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The Gangster of Love: A Novel
Rocky Rivera arrives in the U.S. from the Philippines the day that Jimi Hendrix dies. So begins a blazing coming-of-age story suffused with the tensions of immigration which finds Rocky moving from the counter-culture in 1960s San Francisco to the extravagant music scene in Manhattan of the 1980s. The Gangster of Love tells the story of the Rivera family as they make their new life in the States, all the while haunted by the memory of the father and the homeland they left behind. Among its members are Rocky's haughty mother, who has impulsively left her father; Voltaire, her brother, prone to heavy depression and odd friendships with strangers; and Rocky herself, unsure about sex and worshipful of her boyfriend, the guitar-playing Elvis Chang, who must learn to accept reality amidst the myths and lures of American success and idolatry.
311 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
18 people are currently reading
532 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Hagedorn
39 books179 followersJessica Tarahata Hagedorn was born (and raised) in Manila, Philippines in 1949. With her background, a Scots-Irish-French-Filipino mother and a Filipino-Spanish father with one Chinese ancestor, Hagedorn adds a unique perspective to Asian American performance and literature. Her mixed media style often incorporates song, poetry, images, and spoken dialogue.
Moving to San Francisco in 1963, Hagedorn received her education at the American Conservatory Theater training program. To further pursue playwriting and music, she moved to New York in 1978.
Joseph Papp produced her first play Mango Tango in 1978. Hagedorn's other productions include Tenement Lover, Holy Food, and Teenytown.
In 1985, 1986, and 1988, she received Macdowell Colony Fellowships, which helped enable her to write the novel Dogeaters, which illuminates many different aspects of Filipino experience, focusing on the influence of America through radio, television, and movie theaters. She shows the complexities of the love-hate relationship many Filipinos in diaspora feel toward their past. After its publication in 1990, her novel earned a 1990 National Book Award nomination and an American Book Award. In 1998, La Jolla Playhouse produced a stage adaptation.
She lives in New York with her husband and two daughters, and continues to be a poet, storyteller, musician, playwright, and multimedia performance artist.
Moving to San Francisco in 1963, Hagedorn received her education at the American Conservatory Theater training program. To further pursue playwriting and music, she moved to New York in 1978.
Joseph Papp produced her first play Mango Tango in 1978. Hagedorn's other productions include Tenement Lover, Holy Food, and Teenytown.
In 1985, 1986, and 1988, she received Macdowell Colony Fellowships, which helped enable her to write the novel Dogeaters, which illuminates many different aspects of Filipino experience, focusing on the influence of America through radio, television, and movie theaters. She shows the complexities of the love-hate relationship many Filipinos in diaspora feel toward their past. After its publication in 1990, her novel earned a 1990 National Book Award nomination and an American Book Award. In 1998, La Jolla Playhouse produced a stage adaptation.
She lives in New York with her husband and two daughters, and continues to be a poet, storyteller, musician, playwright, and multimedia performance artist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 7, 2012
oh the overripe fecundity of some imaginations. except when i bit into this particular peach, that fecundity turned out to be well on its way to rotten. all the quirkiness gave me hives. and the prose... ugh, i'll say no more. i read this one to better get in touch with my Filipino roots. no such touching ocurred. however, i did give it to my mom and she loved it. guess the apple didn't just fall far from the tree, it rolled across the orchard and into the road, where it was run over and turned into instant applesauce. wait a sec, i think i just lost control of my metaphor. or of my cliche. ah, cliches. well, this novel is full of them!
