What do You think about Born To Rock (2006)?
3.5 stars.Born to Rock doesn't really aspire to be anything more than lightweight, fast-paced entertainment, but I can respect that when it does it so well. Leo Caraway – Young Republican and future Harvard student – discovers that A) his scholarship is being revoked, and B) he's likely the son of King Maggot, frontman for Purge, one of the best of the early-80s punk bands. After confronting King, Leo signs on to roadie for the band during their reunion tour, expecting at some point to hit his dad up for Harvard tuition money.What follows is, at heart, a fish out of water story as straitlaced Leo attempts to survive the world of a punk rock band. Still, the book ends up saying some important things about family, relationships, and identity, and it's one of the more music-savvy Young Adult novels I've read (right up there with Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park. A lot of books that strive for musical authenticity get the details wrong, but author Gordon Korman does a nice job of subtly whitewashing the band's backstage antics for a younger audience while getting the gist of the antics across.The book won't change your life, but it will offer a pleasant diversion for the few hours it takes to read it.
—Rob
I wasn’t too sure about this one at first, but after I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. Growing up in the 80’s (yes, I actually lived the punk era) made this an interesting book to read. You will like it, thought, because it is well-written and has lots of action in the behind the scenes look at a punk/rock-n-roll lifestyle. Summary:Leo Caraway leads a charmed life as a fairly straight-laced Young Republican and A-student headed for Harvard on a scholarship. But then he finds out that his biological father is none other than Marion X. McMurphy (aka King Maggot), lead singer of the wildly popular punk band Purge. As Leo expects, this shocking bit of information brings with it some bad karma, and a misunderstanding costs him his Harvard scholarship. Only one out-there option makes sense at this point: Leo will work as a roadie for Purge, and get his father to cough up the tuition money. But life on a rock tour is even freakier than Leo imagined, and the truth he learns about dear old dad is freakiest of all.
—Kerri
The book I am reviewing is Born To Rock, by Gordon Korman. This book is narrated by the main character, Leo, who is a senior in high school. The main plot of the story takes off when Leo learns his father is the lead singer of a legendary rock band from the 80’s called “Purge”. “Potbellies and receding Mohawks notwithstanding, they were still the angriest band in America, capable of raising a roof in a place that didn’t even have one.”(Korman).The author wastes no time on moving through the plot, and keeping the reader engaged. This book was defiantly directed towards teens because they can best relate to the characters in the story, and to some of the problems. The character I can mostly relate to has to be Melinda. I relate to her because I used to be like her and I went through some very similar transitions. The author was defiantly trying to purvey an arrangement of messages when he wrote this book. I believe that one of the main messages purveyed is; even when you think no one cares about you, the most unlikely person shows you that they do. I enjoyed this book very much; I found it humorous and engaging. I also enjoyed many of the puns made and the twist in the end which did bring the story line together. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys comedy and rock music. I give this book five stars.
—Brittiney
