Please Kill Me
Most people will be traveling or laying on the beach during Winter Break. Therefore, you need a great book (maybe a few) that will hold your attention. I recently read Please Kill Me and couldn't put it down. It is the story of Punk Rock, and the book is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. It is written in the tradition of oral history, directly from interviews by the primary players in the story. I will caution you that this book is not white washed and presents the dark underbelly that was Punk Rock in the late 60s/early 70s. If you are not interested in punk (sex, drugs, and rock & roll), then this book isn't for you. Who knew that Lou Reed had a penchant for transvestites (I guess I should have listened more closely to Take a Walk on the Wildside) or that Dee Dee Ramone turned tricks as a gay prostitute to feed his heroin addiction. You may know some of the individuals, bands, and places, but this book will reveal their stories in ways you never knew.