November 6, 2008
i remember getting this book for free with ms. castagna at a book meeting with the authors. i didnt know what to expect from this book because the title is vague but i heard it was a good book so i decided to take this. this book is about rocky, a philippino girl who came to america in the 1960s. every member in her family is very different. rocky's mom is a flirt and her brother is very sensitive. rocky eventually fell in love wit a guitar player at san fransico, where they immigrated to. the guitar player's name is elvis and she also meets a girl name keiko. the three moved to new york to make their band called the gangster of love. rocky also had a baby at the end.
this book is very good even though not many of us can relate to it. it discusses a lot about relationships and problems everyday people deal wit. i think everyone should read it and find out for themselves what this book is about because i think there are like a lot of things you can get out of this book. i also let my sister read it and she loved it so anyone who does read it will end up loving this book!
this book is very good even though not many of us can relate to it. it discusses a lot about relationships and problems everyday people deal wit. i think everyone should read it and find out for themselves what this book is about because i think there are like a lot of things you can get out of this book. i also let my sister read it and she loved it so anyone who does read it will end up loving this book!
August 12, 2009
I bought a copy of this, signed by the author, at the Ann Arbor Reuse-Recycle Center in 2002 for 50-cents. I enjoyed Hagedorn's Dogeaters, but I didn't get around to reading this one until now (summer 2009).
The yo-yo, an invention attributed to the Philippines, is a central metaphor in the story, particularly as it relates to the pull of family and of the home country. Although Rocky is fully Americanized, living in New York City, sporting purple hair, and fronting a funk/rock band, she is constantly being pulled back to her past through family and memory.
Like Dogeaters, this is a great insight into Filipino culture, but on different grounds: this time it is Filipino immigrant culture in the U.S. Numerous Tagalog words and expressions are used throughout, such as dios ko (presumably borrowed from Spanish and meaning "My God" or "good grief" or the like), tsismis (gossip), bakla (gay), and guwapo (guapo, or handsome). There are many others that I could not quite guess the meaning, but they are not critical to comprehending the story. (Nicola was able to provide some additional insight, as Filipino immigrants make up a large portion of Hawai'i's population.)
The cast of characters is a curious ensemble; aside from Rocky's family, there is Chinese-American Elvis Chang, Detroit native Sly, and the ethnically ambiguous Keiko. I think the only named white American in the entire book is Jake, older than Rocky and company, and more traditionally macho, who becomes the father of Rocky's child. (There's a message in that detail that I feel I'm not quite picking up.) Numerous references are made to another famous mestiza, Frida Kahlo, who the book says was embarrassed of her German heritage.
The only criticism I can mention is that I did not care for the dream sequences. The repeated Jimi Hendrix dream-play was OK, but the rest of the dream sequences annoyed me. I think dream sequences annoy me in every book though--I feel they are either too laden with symbolism, or just throwaways.
The yo-yo, an invention attributed to the Philippines, is a central metaphor in the story, particularly as it relates to the pull of family and of the home country. Although Rocky is fully Americanized, living in New York City, sporting purple hair, and fronting a funk/rock band, she is constantly being pulled back to her past through family and memory.
Like Dogeaters, this is a great insight into Filipino culture, but on different grounds: this time it is Filipino immigrant culture in the U.S. Numerous Tagalog words and expressions are used throughout, such as dios ko (presumably borrowed from Spanish and meaning "My God" or "good grief" or the like), tsismis (gossip), bakla (gay), and guwapo (guapo, or handsome). There are many others that I could not quite guess the meaning, but they are not critical to comprehending the story. (Nicola was able to provide some additional insight, as Filipino immigrants make up a large portion of Hawai'i's population.)
The cast of characters is a curious ensemble; aside from Rocky's family, there is Chinese-American Elvis Chang, Detroit native Sly, and the ethnically ambiguous Keiko. I think the only named white American in the entire book is Jake, older than Rocky and company, and more traditionally macho, who becomes the father of Rocky's child. (There's a message in that detail that I feel I'm not quite picking up.) Numerous references are made to another famous mestiza, Frida Kahlo, who the book says was embarrassed of her German heritage.
The only criticism I can mention is that I did not care for the dream sequences. The repeated Jimi Hendrix dream-play was OK, but the rest of the dream sequences annoyed me. I think dream sequences annoy me in every book though--I feel they are either too laden with symbolism, or just throwaways.
