Sep 03, 2010 Sharon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, realistic-fiction, favorites, chicago

OK, I know what you're thinking...a book about a girl who came of age in '90s Chicago suburbia and went to school to become a screenwriter. Do I just love this book because I can relate?

Actually, I expected to hate this book. I'm very protective of my childhood/teen memories, and it also just seemed all too edgy, romanticized, and unrealistic in all the descriptions I read of parties, drugs, and punk rock. Little did I expect to become so absorbed that I'd read it almost all in a couple of sitti...more OK, I know what you're thinking...a book about a girl who came of age in '90s Chicago suburbia and went to school to become a screenwriter. Do I just love this book because I can relate?

Actually, I expected to hate this book. I'm very protective of my childhood/teen memories, and it also just seemed all too edgy, romanticized, and unrealistic in all the descriptions I read of parties, drugs, and punk rock. Little did I expect to become so absorbed that I'd read it almost all in a couple of sittings, re-living old memories and places so vividly.

Kuehnert writes so honestly and painfully about universal teen feelings and issues, like lack of belonging, loneliness, friendships drifting apart, and even things like deep boredom that other writers would just gloss over. I think it was a scene early on when Kara and her brother Liam were watching Nirvana on MTV in their suburban living room, lamenting their lack of friends, social life, and rock star lifestyle, that I decided, hey, I really like this book.

I connected almost immediately with all the characters and their situations, from girls making fun of Kara because she didn't wear the right Keds or Gap clothing to her bonding with her new best friend Maya over bands they liked and punk fashion choices (like the memorable Manic Panic hair dye). I kept expecting to lose that connection when the book veered off into territory that included drugs and parties, but it never did. Drugs were used as a natural extension of the universal feelings the characters all felt, like numbness or alienation, and the drug use never felt glamorized or inauthentic in any way.

All of the characters' decisions and ballads rang true for me in this book, which is why I became so absorbed in it and didn't want it to end. (Inclusion of memorable landmarks in my own coming of age like the old-school Fireside Bowl and some of the diners mentioned didn't hurt). I have to give her kudos as well for having a fairly large cast of characters (about nine kids who partied together) and really developing them all to a certain extent. I really appreciated that Kuehnert wrote something I could relate to in every character, and I imagine that's how she hung in there with them even though she's stated in interviews the experiences were removed from her own life. I may have never used to drugs to escape like the characters in that book during the time period, but I used writing and music in much the same way and if I ran with a different crowd I very well could have---I knew there were drug problems in our area high schools as well. In the past I have written about '90s Chicago suburbia, but never as well as Kuehnert--she is something to aspire to, although she actually inspires me to re-live those memories and want to write about them again.(less)

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Jun 28, 2010 Laura (Bookish Belle) rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just finished this book about twenty minutes ago and absolutely needed to write a review before I went to bed! After I finished this one, I just sat there staring off into space and just digesting what went on through the novel. It was truly wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time, I felt for everyone. Stephanie Kuehnert has such a distinct writing style that makes each of her characters, no matter how minuscule their parts may seem, have such a personality.

I recommend this book to anyone...more

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May 30, 2010 fennie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, things-that-make-you-go-hmm

this book is heartbreakingly powerful. i thought it was going to be another teen sob story that involved drug use, but i was dead wrong. yes, there is much mentioned about various addictions, but that takes a back seat to the true message of this novel. when it comes down to it, this book is about defining moments and people that shape our lives.

the author writes with such conviction, giving the characters' voices an intense raw honesty. the intermittent ballads add insight into the depths of e...more this book is heartbreakingly powerful. i thought it was going to be another teen sob story that involved drug use, but i was dead wrong. yes, there is much mentioned about various addictions, but that takes a back seat to the true message of this novel. when it comes down to it, this book is about defining moments and people that shape our lives.

the author writes with such conviction, giving the characters' voices an intense raw honesty. the intermittent ballads add insight into the depths of each 'ballad-eer' making the book fuller and meatier. though this is a work of fiction, each character's back story is completely believable and often drives straight to the heart. it's not often that you get to read truths of what has happened or is going on in a teenager's life. everyone has their secrets and demons; you just usually never find out what they are.

i'm really glad i took this journey with kara. though i've hardly experienced anything she's been through, i found myself identifying with her. at first, she was seeking friendship, because stacey ditched her. and then it was love, because of what was happening with her parents. and later, it was a chemical escape due to what happened with adrian and christian. but over time, she grew and realized that her needs and her selfishness weren't what was most important. i'm glad that there is hope in the end, despite many tragic, life-altering events.

i couldn't help but notice the importance that family plays in the lives of each character. actually, family or lack thereof inadvertently causes the defining moments that are written in every single one of the ballads. this book also got me thinking about loneliness. it's such a driving force in people's lives, and not just the teenagers. it's also blatantly obvious in the lives of the parents. because people are so afraid to be alone, they find coping mechanisms (ie drugs, alcohol, cutting, work, etc) to fill the void or will do things that they normally never would to prevent the feeling of emptiness. i'm always up for analyzing life, especially when it comes to interpersonal relationships and finding the root of people's issues and this book was perfect to get my mind working.(less)

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Nov 06, 2009 Malissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, young-adult

I'm going to pilfer my own review of this book off of Amazon (since they think they own it now) because I wrote it just after finishing this book and, well, I already wrote it.

