the real youth & young manhood.
590896
Kings of Leon - Good old southern boy's from the home of porn - a delightful deluge of cross dressing, easy women and  yarns from  the murky subculture of their transient youth. So the obvious question in this day and age to ask is who are they ripping off? Lynard Skynard? Yes a little. Credence Clearwater? Yes a touch here and there, there's also a touch of the Velvet underground in the subject matter but they swagger with an exuberance and an effervescence that makes this a refreshing and vital recording. I can sense the sniggers, the chuckle as you point out the obvious clich&eacute;d reference points. But that just goes to prove even further what a triumph this debut album is, so here comes another clich&eacute; 'better to have people talking about you (good or bad) than not talking about you at all, ahhhhhh, yes, the kings are in the spotlight, they are again being lauded by the fickle music press you say and next month it'll be the hiss, or the rapture, or some other band named after a forgotten part of the human anatomy. Yes, a highly likely assessment but forget all that and just listen to the music. I then challenge you not to break out in an all over, foot stomping smile, that has you coming back for more and more of the same. In all their seedy glorious moment the Kings of Leon are just trying to get out, and get on, don't deny them their story. Those who thought American youth was all about sports jackets, candy floss, cheese burgers, red convertibles, Budweiser, coca-cola, Florida, Venice beach, surfing, Molly Ringwald, the Yankees, Joe Montana, cheer leaders and thickshakes - well think again. Like a David Lynch movie these guy's allow you to take a peek behind the glossy post cards and cheap 'college style' movies to a much different world populated by perverts, paedophile priests and drunken louts. It won't be to everyone's liking but hey, by the bands own admission 'we just tell it how it is'.
Take opening track 'Red morning light' it sets the scene and provides the tempo for what is about to follow "hey hey another dirty bird giving out a taste" sings Caleb. Then there's 'Joe's Head' where the protagonist murders the guy who's shagging his wife. Then murders his wife. Then has a fag afterwards to celebrate. 'Happy Alone' where you'll find Caleb at the local whorehouse "prancing around in my high heels/And your cherry red lipstick". Then there's the sleazy 'tranny' - it involves Caleb doing coke, "cheap trick hookers" and being "tied to a chair" - but then how could any song titled simply 'tranny' be anything other than brilliant - it's also the greatest song about cross-dressing since Lou Reed sung 'Take a walk on the wild side'.
It's been a while since such a remarkably fresh and unconscious album was released on the general public in such an unassuming way. 'Youth and Young manhood' is quite an achievment. It is one of the debut album since 'definitley maybe' and is odds on for album of the year. Ignore the hype that surronds them and enjoy the moment - they are, in the immortal words of Noel Gallagher "My new favourite f*****g band".
968265
Pleasantly surprised!  Excellent treatment of youth, growing up and coming home.  Paints a delightful portrait of New England.
1089521
Well written. Enjoyable. Brilliantly wise young man for his age.
1667716
Great insight into the mind of a young man. Recommend to anyone willing to reflect on themselves and past mistakes male or female.
942347
Powerful narrative of a young man who was mature and brave beyond his years. Thank you for your service and this book. One of the better actual accounts I have read of what our young men faced in the NAM.
2615142
Young men begin as growing boys, and pass through challenges of adolescence surrounded by peers. The characters in this story are high school students, ninth grade and some eleventh, some wealthy and some without luxuries in their lives.

Their friendships are controlled in large part by their geography within their town. The haves are with the haves, and the have-nots stay close to each other.

Mike Wells has a clear understand of adolescence demonstrated in the real and raw emotions he shows through his characters' conversations and actions.

There are a small number of grammatical, typo, or omission errors in the text, and these can be easily resolved with a focused edit for such. They do detract somewhat from the smooth reading, but not enough to confuse anyone's understandings of the actions and characters.