March 7, 2016
Review initially published on my blog, Writing by Numbers, here.
I’m afraid I couldn’t finish this one. I didn’t hate it, but we just didn’t jive.
Anyway, this book concerns Rocky, who immigrates with her mother and brother Voltaire to America from the Philippines. Rocky wants to be a poet, a rock star. Even as she tries to reinvent herself as an American, as an adult, she’s glancing over her shoulder at her past. Rocky wants to be sexually open, wants to understand love, but she’s constantly bickering with her broody boyfriend Elvis Chang. Her friends include lecherous druggie drummer Sly and Keiko, a self-centered, mercurial diva. We hop with them through shitty dive bars, back alleys, shabby-grunge apartments, and drugged hazes. Rocky thinks her thoughts, and we read them.
Meanwhile, Rocky’s relatives negotiate past and present too. Voltaire falls prey to severe depression and befriends strays. Rocky’s mother starts a lumpia catering business, toys with the hearts of her male neighbors, and harps on memories. Rocky’s uncle, a retired actor, slowly grows old.
Everybody just kinda muddles around. Things change, but not in fundamental ways. And then the book was overdue at the library, and I’d renewed it too many times, and the fines were accumulating, and I realized, I’ve gotta free myself from the tyrannical need to finish books. So back it went.
The 215 in 2015 series chronicles every book I read in 2015. Each review contains exactly 215 words. For more, visit http://www.ararebit.wordpress.com.
I’m afraid I couldn’t finish this one. I didn’t hate it, but we just didn’t jive.
Anyway, this book concerns Rocky, who immigrates with her mother and brother Voltaire to America from the Philippines. Rocky wants to be a poet, a rock star. Even as she tries to reinvent herself as an American, as an adult, she’s glancing over her shoulder at her past. Rocky wants to be sexually open, wants to understand love, but she’s constantly bickering with her broody boyfriend Elvis Chang. Her friends include lecherous druggie drummer Sly and Keiko, a self-centered, mercurial diva. We hop with them through shitty dive bars, back alleys, shabby-grunge apartments, and drugged hazes. Rocky thinks her thoughts, and we read them.
Meanwhile, Rocky’s relatives negotiate past and present too. Voltaire falls prey to severe depression and befriends strays. Rocky’s mother starts a lumpia catering business, toys with the hearts of her male neighbors, and harps on memories. Rocky’s uncle, a retired actor, slowly grows old.
Everybody just kinda muddles around. Things change, but not in fundamental ways. And then the book was overdue at the library, and I’d renewed it too many times, and the fines were accumulating, and I realized, I’ve gotta free myself from the tyrannical need to finish books. So back it went.
The 215 in 2015 series chronicles every book I read in 2015. Each review contains exactly 215 words. For more, visit http://www.ararebit.wordpress.com.
August 6, 2015
I loved this book, even the ambiguous ending and the deaths of characters i didn't expect. Hadegorn renders characters so well i sometimes read them as if they were part of an autobiography, despite their symbolic names: Voltaire (the protagonist's brother), Elvis (her boyfriend), Sly (band member), Milagros (her mother), Keiko Van Heller (best friend). There are more characters that jump off the page so that i felt i might have passed them at the Serramonte mall or stood in line with them at airport security. They all dress a particular way, have specific jobs, sexual preferences, romantic ideas, addictions, etc. Even better, the language Hadegorn uses to give these details is poetic, rythmic, lush, mixing English, Spanish, and Tagalog too. The events the characters attend, create, force to happen make sense and yet are often surprising. I was swept up in the totality so I'm afraid i missed the book's larger themes. It's definitely worth a re-read, though i just wish she had a new book coming out!