I said:

"I debated whether to give this book a 4 or 5 as Amazon doesn't allow in-betweens, but in the end I decided that a book that absorbs you as much as this one and leaves you as spent (but in a good way) deserves a 5.

I read Kuehnert's first book "I Wanna be Your Joey Ramone" immediately before this one and, unlike so...more I'm going to pilfer my own review of this book off of Amazon (since they think they own it now) because I wrote it just after finishing this book and, well, I already wrote it.

I said:

"I debated whether to give this book a 4 or 5 as Amazon doesn't allow in-betweens, but in the end I decided that a book that absorbs you as much as this one and leaves you as spent (but in a good way) deserves a 5.

I read Kuehnert's first book "I Wanna be Your Joey Ramone" immediately before this one and, unlike some of the previous reviewers, was disappointed. So I went into this book without expectations and was absolutely blown away. Kuehnert's style and characterization has matured so much since her first novel. She weaves a complex story effortlessly and powerfully. Her characters are believable, well developed and extremely sympathetic. I used up several tissues finishing this book.

The story itself is bold, gripping, and real in so many ways. Yes, it's about teen addiction on the surface, but it's also about a lot more. It's about lives that are as interwoven as the story itself and about characters who are equally as complex. There are no real "bad guys" or "good guys" just real kids who make real choices both good and bad.

I also love the language Kuehnert uses and the blunt, honest, without being gratuitous way the book discusses issues like sex and drug use (issues that some writers shy away from for fear of censorship). One passage that I really took note of comes after the main character loses her virginity after a bad family Thanksgiving experience:

"I hadn't planned for it to be that way. I mean, virginity-losing is a pretty memorable thing and I didn't particularly want to remember it every year when I sat down with the family to celebrate genocide over turkey and mashed potatoes."

All in all, this book is a winner. Kuehnert has really come into her own."

Basically, this book is fabulous and there's a reason that 100% of the Amazon user ratings are 5s and the majority of the Goodreads ratings are. (less)

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Jun 06, 2009 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kara’s favorite songs are ballads, the ones that tell about someone’s life and numerous screw ups, the songs people can relate to and learn from. Because Kara’s first three years of high school were full of screw ups, and not all of them her own. Insecurity that lead to cutting, casual highs turning into drug addiction, secrets, lies, and suicides all plagued her life in a deluge she thought she was dealing with until her near heroin overdose finally woke her up. Memories documented in her and h...more Kara’s favorite songs are ballads, the ones that tell about someone’s life and numerous screw ups, the songs people can relate to and learn from. Because Kara’s first three years of high school were full of screw ups, and not all of them her own. Insecurity that lead to cutting, casual highs turning into drug addiction, secrets, lies, and suicides all plagued her life in a deluge she thought she was dealing with until her near heroin overdose finally woke her up. Memories documented in her and her friends’ “Stories of Suburbia” notebook will never fade, but now, it’s Kara’s turn to pay her due and write her own ballad.

When I first read a synopsis for Ballads of Suburbia, I was excited to see more from Kuehnert after I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, which I loved, but also wary because I was afraid Kuehnert was being too ambitious. Thankfully, though, I was wrong on the second account; my initial fear that Ballads of Suburbia’s large cast would be overwhelming to the story proved false. I really must say that Kuehnert does a fantastic storytelling job in this novel, from setting the story up, to the realistic characters, to the overarching theme, that people are more than just a snapshot of their lives. Kuehnert paints a very gritty and depressing picture of a “suburb” of Chicage, a grim place only an invisible line marks as no longer the city filled with dysfunction and all the wrong ways to escape. This setting makes the characters easier to understand, because each comes with a history of at least one hardship or difficulty continuing to affect their lives. I found that for me, Ballads of Suburbia was less about the plot than it was how Kara responds to it. I mean, the turning point of the story is revealed in the first few pages of the novel. So even though most of this novel was extremely sad and depressing, the ending was slightly more uplifting and inspirational.

