I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert

Emily Black is destined to be a rock star. Her mother left soon after she was born to 'follow the music', and Emily has inherited her passion. But instead of following the music, Emily creates it-- and all the while, somewhere in the back of her mind, she hopes that the music will lead her mother back.
Told from two points of view-- Emily's and her mother's (though mostly Emily's)-- I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone is a gritty¹ and utterly engrossing portrait of one girl's relationship with her mother and with music.
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone is the kind of book that makes you want to join a band. The book reads almost like a love letter to punk rock at times (in the best possible way). It's an almost-epic tale of a girl and her music, spanning years, from Emily's first disastrous show to gold-record success, with a lot in between.²
If you like music, or even if you don't, you need to read this book. It's one of the most real and original books I've read in a while. Stephanie Kuehnert's writing is fabulous, and Emily's unique voice jumps out at you from the very first page.

Put it at the top of your pile, I say.


Wanting to join a band, wanting to be your Joey Ramone³, and yours,


1. An overused word, but an appropriate one.
2. And also some stuff before and after, but that's not the point.
3. Not really.