June 7, 2009
This book was a re-read for me. I remember reading it in the 8th grade and I remember enjoying it so I decided to pick it up and read it again. It's a light read which I enjoy. It talks about a girl, named Rocky who moved from the Philipines to the United States in the 1960's. In history class, we just finished talking about the 1960's in America, which is known as the Civil Rights Movement era. Rocky falls in love with a guitar player, Elvis. She moves with him to San Francisco and meets someone named Keiko. The three of them decide to move to New York and start their band :The Gangster of Love. I think the author did a great job of really showing direct and indirect characterization of the characters in the book, especially Rocky. I would recommend this book to those who like to read inspiring stories.
April 8, 2010
I had an intense craving for lumpia the entire time I was reading this book, even though I've never had them in my life.
February 2, 2017
after 300plus pages, wala naman talagang nangyari
July 11, 2024
“I was down to my last fifty dollars, but I didn’t panic, reminding myself there would always be jobs, minimum wage, and mindless. Being in New York was an adventure, fresh and filled with an assortment of witty, noble characters and the perverse high of near-violent encounters on subways and streets. New York was a source of intense inspiration, a daily barrage of worthy movie moments. How could I dream of living anywhere else?”
The Gangster of Love broke me out of a reading slump - I’d never heard of the novel (first published in 1996) until I was listening to an episode of X where the interviewer and author gushed about it, so I immediately added it to my TBR. It didn’t disappoint - Rocky Rivera is one of the most memorable, badass characters I’ve encountered in recent literature.
It's got experimental elements to its narrative, frequently hopping between POVs and timelines, and dedicating entire chapters to punchlines of a joke or dialogue written like a script between agitated cab drivers. It’s a coming-of-age novel of sorts, as we see Rocky move with her mother (who is finally, if impulsively, making good of years of threats to leave Rocky’s father) and brother Voltaire, from Manila to San Francisco. Rocky’s a fierce artist held captive by wild family drama and shitty jobs to keep herself and her family out of poverty.
When she meets Keiko, a chaotic free spirit with a constantly changing backstory, Rocky sees that living like an artist IS possible for someone like her. When she meets her boyfriend and bandmate Elvis Chang, they move to L.A., living gig-to-gig, saving enough to move to NYC (where Keiko has also moved, establishing herself as the city’s newest “artist it-girl”). New York tests Rocky in every way imaginable, but it’s fascinating to watch as pregnancies and jobs tempt her into wondering if the ease of a more ‘traditional’ way of life wouldn’t be so bad. Hagedorn’s writing is deceptively simple – much like Rocky, it doesn’t need the façade of fancy, wordy prose to make an impact, but its punch hits that much harder when you don’t see it coming.
The Gangster of Love broke me out of a reading slump - I’d never heard of the novel (first published in 1996) until I was listening to an episode of X where the interviewer and author gushed about it, so I immediately added it to my TBR. It didn’t disappoint - Rocky Rivera is one of the most memorable, badass characters I’ve encountered in recent literature.
It's got experimental elements to its narrative, frequently hopping between POVs and timelines, and dedicating entire chapters to punchlines of a joke or dialogue written like a script between agitated cab drivers. It’s a coming-of-age novel of sorts, as we see Rocky move with her mother (who is finally, if impulsively, making good of years of threats to leave Rocky’s father) and brother Voltaire, from Manila to San Francisco. Rocky’s a fierce artist held captive by wild family drama and shitty jobs to keep herself and her family out of poverty.
When she meets Keiko, a chaotic free spirit with a constantly changing backstory, Rocky sees that living like an artist IS possible for someone like her. When she meets her boyfriend and bandmate Elvis Chang, they move to L.A., living gig-to-gig, saving enough to move to NYC (where Keiko has also moved, establishing herself as the city’s newest “artist it-girl”). New York tests Rocky in every way imaginable, but it’s fascinating to watch as pregnancies and jobs tempt her into wondering if the ease of a more ‘traditional’ way of life wouldn’t be so bad. Hagedorn’s writing is deceptively simple – much like Rocky, it doesn’t need the façade of fancy, wordy prose to make an impact, but its punch hits that much harder when you don’t see it coming.