Ballads of Suburbia is another great novel for fans of Kuehnert’s debut, I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, Purge by Sarah Darer Littman, Perfect by Natasha Friend, and Identical by Ellen Hopkins. I’m thrilled Kuehnert was able to pull off such an incredible story in Ballads of Suburbia despite its depressing content and continue to look forward to her next work.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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Jan 10, 2012 Mari rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-top10-books-2012

Ballads of Suburbia broke my heart over and over again. It started out angsty, sure, but it was the kind of angst I've seen before. I kept thinking to myself, oh to be young and to go to skate parks and punk rock shows! I missed those days and nostalgia crept in. But as the story progressed, I literally had to put the book down and walk away from the story a couple of times. I couldn't bear how things were spiraling out of control for the kids of Scoville Park whom I have grown to like, despite...more

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Aug 13, 2009 Erica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, Stephanie Kuehnert doesn't hold back a thing with Ballads of Suburbia! It hits you hard, not letting you forget. Even after I finished reading, the stories and the characters kept playing through my head. Every event that took place, I felt like I was there. And though I've never had the same experiences at Kara, I felt like I was there with her experiencing it all the same. It takes a truly talented writer to do that.

The characters and their stories were all so real, all the characters had...more

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Apr 07, 2010 Adele rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reading a Stephanie Kuehnert novel is like seeing the world through a fog of cigarette smoke - it smells a little funky, grit is accumulated on every surface but you are truly inhabiting the experience. Kuehnert's books also have a lot in common with nicotine addiction - you'll get choked up a lot and they are hard to quit. I could also make some snarky allusion to the high death toll but in the author's case it is solely her characters (unless she is a serial killer on the side.)

I grew up in th...more Reading a Stephanie Kuehnert novel is like seeing the world through a fog of cigarette smoke - it smells a little funky, grit is accumulated on every surface but you are truly inhabiting the experience. Kuehnert's books also have a lot in common with nicotine addiction - you'll get choked up a lot and they are hard to quit. I could also make some snarky allusion to the high death toll but in the author's case it is solely her characters (unless she is a serial killer on the side.)

I grew up in the era depicted in this story. Nirvana were huge, guys had badly dyed, shaggy hair and ambivalence was wide spread. There were characters in Ballads that are almost exact replicas of kids that I grew up with which made it difficult to read in some ways. Issues of disillusionment, cutting, the fragments of family, sibling dysfunction, death, suicide, drug use and addiction are all interwoven in an effortless manner that allow the reader to focus on Kara's journey (rather than the evolution of the "issues"). Journal entries of a personal nature by many of the supporting character help flesh out the story and add a distanced perspective of our protagonist. The writing is unique with sharpened prose - it cuts, making you suffer along with Kara until you are as raw as she is. It's not a book that will thwack you over the head but instead, one that slowly envelops you unsuspectingly.

Ballads comes across much more personal to the author that her debut effort, the fantastic I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone. Perhaps this was due to my awareness of her own teen struggles that undoubtedly influences the novel but I think not. The exploration of cutting and controlling relationships were vividly (if not disturbingly) portrayed. The sibling relationship is one that worked exceedingly well - Kara and Liam transition from distant, sober individuals to close but inordinately messed up junkies is frightening but understandable.

An original voice and a gritty, soul crushing story worth reading.(less)

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Mar 11, 2012 Beth rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: didn-t-finish, a-specific-taste, not-for-me, not-really-read, disappointment, loved-the-premise, wish-i-hadn-t-read, please-go-away, library, borrowed, everyone-loves-it-but-me

I STOPPED READING "BALLADS OF SUBURBIA" ON PAGE 163. THIS REVIEW IS OF THE FIRST 163 PAGES. I DON'T MEAN TO OFFEND ANYONE WITH THIS REVIEW.

Okay, this is a tough one.

Because, you see, the thing is, Ballads of Suburbia is a great book for a certain person.

I'm just not that person.

It sounds like a nice way of breaking up with someone, but it's true: Ballads of Suburbia really is an amazing, searing book for those of you out there. It's one of those odd books that I couldn't get away from the acknow...more

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Jul 12, 2010 Greta is Erikasbuddy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This book brought back so many fabulous memories of the 90s.

Ballads of Suburbia is centered around a teenage girl named Kara. Her family is going to pot (didn't everyone start to get divorces back then?), her bestie is moving away, her brother is well... a little brother (for now), and she is just discovering music.

