A tribute
to a different kind of Jersey girl.
In New
Jersey during the summer of 1989, an awkward thirteen-year-old who was obsessed
with weird music fell head-over-heels in love with the coolest post-punk rock
girl he had ever met.
Nicholas
was insecure. He was a daydreamer, wishing for romance when he was told, over
and over, that he could not have it. He was a toy, pulled and pushed, wanted
and used, dragged along yet held at a distance. Nicholas fell in with the out
crowd, and loved every minute of it. He fell in love and got left behind, but
not before she changed him forever.
This is an
irrational, emotional love story for the teenager inside all of us.
The music is loud, and you’re about to be pushed into the pit.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“I should
have put you in therapy.” – my mother
“I insist
that you use my real name.”
– Kevin
“Finally, a
title that doesn’t scare people off. Not like the first book, The
Coolest Way to Kill Yourself.” – Kim
Gray, publicist
Foreword by Wendy Buck
Three months after I read
Nicholas’ first book, The Coolest Way to Kill Yourself, my thirteen-year-old
daughter, M, told me she was a lesbian. I did not know Nicholas before reading
his first book, but he has since become a close friend and confidant. I shared
M’s news with him and his response was that I had to write a foreword for his
next book. I asked him for the correlation between her announcement and his
book, because I didn’t get it. And I fought him on it. What does being gay have
in common with being punk rock? He told me to think about the term in a
non-music sort of way. What does it represent? And so I did what I always do. I
went away and I thought about what he said. Chipped Black Nail Polish takes
place when I was a teenager, during the height of punk rock. As so many of us
did, I promised myself I would never grow up to be one of those adults who
forgot where she came from. The music was important, but more than that, what
punk rock stood for took center stage for me: the do it- yourself philosophy,
questioning the norm, thinking critically, and pushing the boundaries of
acceptability. But above all of those things, the most basic characteristic of
punk rock is to be true to one’s self. But, I broke that promise. I lost sight
of myself and became ii someone I thought I should be in the eyes of my peers.
And so, Nicholas and his book came along shortly after I started questioning my
decisions and choices in life. Not only have I benefited from his being such a
good friend, but so too has my daughter. I raise M to be a free thinker and she
is very much a free spirit. When I look at her, I am so proud of the young
woman she is becoming. She will make her mark. And just like how she came out
to the world, she will do it in her own way and in her own time. Do not rush
this child, and do not expect her to do it the normal way. She is a weirdo.
Nicholas has captured only one summer, three months, in this book. These months
were pinnacle in defining him as an adult. He, too, was thirteen during the
events that took place. I am so grateful that Kim entered his life, for however
brief that time was. She taught him to live in acceptance of one’s self, to
question everything, to stretch himself outside his perceived comfort zone. She
taught him punk rock. She taught him it was okay to be a weirdo.
Author Info
Nicholas Tanek is
an American ghostwriter from New Brunswick, New Jersey. He graduated from
Rutgers University with a bachelor's degree in English. Nicholas Tanek grew up
as a New Jersey punk rock skater kid who lost himself in the early 90’s New
York City rave scene. After years of drug addiction, he got his life together
when he was reunited with Lynn, the love of his life, before she died at the
age of 37. Instead of choosing negativity, he chose creativity. Losing Lynn
inspired him to write his first book, The Coolest Way To Kill Yourself. There
is quite a bit of kinky sex, drugs, and music in the life of Nicholas Tanek and
he has some unique stories to tell.
Stalker Links
Twitter
Facebook
Like
my Author Page
Goodreads
Website
Looks fantastic can't wait to read this book
ReplyDeleteGreat post and I can't wait to read it!!
ReplyDelete