December 5, 2024
The Gangster of Love (1996) by Jessica Hagedorn is the immersive, unconventional coming-of-age story of Rocky Rivera. Rocky’s story traverses decades starting with her departure from the Philippines to San Francisco, moving from the west coast to Manhattan, and then eventually ending up right back home in the Philippines again. The novel asks the question “what is home and when will we find it?”
In this line of questioning, the novel not only argues that Rocky’s true home is in the Philippines, but that she will only be able to figure that out through years of growth and maturation. In the beginning of the story, Rocky is fascinated by America. She is enthralled with the counterculture of the sixties, specifically regarding the landscape of music at this time. She and her brother mourn the death of Jimi Hendrix upon their arrival to San Francisco. Rocky becomes so invested in subversive American Rock music that she dreams of and eventually becomes the lead singer in her own band, The Gangster of Love. I really enjoyed the way that music and the music scene in both San Francisco and Manhattan connected with Rocky’s journey. Hagedorn portrays the community Rocky finds in these music scenes as proof that America isn’t Rocky’s home. The people Rocky engages with in San Francisco and Manhattan encourage self-destructive behaviors; the toxicity is suffocating. I really enjoyed the way Hagedorn situated these ideas and thought the use of these cultural attitudes that Rocky engages with in America was very effective in her argument that the best place for Rocky is away from this. When Rocky first fell in love with the rock scene, she was detached from its reality. She loved the art, but knew nothing about the inner workings of the community she claimed she loved. As she grew to know the community better, she felt further connected. This feeling was expertly expressed through Hagedorn’s writing. I could earnestly understand Rocky’s shift in emotions towards her community as the narrative progressed. In this, I feel like Hagedorn is very effective in telling this story.
In this line of questioning, the novel not only argues that Rocky’s true home is in the Philippines, but that she will only be able to figure that out through years of growth and maturation. In the beginning of the story, Rocky is fascinated by America. She is enthralled with the counterculture of the sixties, specifically regarding the landscape of music at this time. She and her brother mourn the death of Jimi Hendrix upon their arrival to San Francisco. Rocky becomes so invested in subversive American Rock music that she dreams of and eventually becomes the lead singer in her own band, The Gangster of Love. I really enjoyed the way that music and the music scene in both San Francisco and Manhattan connected with Rocky’s journey. Hagedorn portrays the community Rocky finds in these music scenes as proof that America isn’t Rocky’s home. The people Rocky engages with in San Francisco and Manhattan encourage self-destructive behaviors; the toxicity is suffocating. I really enjoyed the way Hagedorn situated these ideas and thought the use of these cultural attitudes that Rocky engages with in America was very effective in her argument that the best place for Rocky is away from this. When Rocky first fell in love with the rock scene, she was detached from its reality. She loved the art, but knew nothing about the inner workings of the community she claimed she loved. As she grew to know the community better, she felt further connected. This feeling was expertly expressed through Hagedorn’s writing. I could earnestly understand Rocky’s shift in emotions towards her community as the narrative progressed. In this, I feel like Hagedorn is very effective in telling this story.
April 20, 2024
Thank you to the California Book Club for my copy of this book!
Rocky Rivera arrives in the US from the Philippines the very day that Jimi Hendrix dies. This marks the beginning of his journey of immigration in 1960s San Francisco. Alongside Rocky are her mother and her brother, but they mourn the father they left behind in the Philippines. Eventually, Rocky Mets a guitar player named Elvis Chang and experiences her own journey of growing up in a time when things were changing in the United States.
I admittedly don't know a lot about Jimi Hendrix but I love the music of the 60s! The decade seems like such a time of growth, and of young people being more free to discover themselves than they ever had before. It was easy for me, in that regard, to relate to Rocky as a young woman trying to find her place. I appreciated her immigration story, and can't imagine how difficult it was for her to be growing up in a new country at such a time of change. Her Filipino heritage is still very much a part of her, and I thought the author did a respectful job portraying her being true to herself and finding her own way. I was surprised to see the book was written in 1997, as I feel a lot of it still holds up today.
