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(Click the cover
to fly over to Amazon "It is wonderfully
told, this terrible tale. I read Brutal Music because I wanted
to know how Lindsay would deal with teen suicide, satanism, and
heavy metal music. I thought the book was asking WHY; I never
expected to LEARN why. That there are here both comprehension
and redemption is a miracle. I doff my hat." "Brutal
Music is gripping, disturbing, and illuminating. James Lindsay's
debut novel presents a powerful portrait of a traumatized family
wrestling with its demons and inching toward understanding."
"Brutal Music is
a powerful story that would not let me go. I am amazed at how
much Jim Lindsay knows: About the limits and latitudes of love.
About how we must move beyond guilt and blame, beyond even the
need to understand what has happened to us, before healing can
begin. About the power of simple endurance in the face of heartbreaking
loss,and how life can change quickly or so quietly, you almost
miss the benedictions, but they are there." |
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You can also check out what I've been reading, watching, mulling over, etc., etc. lately by taking a look at my Monthly Top Five. And finally, if you're so inclined, you can get info on where to buy a copy of Brutal Music. About My Novel Teenagers killing each other. Teenagers killing themselves. In the terrible aftermath, the same questions arise: how did this happen? who were these kids? why? And, far too often: who can we blame? Is it the parents? Is it the media? Is it a "toxic culture"? Brutal
Music takes on just such questions. It portrays one of these
tragedies that seem to defy comprehension, but does so on a small
scale, in human terms. We follow the events that lead up to a teenage
boy's suicide attempt; we also follow his parents as they struggle
to come to terms with the act. In spare, direct prose, we get to
know these people from the inside out, and receive a fresh and compelling
account of the place of rock music in a troubled teenager's life.
Gradually, unexpectedly, we come to understand how this one tragedy
may have occurred. Equally unexpectedly, we see a glimpse of how
this one family may manage to move beyond it. Brutal Music is
a timely and moving novel that will appeal to both adults and teenagers,
and act as a catalyst for discussion of difficult but essential
issues. About Me This is my first novel. I was born in the Bronx and grew up in upstate New York. I have a Bachelors Degree from Oberlin College and a Masters Degree from Syracuse University. My fiction has appeared in a number of literary magazines, including the Indiana Review, Crazyhorse, The MacGuffin, and the Nebraska Review. I make my living in the software industry, as a technical writer/instructional designer. My favorite writers include: John Updike, Grace Paley, Tobias Wolff, Greil Marcus, Raymond Carver, Roddy Doyle, Philip Roth, Bernard Malamud, Rachel Ingalls, Peter Guralnick ...the list goes on and on. |
Want to get in touch? E-mail me at jameslindsay@worldnet.att.net.
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