Kara then discovers Skoville through a new friend she met at school. At Scoville (a park that the teens have taken over) she meets a whole cast of characters. One of them is Adrain wh...more

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Jun 07, 2011 kb rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-id-save-from-fire-flood, 4ever-young-adult

WHOA CAN I SAY ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE READ THIS YEAR!! When I picked it up at Booksale, I really didn't expect anything because I just wanted something YA to read (and something cheap haha) and it was the only one available from the stack that I liked enough to buy. I wasn't that stoked about the story, which foreshadowed about drug and alcohol use on the back cover, but first chapter was BAM! and I was v. v. glad to find out that the following ones were, too. I thought all the elements, lik...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: recentlyread, young-adult

Kuehnert's rich sense of place and attention to detail is part of why I enjoyed "Ballads of Suburbia" so much. I admit I haven't read many books that delved into the world of teen substance abuse, but Kehnert gets into the their mindsets so realistically, the book is engrossing and is hard to put down. The protagonist, Kara, is full of flaws, but all of her mistakes don't come across as annoying, thanks to the author's character building that give readers a window into her motives; the reasoning...more

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Jan 09, 2010 Lori (Pure Imagination) rated it 5 of 5 stars

This by no means was an easy story to read. Kara's life is hard. She parties all night long. She does multiple drugs and drinks herself into a stupor. If your looking for a quick feel good read, skip this one. If you are looking for a real account of a troubled teenager, this is for you.

I bought this book because it was on everyone's 'Best of 2009' lists. So I knew that it was going to be good but at first I didn't see what all the fuss was about. It was not a book that I just had to sit down an...more This by no means was an easy story to read. Kara's life is hard. She parties all night long. She does multiple drugs and drinks herself into a stupor. If your looking for a quick feel good read, skip this one. If you are looking for a real account of a troubled teenager, this is for you.

I bought this book because it was on everyone's 'Best of 2009' lists. So I knew that it was going to be good but at first I didn't see what all the fuss was about. It was not a book that I just had to sit down and read but I would find myself thinking about these characters while doing mundane tasks around the house. They slowly crept into my head until the second day of reading when they firmly wedged their selves in my brain and I could not stop reading.

I completely related to these characters. If I would have grown up in a different place, I think this totally could have been me. Which is a scary thought. Thank the universe that I grew up in the middle of no where! I did some bad things as a teen but nothing compared to Kara and her friends. I was too well-adjusted. My family was too involved in my life to let things like this happen. But I was angsty and depressed enough as a teen to connect with Kara.

This is a dark story. It's heartbreaking. I shed a few tears. It's powerful. This book could be anyone's anti-drug. It's beautiful. On top of all the disturbing actions it's really just about friendship and love. Everyone needs to feel like they belong. Like their family loves and understands them. That's what Ballads of Suburbia is really about.

Another thing to add to the list of things I loved about this book is, the music references. I was pretty young in the early to mid 90's but I had a big sister. So we watched MTV. We were huge fans of Nirvana and just about any other 90's rock band. I still listen to that music today. It totally shaped my taste in music. So I loved that their was mentions of all these bands that I love.

Overall this book is not for the weak at heart. It's a tough story. If you ever felt like you didn't belong as a teen, then you should read this. It's not a book that I will put on the self and forget about. It will definitely be in my head for a long time. It's been over a week since I finished the book and every time I pass by my bookshelf and see it I want to pick it up and start reading again. I see what all the fuss was about.

http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/(less)

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Aug 17, 2011 Amanda Croley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-star

This is such a powerful book. It isn't often that a book really changes you, or the way you think. Despite growing up in suburbia, the nice neighborhood, or in good schools, everyone has their own problems. Ballads of Suburbia is the story of several teenagers, living in a Chicago suburb. Kara is telling her story, and through her story we learn everyone's. The characters deal with drug use, divorce, bullying, cutting, but it isn't just about those things. It isn't a soapbox for Kuehnert, it is...more

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Oct 08, 2009 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ballads of Suburbia is a tale of a group of lonely teenagers, finding solace with each another, with alcohol, with drugs. All of them have messed up families, all of them have their own story to tell.

The novel starts with an epilogue, with Kara, back after 4 years. Then it launches into Kara's story as a teen, starting with her childhood and going onto her late teens. Interspersed within Kara's story are ballads of others, of her friends. Each story is unique and haunting and beautiful.
Stephanie...more

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Aug 12, 2009 Sab H. (YA Bliss) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: autographed, reviewed-books, favorites, dark-contemp

This is hardcore. It tried to suck life out of me. Read it if you dare. This is the dark reality every teenage kid fears or faces. We all know drugs, but we see it as the enemy. It's hard to see it from the eyes of an insider. I'm glad this book is out there for teens to read, but be warned its not pretty or pink. Specially if you have had experiences with this.

With that said... dude! this woman is a genius! OMG! What an amazing book. The 'ballad' concept is mind-blowing. What a great theory. I...more

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Nov 23, 2009 AJ Conroy rated it 4 of 5 stars

The painful experiences of the high schoolers ring true as they descend into increasingly self-destructive behavior. The seemingly logical progression from cigarettes to heroin overdose was especially disturbing when set against the “lived there” details of Oak Park. And, frankly, a bit horrifying for this parent-to-be.

Most of the novel is written in the first-person from one character, but woven throughout are first-person narratives from the other characters. These confessions are the ballads...more

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