This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)
Rocky Rivera arrives in the US from the Philippines the very day that Jimi Hendrix dies. This marks the beginning of his journey of immigration in 1960s San Francisco. Alongside Rocky are her mother and her brother, but they mourn the father they left behind in the Philippines. Eventually, Rocky Mets a guitar player named Elvis Chang and experiences her own journey of growing up in a time when things were changing in the United States.
I admittedly don't know a lot about Jimi Hendrix but I love the music of the 60s! The decade seems like such a time of growth, and of young people being more free to discover themselves than they ever had before. It was easy for me, in that regard, to relate to Rocky as a young woman trying to find her place. I appreciated her immigration story, and can't imagine how difficult it was for her to be growing up in a new country at such a time of change. Her Filipino heritage is still very much a part of her, and I thought the author did a respectful job portraying her being true to herself and finding her own way. I was surprised to see the book was written in 1997, as I feel a lot of it still holds up today.
This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)
April 25, 2021
Spolier Alert
I loved this book, I highly . It was nothing like I've ever read before, the ending made me feel a bit empty though. Reading about Sly and Milagros dying, hurt. They were both such lively and outspoken (not saying they were good people because Sly was not a very good person some parts of the book) characters and to see them just deteriorate and dissolve into just memories and ghosts was unpleasantly bizarre. The sections of the book where Rocky was still in her band and when she transitioned into life with Venus was so interesting to read, even though there was no main conflict in the plot seeing Rocky as a person growing up and developing as a person in the environment she was in was rewarding to see, in a way.
One of the heart-wrenching parts I remember reading was when Voltaire was breaking down and also when Milagros, a usually opionated and loud character was hospitalized. I couldn't put the book down at those sections.
This is all I have to say about The Gangster of Love. I really enjoyed it and it will always stick to me as a Filipino-American girl born in this Philippines, some parts of this book I relate to and are familiar to because I've been living in the Philippines since birth.
I loved this book, I highly . It was nothing like I've ever read before, the ending made me feel a bit empty though. Reading about Sly and Milagros dying, hurt. They were both such lively and outspoken (not saying they were good people because Sly was not a very good person some parts of the book) characters and to see them just deteriorate and dissolve into just memories and ghosts was unpleasantly bizarre. The sections of the book where Rocky was still in her band and when she transitioned into life with Venus was so interesting to read, even though there was no main conflict in the plot seeing Rocky as a person growing up and developing as a person in the environment she was in was rewarding to see, in a way.
One of the heart-wrenching parts I remember reading was when Voltaire was breaking down and also when Milagros, a usually opionated and loud character was hospitalized. I couldn't put the book down at those sections.
This is all I have to say about The Gangster of Love. I really enjoyed it and it will always stick to me as a Filipino-American girl born in this Philippines, some parts of this book I relate to and are familiar to because I've been living in the Philippines since birth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 31, 2020This is the first work of Hagedorn's that I've read, and although it doesn't land a spot in my favorites shelf, it most certainly encourages me to read on and on, and that counts for something. (Needless to say I'm definitely keeping my eyes peeled for more Hagedorn works at my local library)
Some books are made of light, and some of shadows. This book is made of shadows, and lovely (albeit gritty) ones at that. Interwoven with delightful and well-crafted characters, The Gangster of Love unearths brutal images of seventies era rock-n-roll through the lens of a Filipino immigrant in the USA, as she traverses the West Coast, East Coast, and finds herself pulled back home: a there-and-back-again affair. While the narration shifts and meanders between different characters' points of view, it stays faithful to the story, which at its core is about family, culture, heritage, etc: the things that make a place, and places that make a person.