I'm looking forward to part two; part one does stand alone as a character developing short story. The unresolved questions and choice of directions of the characters will optimistically be addressed in part two.
1823871
Astonishing to think that about thirty years ago so many young people in The West were moved to engage with people such as Mr Bennett. Definitely something in the air at that time.
Allen Roth conjures up the spirit of those years in a book which will bring back memories of early spiritual endeavours for some, and will encourage the latest generation to follow its instincts. The like of Mr Bennett doesn't seem to be around at the moment but "Sherborne" will give the reader a yardstick by which to measure "teachers".
3612989
This is a great read for any age, especially for a young man or young folks. I would encourage anybody to purchase to read it and consider purchase to donate to a young or woman you may come across.
2657186
I plan on recommending this book to many young men. I appreciate the author's real life examples of what is and what could be.
3829785
Deconstructing Tyrone is an excellent profile of what ails us today. It gives an outstanding look at the changing face of the Black community and how the hip -hop and most definitely Rap Music has affected the mentality and perspective of what is realistic in the lives of these young men. The ideal of being a man has changed as these young people lose perspective on who are the role models in their lives. No longer can they see in the hard working 9-5 males they see everyday as the men they want to become. Fast money, fast women, and fast materials have changed that perspective. Flash, Cash and Dash is the way of the streets.
The book outlines the choice and change of the community and how the effects have extended itself to the outer suburbs and beyond. The glamour of the "Baller" lifestyle has changed the game. The author profiles certain examples and the pushes and pulls that lead these young men to believe that the only way out of what they see as a deperate, never ending life is to go the way of the "hustler," "baller," "player," or "pimp."

An entertaining read that anyone could learn from. One which will give a real perspective on "keeping it real."
3215538
Evan Carter is a teen who has learned to move, he has moved more times than should be counted as normal, since his mother died.  He has also learned how to make the moves on girls, not caring about the ramifications of his actions.  As the perpetual "new guy" he has learned to identify the girls who will probably say "yes" to sex.

He meets Collette at his newest school and he knows she used to date his roommate but he doesn't care.  He is hot for her, and has big plans involving a condom.  Evan's risky behavior eventually catches up to him and he is physically assaulted and beaten to a bloody pulp.
His father decides to bring Evan to the family cabin, located on a Minnesota lake in a small town, to heal.  Evan begins to see his past and his present converge and he wonders if life will ever be normal again.

Carrie Mesrobian has written a novel about teen hook-up culture and the consequences of it.  Ultimately Sex & Violence is about teen violence and its connection to sex but it is about so much more than that.  It covers a range of teen issues from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to the virginity pact.  Since I teach at the high school level, I see a lot of teen fights over boyfriend/girlfriend issues and the drama goes on and on.  Mesrobian has captured this part of teen drama and culture expertly.

Sex & Violence is an excellent novel for the mature teen.  It is gripping, honest, raw and a bit shocking.  Evan is a swearing, beer drinking, weed smoking, girl using, character you hate to love, he is multi-faceted and trying to become a better person.  Mesrobian has captured the male teenage voice perfectly.  Sex & Violence is a great first novel and Mesrobian is a writer I want to read more of.  Love it or hate it, Sex & Violence is a part of the culture teens grow up in the U.S. and Mesrobian doesn't shy away from the tough nature of the subject matter.

Sex & Violence won the 2014 Minnesota Book Award.
219885
As a grandmother & able to relate to the teenage years. A true depiction of how out of hand life can become.
4565712
Michael Parker is a world-class writer working on a small stage. He captures brilliantly the urgency of youth as it settles into middle age, and the things we learn to live without, whether or not we should. I highly recommend this novel.
3558956
Well written, should be a must read for all young men and women.
Life is not like the media tells you it is. The advice in this book could save many a young man/woman from wasting many years.
3774819
The two movies tell of a young couple's coming of age & his becoming accepted by his fellow-men. Along with the adventure part, I liked how certain characters showed what REAL "class" is.
700337
Brian Naranjo's "Childish Things" is a classic coming of age tale with a Navy background. This is not just a story about growing older, but an engaging journey that allows us to share the excitement of new experiences and situations as well as the confusion and frustration typically felt those first few years in the Navy way of life. While we serve and do our duty life goes on back home, providing the literary mix of levity and reality that makes this story a fast read. A great use of of actual historic events, Childish Things is anything but childish as our new adults move forward, extending their hands to bring us along.
1185891
A great young people creation, and re-creation(s). Good fun for young people in the 21rst century too. Excellent sound quality.