Tales of a Punk Rock Nothing

A cute and telling journal/scrapbook about a Jewish kid from Tennessee, who moves to D.C. to hang out with militant vegetarians, manifesto-writing shoplifters, and strippers who write feminist theory. Elliot's two years in D.C. unfold in a series of letters to his former girlfriend, letters to his little sister back home, journal entries, and three issues of his zine, "Mindcleaner." Elliot's punk experience runs the gamut, from living in the Positive Force house, a hazy relationship with a riot grrrrl, working in a health food store at Dupont Circle, trying to organize a collective, moving to Mt. Pleasant, and of course, being in a band and putting out a record. I believe the book is pretty much based on the co-author's experiences in moving to D.C. and I suppose it captures/satirizes a lot of the D.C. "scene" pretty accurately. Although the names have been changed, plenty of D.C. bands (Fugazi, Nation of Ulysses) and scenesters will be recognizable to people in the know. The book works better as a rabid cry to "do something" instead of posing--an aim that is always applaudable. It's critique/satire of the D.C. scene gets a little stale by the end, it seems to me like a lot of Elliot's disillusionment stems from idealized expectations about D.C. It's got everything you could want out of a novel: a chase scene, a sex scene, plus angst-ridden critiques of American society.