Some books are made of light, and some of shadows. This book is made of shadows, and lovely (albeit gritty) ones at that. Interwoven with delightful and well-crafted characters, The Gangster of Love unearths brutal images of seventies era rock-n-roll through the lens of a Filipino immigrant in the USA, as she traverses the West Coast, East Coast, and finds herself pulled back home: a there-and-back-again affair. While the narration shifts and meanders between different characters' points of view, it stays faithful to the story, which at its core is about family, culture, heritage, etc: the things that make a place, and places that make a person.
April 18, 2024
I have finished this one in two nights, and I am still working on my thoughts. What a book!!! I wanted to hate it but I couldn’t find any reasons at all. Definitely something I will remember for the longest time. Well, this is about Rocky and her relationships with her family, her boyfriend, her supposedly best friend and her own transformation from the old ways. Her crazy life spiraled to another dimension and her own transformation affected her should she stayed behind in the Philippines. Her story started from the Philippines during their migration to US with her mom and sibling then returned back to the homeland eventually. I love how Jessica Hagedorn added some Tagalog (Pilipino) words and authentic foods to the storyline. Overall, this book is very well-written and the story is flowing. Very fulfilling!!!
April 22, 2024
I remember as a young high school student, discovering the anthology Charlie Chan Is Dead and feeling like it was revolutionary for me as an Asian American who had never read anything in English by Asian Americans. And thus began my journey into Asian American lit and authors and Hagedorn is definitely iconic and it's taken me this long to read one of her novels. This book felt so Asian American, so Californian, so rock-n-roll and gave a glimpse of what it would've been like in the 60s and 70s for an Asian American in California. It's about family, both chosen and biological and felt very personal and authentic in its voice.
October 24, 2018
A bit uneven and wandering. Non linear stories must be a Philippine thing, especially for wayward women new to US. How or why she makes it is not clear. But her family issues and those who become family in the loose sense are pure gold. Relationships of all kinds expose their secrets then disappear again. Nothing is clear, no beginnings or endings. But we are taken along a roller coaster ride of Pinay culture at home and in exile. That alone is fascinating. The band issues just a drudge.
November 16, 2025
Incredible writing and novel. Written in the rock-and-roll poetic style, the reader follows the Rocky Riviera's complex life. As a first-generation American her life bridges worlds of Filipino community, rock-n-roll underground community, and coming of age across the east and west coast of the United States. The writing keeps the reader engaged and the incredible detail and depth that the author goes in to ground the novel historically across generations is impressive. Highly recommend.
August 25, 2017
Loved her describing San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York in the '70s, the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, the coming of age of an immigrant woman in the context of pop culture. Looking forward to seeing the adaptation staged at the Magic Theater in San Francisco in spring 2018!
August 30, 2022
all the drugs, sex, and bad decisions made in this book seem placed there purely for shock value. none of the characters are particularly likable or have any redeeming qualities. disappointing bc i had high hopes for this book
March 19, 2018
college textbook
September 10, 2019
I loved the title but prefer Dogeaters.
October 15, 2008
This book was a great read! It's really light and a short read. I first got this book for free at a book convention. My teacher said it was really good so, eventually, I started to read it. It's a lot of fun and weaves a lot of historical events into it.It's about a Filipino girl, growing up in the United States in the 60s to late 70s, Rocky. It starts with her arriving in the US. Her brother is in love with Jimmy Hendrix and her mother is running away from her father. They move to San Fransisco where they mostly relay on money from they're father and her mother's latest interest. Eventually Rocky falls in love with a Chinese American named Elvis. They live together in San Fransisco and eventually travel to New York. They join a band, The Gangster of Love, and try to make the big time. The book really gets in touch with Rocky's entire life, and not just one aspect. It talks about the band, but it also talks about her mother. It really gives you every side of her, and by the end you feel as if you've known the character forever.
May 17, 2016
This author came before Junot Diaz and does for the Filipino community what Diaz has done for the Dominican community. Almost literally. Hagedorn writes loosely connected stories about immigrants who have complex relationships with their mother country and the U.S. as well. Her stories are often sexually explicit in a gratuitously autobiographical way. Just because you are writing a fictional version of your life doesn't mean you should include everything that happened.
