A Musical Novel
by Garine Isassi
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Just released: April 5, 2016
Publisher: She Writes Press
Genre: Chick-lit, Music, 1980s, New Adult
Paperback: 273 pages
Rating: 4
First sentence(s):
I peered into what was about to become my very own office.
It is the spring of 1989 in New York City when Jill Dodge, a post-punk rocker from Texas, finally gets her big promotion at Mega Big Records. She is thrust into a race to find a gritty, urban rapper before the “Gangsta” trend passes their label by. As Jill and her mostly middle-class coworkers search for the next big rap star, they fluctuate between alliances and rivalries, tripping over the stereotypes of race, class, and musical genre. They work to promote their current roster of acts as well as the new rap artist they sign to a contract. It turns out, he may not be what they expected. Full of original lyrics and wit, Start With the Backbeat is a compelling examination of the nuances of class, race, and culture in America―which are sometimes ridiculously serious.
My two-bits:
In this story a young woman navigates her work life and puzzles out her love life in the 80s.
I really got the 80s feel with this one in regards to technology growth. Fun to remember when desktop computers started popping up.
I liked how this story got into the promotion part of the music business. I always enjoy behind-the-scene scenes.
Got me thinking of types of music and their stereotypes.
About the author:
She currently lives in Maryland, where she works full time in marketing communications, is the Workshops Chair for the Gaithersburg Book Festival, writes when everyone else is asleep, and lives with her husband, three kids, a cat, a dog, and a gecko. It’s the gecko that sent her over the edge.
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* review copy courtesy of It's Raining Books Blog Tour (details) sponsored by BookSparks #itsrainingbooks