The comparison doesn't fully work though because reading Diaz was a chore for me but Hagedorn's work pulled me along for the ride. I compulsively read to the end of this book and though it doesn't fully work I enjoyed the insights she shared.
Even with the problems I had with this book, I recommend it to others. Dogeaters sounds even more like Diaz than this one was, so I may have to read that to compare against Drown.
The comparison doesn't fully work though because reading Diaz was a chore for me but Hagedorn's work pulled me along for the ride. I compulsively read to the end of this book and though it doesn't fully work I enjoyed the insights she shared.
Even with the problems I had with this book, I recommend it to others. Dogeaters sounds even more like Diaz than this one was, so I may have to read that to compare against Drown.
September 23, 2009
I couldn't finish this book. I read a substantial amount to realize that I couldn't read it not because it was boring, but because I think it is better fit for a teenager. Like Kevin says, it should be read by high schoolers in lieu of Catc...her in the Rye. Same sort of storyline but a little more quirky. It is somewhat predictable but there are so many weird characters that come in and out of Rocky's life that it is hard to keep everyone straight. It's not a bad book, I just wish I read it when I was ten years younger.
June 29, 2014
the gangster of love, my first hagedorn book.
in a nutshell, here's what i think:
1) the images she tries to paint are so vivid. i like the way she plays with words.
2) rocky, the protagonist, i find her ferocity endearing
3) the best thing about this book? the ending. dang! my eyes widened when i flipped through the last page. my brain screamed for more!
but why did i rate it a 3? although her imagery is really good, there were times that she (hagedorn) lost grip on me.
would i read another book of hers? definitely. let's see about the story's tenacity. maybe it'll be a 4.
in a nutshell, here's what i think:
1) the images she tries to paint are so vivid. i like the way she plays with words.
2) rocky, the protagonist, i find her ferocity endearing
3) the best thing about this book? the ending. dang! my eyes widened when i flipped through the last page. my brain screamed for more!
but why did i rate it a 3? although her imagery is really good, there were times that she (hagedorn) lost grip on me.
would i read another book of hers? definitely. let's see about the story's tenacity. maybe it'll be a 4.
December 20, 2012
I am from SF recently moved to LA. The first half of this book made me homesick. Hagedorn paints of vivid picture of San Francisco in the 1970s, not much has changed.
This was a great story. I may read it again. My only complaint would be the open ended of the ending. I suppose that's the point but I wanted the story to continue...
Anyway I'd recommend this book. I'm looking forward to reading more from Hagedorn.
This was a great story. I may read it again. My only complaint would be the open ended of the ending. I suppose that's the point but I wanted the story to continue...
Anyway I'd recommend this book. I'm looking forward to reading more from Hagedorn.
April 20, 2016
The best thing about this book was the largely tangential tito character, a wandering poet figure that reminds me of a migrant in the mode of Carlos Bulosan. Elvis Chang and Rocky and Voltaire don't cut it. It's the minor characters and the grit of San Francisco before a gentrified Salesforce started taking Ubers all over the place.
March 7, 2016
Blah. A bunch of characters I either hated or didn't care anything about, plus lots of references to pop culture and very little discernible plot. This whole book feels crazy and chaotic and meaningless and ugly. I wouldn't have finished it if it hadn't been assigned for one of my English classes this semester in college.
June 6, 2008
I really liked this book. I thought it was an interesting story of in immigrant Filipino family, mainly the teenage girl who grew up in S.F. and moved to NYC. What I didn't like was the ending, but on reflection realized there was no good way to end this story.
February 18, 2009
A good book. A lot of energy. Really strong and imaginative. Occasionally, I wanted a bit more lyricism, but that seems silly given the parameters of the book as it is. But I'd recommend it. We're reading it in my Rock 'n Roll Novel class later this semester.
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